Taking only 16 swimmers to the South Dakota State Swimming Championships March 4-6 in Pierre, the Vermillion Area Swim Team grabbed six first place finishes en route to a ninth place overall performance. The VAST girl's swimmers took seventh overall and the boys were 12th. Only 18 teams from across the state
Members of the Vermillion Area Swim Team (VAST) who swam at the state meet are (back) Madisen Martinez, Kyliegh Moran, Kylie Martin, Jacob Krier, Blaine Bottolfson, Coach Mike Moran; (middle) Maddie Lavin, Abril Telleria, Kaden Martin, Isabel Telleria, Megan Muriuki, Lexie Malimanek; and (front) Hunter Lavin, Gabe Telleria, Kayleen Job, and Tally Allison. Not pictured is Kaitlin Todd.
(Photos by David Lias)
participated in the meet. The Sioux Falls Snowfox took home first place in the boys, girls and combined team scores and brought 88 swimmers to the meet.
VAST also finished in fourth place for the "team percentage" award, which shows how many points on average VAST swimmers scored each time they hit the water. They averaged 2.59 points per individual event with a total of 86 individual events.
Taking home four first place finishes out of a possible seven was Maddie Lavin in the girl's 9-10 age group. She won the 200 free, 100 free, 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly, in addition to swimming in second place in the other three events (200 IM, 100 IM and the 100 Backstroke). In the girl's 15-16 age group, VAST produced another state champion. Kylie Martin won both the 100 Breaststroke and the 100 Freestyle and took second in the 200 Breaststroke and the 50 Freestyle.
VAST also had one relay in the top three at the state meet. The girls 200 Medley Relay in the 11-12 age group placed third overall. It was made up of Lexie Malimanek, Madisen Martinez, Kyleigh Moran, and Abril Telleria.
Said Coach Mike Moran, "There were so many great swims from everyone at this meet, it was really a lot of fun. The kids' hard work during the long winter season paid off for all who swam. To finish that high in the points in all categories really tells you a lot about the kids on our team and their dedication and desire to swim fast and have fun."
VAST swimmers will continue to train during the week at the DakotaDome pool until their last meet of the year, Midwest Regionals, held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in the Twin Cities. VAST will send six swimmers to the event. This final meet of the year will be approximately three times larger than the State meet, with about 1,250 swimmers competing in the two day event from all over the Midwest. The summer season for VAST will kick off in late April and go through the end of July. If anyone is interested in joining VAST, please email the head coach at: vastcoach@yahoo.com.
Team Results
Boys:
1. Sioux Falls Snowfox
2. Aberdeen Swim Club
3. Pierre Swim Team
12. Vermillion Area Swim Team
Girls:
1. Sioux Falls Snowfox
2. Pierre Swim Team
3. Brookings Swim Club
7. Vermillion Area Swim Team
Combined:
1. Sioux Falls Snow Fox
2. Pierre Swim Team
3. Aberdeen Swim Club
9. Vermillion Area Swim Team
Percentage Award:
1. Brookings Swim Club
2. Rapid City Racers
3. Aberdeen Swim Club
4. Vermillion Area Swim Team
VAST swimmers in
the top 4:
State Champions
Maddie Lavin: 100 Fly, 50 Fly, 200 Free, 100 Free
Kylie Martin: 100 Breaststroke, 100 Free
Second Place Finishers
Maddie Lavin: 200 IM, 100 IM, 100 Backstroke
Kylie Martin: 200 Breaststroke, 50 Free
Megan Muriuki: 25 Free
Third Place Finishers
Lexie Malimanek: 200 IM
Madisen Martinez: 50 Breaststroke
Kylie Martin: 100 Fly
Megan Muriuki: 100 Free, 50 Free
11-12 200 Medley Relay: Lexie Malimanek, Madisen Martinez, Kyleigh Moran, Abril Telleria
Fourth Place Finishers
Hunter Lavin: 100 Free, 100 IM, 25 Fly, 50 Breaststroke, 50 Fly, 25 Breaststroke, 50 Free
Lexie Malimanek: 100 Fly
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