Swimmers send six individuals in eight events to the state meet

Avon swimmers will be competing in eight different events next weekend in the Division I State Swimming and Diving championships at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton.

Both the boys and girls finished sixth in their respective district meets Saturday at Bowling Green State University, with the boys scoring 145 points and the girls scoring 138.

Leading the way for the Eagles was Luke Lundgard, who qualified to the state meet in two individual events and two relays. The sophomore was the only Avon boy who earned an automatic qualifying spot by placing in the top three in an individual event. He finished third in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.85 seconds. Lundgard also qualified in the 50 freestyle, where he placed fourth in 21.49 seconds, a school record.

Lundgard, Tommy Lipowski, Gavin Bello and Ian Cibulskas earned state berths in two relays, placing third in the 200 medley relay with a school record time of 1:37.50, and taking fourth in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:15.41, which broke the Lorain County record of 3:15.53 set in 1998 by Avon Lake. They are the first Avon boys to make it to state in a relay. Lipowski also earned a spot in the 100 breaststroke after placing sixth with a time of 59.33.

Both Sierra Kobak and Emma Molenaar swam automatic qualifiers at BGSU, with Kobak placing third in both the 200 individual medley (2:10.21) and the 100 breaststroke (1:06.45) and Molenaar taking third in the 100 backstroke (58.85). Avon’s girls were agonizingly close to qualifying in the 200 medley relay, as Kobak and Molenaar combined with Leah Slivochka and Clare Blayney to place third with a time of 1:50.80. However, the final qualifying time was 1:50.50.