LODI — The Monroe-New Glarus CheeseKnights placed third out of seven teams at the Lodi Co-Op Invite on Saturday, Sept. 12.
“The girls have commented that they are starting to feel tired, but they continue to perform well and improve at each meet, which is exactly where we want them to be at this point in the season,” said MNG coach Rachel Root.
There were several standout performances at the invite, Root added.
Lauren Zentner dropped time from her season best in the 100 freestyle and took first place in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. The 200 Medley Relay team of Hadleigh Shunk, Lauryn Arnett, Lauren Zentner, and Kennedy Sysko finished third, while the 200 Free Relay team of Hadleigh Shunk, Chloe White, Kennedy Sysko, and Lauren Zentner finished second.
“Hadleigh Shunk had an outstanding meet, taking first place in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. She swam a lifetime best in the 100 breaststroke,” Root said. “Lauryn Arnett also had a great meet, taking third place in the 500 freestyle and dropping seven seconds from her season best 500 free time.”
Audrey Collier continues to improve each week, Root said, dropping time in both of her events, including taking a full second off in her 50 free and two seconds off in her 100 free. Kennedy Shunk had “a great meet,” taking massive amounts of time off and scoring in both of her events. “She swam a lifetime best in the 100 backstroke and has already beaten her time from conference last season,” Root said. She also dropped five seconds in her 100 freestyle.
A great example of how much progress can be made through hard work and determination is Damaris Jimenez, Root said.
“Last year, she joined the team for the first time with no previous swimming experience. She had to learn how to swim freestyle, backstroke, and do a dive,” Root said. “This year, she has continued to make great improvements and is showing that you can learn to swim and make significant progress even without any prior experience. She dropped two seconds in her 50 free and five seconds in her 100 back. Her 100 backstroke time was also two seconds faster than her time at conference last season.”
