By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
STURGIS—With a roster of only eight athletes, the Allegan girls swimming & diving team might not have the numbers of many of its opponents.
But that hasn’t stopped the Tigers from turning in some strong performances.
That was once again the case when Allegan traveled to Sturgis on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Despite falling 88-63 in the final team standings, the Tigers won five events and had several other top-three finishes as the team’s young roster continued to gain experience.
Emma Kelley led the way with a pair of individual victories.
Kelley won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:07.17 before returning to take top honors in the 100 backstroke at 1:08.42.
Genevieve Cooper gave Allegan a one-two finish in the backstroke, placing second at 1:09.28.
Cooper also finished runner-up in the 200 individual medley, posting a time of 2:34.48.
The Tigers’ other individual victory came from Charlotte Burnett, who won the diving competition with 150.65 points.
Allegan also had a strong showing in the 500 freestyle.
Grace Kelley finished second with a time of 6:26.57, while teammate Ella Hilboldt wasn’t far behind as she placed third at 6:34.84.
Ella Penrod contributed a pair of top-three finishes for the Tigers.
Penrod placed third in the 200 freestyle at 2:38.32 and was runner-up in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:10.78. Emery Bayley finished fourth and third, respectively, in those two events.
The Tigers ended the meet on a high note.
Grace Kelley, Penrod, Emma Kelley and Cooper teamed up to win the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 4:22.88.
