BHS Swim Teams Have Strong Showing at Penguin Invitational; Girls Finish Second, Boys Place Fourth
By Chris Johnson on January 16, 2023
The Bridgeport High School swim teams had a strong showing at the Penguin Invitational in Parkersburg on Saturday as the girls finished second in the team standings with 213.5 points and the boys were fourth with 134 points.
Parkersburg edged the BHS girls for first in the team standings, finishing with 226.5 points. Finishing in front of the BHS boys were Parkersburg (403), Parkersburg South (381) and Wheeling Park (152).
A total of 13 girls teams competed and 11 for the boys.
Amelia Romano led the way for the BHS girls, winning one individual event, finishing third in another and being part of two first-place relay teams. Jacob Keener gave the BHS boys one first-place finish.
The event kicked off with the BHS girls team of Kira Gazal, Jenna Wood, Romano and Gretchen Lang winning the 200 medley relay with a time of 2:06.71 – more than three seconds better than their seeded time.
Also in the 200 medley relay, the BHS girls second team of Jacie Wood, Addison Tharp, Kaylin Terneus and Ashley Price finished eighth with a time of 2:27.34.
On the boys side, the Indians’ team of Keener, Zach Nicholson, Anderson Mitchel and Cole Parsons finished third in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:55.19. Parkersburg South won the race at 1:49.60.
Romano placed third in the 200 freestyle, coming in at 2:06.12. Parkersburg South’s Jordan Claypoole took first place with a time of 1:59.65.
For the boys, Nicholson and Mitchel placed 10th and 11th respectively with times of 2:14.43 and 2:15.57. Parkersburg’s Ethan Metz took first with a time of 1:59.83.
Tharp was sixth in the girls 200 IM at 2:45.54 and Terneus was eighth at 2:51.26. Wheeling Park’s Abby Heilman won with a time of 2:30.36. In the boys 200 IM, Keener was fourth with a time of 2:16.74 and followed by Parsons in fifth place with a time of 2:17.69. Parkersburg’s Carty Ramsay took first with a time of 2:10.09.
BHS didn’t have a swimmer place in the 50 free and those two races were won by Parkersburg South’s Vada Hafer for the girls 50 at 28.91 and South’s Anthony Ott for the boys at 23.73.
Gazal tied for second in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:11.53 and Terneus was ninth at 1:27.34. South’s Claypoole won with a time of 1:01.39. It was another sweep for the Patriots as Ott won the boys 100 fly at 58.12. The BHS boys had no competitors in the race.
Romano took first place in the 100 free with a time of 57.41. Over on the boys side, Ryan Hall placed seventh with a 100 free time of 59.34. Parkersburg’s Ramsay won with a time of 52.71.
The BHS girls had two swimmers place in the Top 5 in the 500 freestyle with Lang coming in third at 6:08.83 and Tharp finishing fifth at 6:28.29. Cabell Mdiland’s Katerina Smith won with a time of 5:51.72.
Keener took first place for the Indians in the 500 free as he won the boys race with a time of 5:30.40. Nicholson added a fifth-place finish for the Tribe at 6:06.46.
The team of Ashley Price, Jacie Wood, Tharp and Jenna Wood gave the BHS girls a fifth-place finish in the 200 free relay with a time of 2:05.58. Parkersburg South won the race at 1:54.54.
For the BHS boys, Mario Galindo, Hall, Nicholson and Mitchel joined forces for a sixth-place time of 1:49.62 in the 200 free relay, a race won by Parkersburg at 1:37.60.
Gazal was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:11.55, finishing behind Wheeling Park’s Lacie Langmyer, who won with a time of 1:06.24. The BHS boys didn’t have anybody place in the 100 back, a race won by South’s Quade Harris at 59.43.
The BHS girls had three swimmers place in the 100 breaststroke as Jenna Wood was seventh at 1:25.02, Jacie Wood was eighth at 1:27.50 and Price was 12th at 1:37.23. Wheeling Central’s Abie Riedel took first place at 1:14.58.
In the boys 100 breaststroke, Parsons had a fourth-place time of 1:09.67. Parkersburg’s Ian Sasyn won at 1:04.98.
Starting the day with a relay win, the BHS girls closed it with a relay win in the 400 free with Lang, Gazal, Jenna Wood and Romano swimming a first-place time of 4:10.05, five seconds better than their previous time.
On the boys side, Keener, Hall, Mitchel and Parsons teamed to finish fourth in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:59.98. Parkersburg South won with a time of 3:36.59.
The BHS swimmers return to action on Friday in the Harrison County Championship meet which is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Harrison County YMCA.
Editor's Note: Photo of Romano courtesy of Joe LaRocca.
