Brandon Edge flies to a first place finish for Fort Oglethorpe in the senior boys 50-yard butterfly heat. The Marlins defeated the Cumberland Currents Monday evening for their first win of the season, 372.5-356.5.
photo by Dennis Norwood
There are a lot of positive and upbeat coaches in the Chattanooga Area Swim League, but perhaps none any more than Fort Oglethorpe veteran Tony Womac.
This guy is always happy, always smiling and always offering something positive to those around him.
He may have been just a bit more of all the above on Monday night after his Marlins defeated the Cumberland Currents in a home meet for his team’s first win of the season.
Both teams were missing some key swimmers, but the host Marlins led from the first race until the end, going home with a 16-point victory by a final score of 372.5 to 356.5.
Numbers have been down this year for the Marlins, but that hasn’t taken away from Womac’s intensity or desire to see his kids work hard to get better.
They were all rewarded for their effort on Monday with a well-deserved win.
“We have to turn around and do it again tomorrow night,” he began, noting that his team has another home meet on Tuesday against the always-tough Big Ridge Raiders.
“The kids did well tonight as we’ve had a great summer. It’s amazing just how much they’ve improved, but they’ve gotten faster and faster with every passing meet. We had kids who were scared of the water a month ago swimming for points tonight.
“Overall team effort was the key tonight.
They always give 100 percent, but the relays made a difference tonight.
And it’s nice to finally get a win.
That gives us something positive to build on,” he added.
Cumberland coach Danielle Rungruang is another one who is always smiling and happy. Her team has been through trying times in recent seasons, but this petite young lady always finds something positive to say about it all.
“We had a few kids who weren’t here, but the ones who were swam really hard,” she said as the freestyle relays were winding down.
“We’ve having a better season than we’ve had in a while. We didn’t win this meet, but the scores are a whole lot closer than they have been. We’re not getting beat nearly as bad as we used to.
“They’re all having fun and they’re cutting times. They gave it their all tonight,” she concluded with a smile.
Brayden Carney and Joshua Carney both tallied 19 points for the winning Marlins while Camden Cloud, Timothy DeBord and Reece Gallagher all followed with 17 apiece.
Brianne Holsomback was tops for the Currents with 19 points. Esther Morris added 17 and Juliana Acosta 16 for Cumberland.
Other team winners on Monday included Dalton and Stuart Heights in the Blue division and Calhoun in the Red division. Ridgeside was scheduled to host the Red Bank Gators in a key White division meet, but the meet had to be postponed because the Ridgeside pool pump is broken.
That meet will be held at Red Bank on Tuesday night and the same two teams will swim again at Red Bank on Thursday in a makeup from the storm cancellation on June 8.
CUMBERLAND HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
19 – Brianne Holsomback
17 – Esther Morris
16 – Juliana Acosta
15 – Chloe Vernon
14 -- Kari Morris, Liam Carpenter, Evelyn Click
13 – Kimberly Morris, Jeremiah Morris
12 – Zachary Schurr, Jonas Taylor, Adam Tisdale
11 – Cassidy Long, Michael Minor
10 – Lydia Mizutani, LeRonnie Ervin, Charlie Whittle.
FORT OGLETHORPE HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
19 – Brayden Carney, Joshua Carney
17 – Camden Cloud, Timothy DeBord, Reece Gallagher
16 – Arilyn Lee
15 -- Lance Marshall, Adelyn Tysz, Brandon Edge
14 – Megan Easley
13 – Morgyn Easley, Sky Kim
12 – Lily Marshall, Brody Ervin
11 – Carson Cloud, Chaise Maynor
10.5 – Hailey Burgess.
STUART HEIGHTS HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
19 – April Forsthoffer, Max Ransom
18 – Ellie Waldrep
17 – Luke Waldrep, Cooper Lehman, Jon Pat Ransom, Beatrice Davis, Gwennie Davis, Noah Dzik, Sam Flack
15 – Missy Karman, Chris Butler, Grant Cooley
13 – Jackson Sallee
11 – Catherine Lynch
10 – Ava McCoy, Alex Smith, Sumner Smith, Molly Ransom, Luke Cockerham.
OOLTEWAH HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
19 – Cameron Martin
17 – Emma Scruggs
16 – Joby Nash
15 – Aidan Sims, Jacob Kiemeyer
14 – Lilian Parr
13 – Madelyn Weathers
12 – Jaxon Thurman, Ryan Crumpler, Hardy Jones
11 – Faith Isbell, Haley Grider, Leah Boyd, Brandon Burchell
10 – Merrin Allen, Amber Isbell, Michayla Vazquez, Autumn Suchy
DALTON HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
19 – Alexis Vaughn
15 – Will Haley
14 – Hannah Smith, Franco Valdez, Roman Valdez, Ross Valdez, Henry Bethel, Carlin Hudson
12 – Alexander Withrow, Bella Lee, Kelly Mashburn, Abby O’Ferrall, James Bingham, Anthony Calderon, Lucien Chenard, Julian Hernandez, Jonathan Shaheen
11 – Brooke Haverland, Raul Valdez, Gavin Ollis
10 – Carson Vaughn, Gracison Saylors, Josephine Conley.
FAIRYLAND HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
19 – Frances Bohner
14 – Anne Dassow, Ethan Bevill, Ellie Taliaferro
12 – Brighton Smith, Anna Ward, David Horne
11 – Morton Wingfield
10.5 – Jack Tilden
10 – Benjamin Bevill, Annie McBryar, Kristen Myers, Kylie Eiselstein.
CALHOUN HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
19 – Caleb Black, Brody Bushong, Brandon Webb
17 – Cassandra Workman, Reagin Fortin, Kailey Klingbeil
16 – Rucker Reeves
15 – Alice Workman, Bryant Mathis, Cal Parker, John Carroll, Luke Driscoll
13 – William Eickman, Kathryn Russell
12 – Matthew Petty, Micah Klingbeil
10 – Eli Tibbs, Davis Ruddell, Anne Eickman.
WATERDOGS HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
19 – Juliet Brnant, Davina Sharma
18 – Jae Dauphinais
15 – Jessica Landberg, Kailey Ruckman
14 – Noah Torchick
12 – Tanya Sharma, Nikolai Shapoval
11 – Ashlyn Henry, Lillian Blake.
(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)
Cumberland's Juliana Acosta swims to a first place finish in the 13-14 100-yard IM heat.
photo by Dennis Norwood