Hernandez brings it home for MHS

The sophomore won the 100-yard breaststroke and then jumped back in the pool minutes later to grind out the anchor leg of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay, helping the Bobcats lock down a 102-78 dual victory over Indianola in the MHS Pool.

Hernandez was also on winning relays in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

With Indianola’s Chloey Hart giving it a run in the final 25 yards, Hernandez had just enough in the tank to beat Hart to the board by 34-hundreths of a second.

“That’s moxie right there,” MHS head coach Angie Nelson said. “That’s a determination thing, an ‘I’m gonna win’ thing. She was tired in that first half and the Indianola girl came up on her, and she held her as long as she could where she knew she could beat her at the end. That’s just Leia and her experience.”

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER – Marshalltown freshman Emma Case swims neck-and-neck with a pair of Indianola swimmers during the 100-yard freestyle event on Thursday at the MHS pool. Case was edged out at the wall by Indianola’s Olivia Costigan in a race decided by two-hundreths of a second.

Emma Case, Adele Beek, Maisie Gummert and Hernandez clocked in at 4:08.98 for the win. Hernandez, Alex Lasack, Libby Meyer and Rachel Case won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:50.41 and Emma Case, Beek, Rachel Case and Hernandez won the 200 medley relay in 2:03.47 for a clean sweep of the relays by the Bobcats.

“I wanted us to win with some good races tonight,” Nelson said. “And we definitely had some excitement, even if the first half of the meet didn’t quite go exactly to plan, we got a nice bump from our divers and we were able to keep that cushion.”

Other individual swimming winners were Rachel Case in the 50 freestyle in 26.97 and Emma Case in the 100 backstroke in 1:10.17. Emma Case was part of a 1-2 finish in the backstroke with Gummert and Rachel Case was second behind Hernandez in the breaststroke to help Marshalltown rack up the points necessary in the end.

Kate Hauser and Ella DeMonte went uncontested for a 1-2 finish in diving. Hauser posted a 248.15 six-dive score and DeMonte scored a 167.80 from the judges.

“They’ve got things they’re doing really, really well and things they know they’ll need to work hard on, but we’re making a lot of progress,” Nelson said.

Marshalltown is back in action next Tuesday for a quad with Atlantic, Carroll and Des Moines Hoover at the Hoover pool.

“We’ve run Saturday, Tuesday and now Thursday,” Nelson said. “I know the girls are tired. And we’ve got homecoming for West Marshall this week and for Marshalltown next week, so it gets a little tough around this time, but when we hit October where we’re only having one meet a week we can pile on a little more yardage, a little bit more mental prep.”

Marshalltown 102, Indianola 78

EVENT RESULTS

(Champion plus MHS placewinners)

200 MEDLEY RELAY — 1. MHS (E. Case, Beek, R. Case, Hernandez) 2:03.47; 3. MHS (Ceren, Gummert, Lasack, Meyer) 2:17.09.

200 FREESTYLE — 1. Kaylee Dykstra, IND, 2:19.14; 2. Libby Meyer, MHS, 2:26.39; 3. Alex Lasack, MHS, 2:27.53.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — 1. Guinevere McCusker, IND, 2:27.56; 2. Maisie Gummert, MHS, 2:34.88; 3. Drea Ceren, MHS, 2:47.39.

50 FREESTYLE — 1. Rachel Case, MHS, 26.97; 3. Adele Beek, MHS, 28.71.

DIVING — 1. Kate Hauser, MHS, 248.15; 2. Ella DeMonte, MHS, 167.80.

100 BUTTERFLY — 1. McCusker, IND, 1:08.79; 2. Lasack, MHS, 1:16.52; 4. Ceren, MHS, 1:24.50.

100 FREESTYLE — 1. Olivia Costigan, IND, 1:00.87; 2. Emma Case, MHS, 1:00.89; 3. Libby Meyer, MHS, 1:02.15.

500 FREESTYLE — 1. Dykstra, IND, 6:03.49; 2. Beek, MHS, 6:13.94; 4. Morgan Bear, MHS, 6:59.82.

200 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. MHS (Hernandez, Lasack, Meyer, Case) 1:50.41; 3. MHS (Hauser, Ceren, Meyeraan, Bear) 2:03.07.

100 BACKSTROKE — 1. E. Case, MHS, 1:10.17; 2. Gummert, MHS, 1:13.29.

100 BREASTSTROKE — 1. Leia Hernandez, MHS, 1:19.59; 2. Rachel Case, MHS, 1:21.48; 5. Isabelle Boone, MHS, 1:39.05.

400 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. MHS (E. Case, Beek, Gummert, Hernandez) 4:08.98.