CROOKSTON GIRLS SWIMMERS FINISH THIRD IN FOSSTON-BAGLEY TRIANGULAR

The Crookston Pirates took third place in the Fosston-Bagley Triangular hosted in Fosston. Fosston-Bagley took first place with 65 points, Perham claimed second with 63 points, while the Pirates finished with 42 points.
Crookston was led by Thea Oman who took first place in the 100-backstroke 1:10.02 and 200-freestyle with a 2:11.41 finish. “Thea we put in some different events,” explained Pirates’ head coach Marley Melbye, we put her in her normal 200-freestyle and we really played with the timing of it trying to get her to go out in a different pace and swim the event differently than she normally does, so it’s a work in progress, but for trying something completely different she put up a really good time, looked really solid and didn’t fade as much in the end. She had a little bit more in the gas tank at the finish of the race so that was good to see. So hopefully we can continue to play with that event of hers and get her swimming it strong. We threw her in the 100-backstroke, which she hasn’t swum since her seventh or eighth-grade year and we thought we’d give it a try and see how it went and she looked really solid in that well. She was coming right off a race right before it, so she faded a little bit in the end but looked really strong in the opening 75, so even that is another race for her. Thea is a very versatile swimmer and can do really well in any event we put. Her in.” Elizabeth Erdman added a first-place finish in the 200-IM with a time of 2:37.39. “We put her in the 200-IM which she also hasn’t swum for many years,” explained Melbye. “It was nice to see her swim that event again. It was a learning experience to swim that again, but she looked very solid I think that 200 IM if we continue to fine tune and build that endurance this could be a very competitive race for her, so that’s exciting to see and hopefully she can continue to improve on that one.” Crookston’s 200-medley relay team consisting of Thea Oman, Madison Hoiland, Elizabeth Erdman and Claire Oman took silver with a time of 2:11.21. Elizabeth Erdman added to her win in the 200-IM with a second-place finish in the 100-butterfly finishing in 1:13.01. Crookston’s 200-freestyle relay also took second as swimmer Fallon Johnson, Madison Hoiland, Elizabeth Erdman, and Thea Oman combined for a time of 1:55.14. “With our 200-medley relay it looked really strong,” noted Melbye, “we do have some girls that are pretty set in that relay, but the 50-freestyle, or that fourth swimmer, is still kind of up in the air Claire Oman has been doing it the last two meets and has done really well. But there are other girls that are hungry for that spot, so I think they’re going to continue to push each other so it will be interesting to if we can continue to grow as a team in that, but the girls looked really well.” Madison Hoiland rounded out the Pirates’ podium finishes individually with a second-place showing in the 100-breaststroke finishing the event in 1:22.03. “She is a power-horse at the end of the race,” said Melbye. “When she started out she was kind of in that second, third position and you can just be confident in that last 25 she can turn it on and if that pull had been just any longer she would’ve had it because she was gaining on that first swimmer pretty handily, we’ve just got to figure out how to turn on that speed and that sprint a little earlier for her to out touch the girl from Perham, but she’s looking really strong. She’s going to continue to ‘wow’ herself in that event.”
The Pirates return to the pool next Thursday when Crookston hosts the Pirate Booster Invitational on Thursday, September 13 at 5:30 p.m.