A pair of 15-year-olds, Amy Pan of Farmington Family YMCA and Madilyn McGlothen of YMCA of Kanawha Valley Kraken, each have three wins in the first three days of the four-day Ohio YMCA Festival in Miami University in Oxford.
The meet is one of five nationally, hosted by local YMCAs, for swimmers with nationals cuts. They’ve been created in 2021 in lieu of cancelled national meets.
Pan and McGlothen each started the meet strong. Wednesday night, McGlothen pulled a daring double, winning the 500 free in 4:57.57, by a margin of more than five seconds. She came back in the next event to win the 200 individual medley in 2:03.91, trimming 2.5 seconds off her prelims time. That one wasn’t comfortable, McGlothen outtouching Sarah Holt of YMCA of Northwest Louisiana by just .02.
Pan took care of business in the 50 freestyle Wednesday, winning in 23.05 seconds. She prevailed in the 200 free in 1:49.60 Thursday, then on Friday claimed the 100 back in 55.09, in a race with Lauren Clippard (55.27) of Powel Crosley Jr. YMCA.
Holt would get plenty of hardware on her own, winning the 100 butterfly in 54.28 and the 200 fly in 1:59.62.
Clippard added a third place in the 200 free. South YMCA’s McKenzie Reid (second in the 50 and 200 fly, third in the 400 IM) and Lancaster YMCA’s Mia Hensley (second in the 400 IM, third in the 200 IM and 200 fly) grabbed three top-three finishes apiece.
On the boys’ side of the Ohio YMCA Festival, Luke Paxton of Powel Crosley registered wins in each of his three events. He claimed the 200 IM on Wednesday in 1:49.47, turned in a 48.05 to win Thursday’s 100 fly and handled the field in the 200 fly to the tune of 1:49.05.
Birmingham YMCA’s Drew Collins won the 100 back with an impressive 49.27 Friday, finally getting to the top spot. He was second to Paxton in the 200 IM and third in the 400 IM. The winner of that event, Blue Ash’s Erik Menchhofer in 3:55.05, was third in the 500 free and the 200 fly. Powel Crosley’s Adam Lamping (200 free) and Birmingham’s Ethan Schwab (100 breast) each have a win among two top-three finishes.