ATHENS FINISHES UP STRONG PERFORMANCE AT D4 CHAMPIONSHIPS

ATHENS FINISHES UP STRONG PERFORMANCE AT D4 CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 3, 2022 Tim Birney

WILLIAMSPORT — Athens had five different swimmers, led by senior Brooke Kopatz and freshman Ethan Hicks, earn a pair of medals here Thursday night at Day 2 of the District 4 Swimming & Diving Championships.

The Athens boys finished third in the team standings, while the Lady Wildcats were fourth.

“We had a terrific meet,” said Athens coach Mark Keister.

GIRLS
Kopatz and juniors Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher each won a pair of medals Thursday. Williams and Fisher each earned four medals in the two-day event.

Kopatz had the best individual finish of the day for Athens swimmers, placing third in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:11.39

Kopatz, Williams, Fisher, and sophomore Grace Cobb teamed to finish fourth in the 400-yard freestyle in a time of 4:02.03.

Williams finished fifth in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 57.43 seconds, and freshman Elizabeth Talada was 16th in 1:07.85.

Fisher finished sixth in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:09.99, and sophomore Emily Marshall was 10th in 1:13.79.

Cobb finished 14th in the 500-yard freestyle in 6:28.25.

Powerhouse Danville cruised to the team title with 465 points, while Central Columbia was runner-up with 296 points, Bloomsburg was third with 240, Athens tallied 213 points, and Jersey Shore was fifth with 197 points.

BOYS
Hicks and junior Ethan Denlinger each earned a pair of medals Thursday to give them four in the two-day event. Junior Chris DeForest also brought home four medals.

Denlinger, DeForest, Hicks and freshman Ronel Ankam teamed to finish second in the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 3:32.76.

Hicks had the best individual finish for the Athens boys, placing fourth in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:00.37.

Denlinger finished sixth in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:36.89, and junior Joe Blood was 13th in 6:39.35.

Ankam finished eighth in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 55.38 seconds, while freshman Ryan Gorman was 18th in 1:00.39, and freshman Carter Lewis was 21st in 1:02.77.

Gorman finished 12th in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:19.78.

Athens divers — freshman Treyvon Simpson and Carter Lewis — finished ninth and 11th, respectively, last weekend at the District 4 Diving Championships.

Central Columbia ran away with the team title, amassing 391.5 points, while runner-up Lewisburg had 249 points. Athens tallied 213.5 points, while fourth-place Danville had 200, and Bloomsburg was fifth with 166 points.

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DEFOREST, WILLIAMS PACE ATHENS AT DAY 1 OF D4 CHAMPIONSHIPS; BOTH TEAMS IN FOURTH PLACE

DEFOREST, WILLIAMS PACE ATHENS AT DAY 1 OF D4 CHAMPIONSHIPS; BOTH TEAMS IN FOURTH PLACE

March 2, 2022 Tim Birney

WILLIAMSPORT — Juniors Chris DeForest and Taegan Williams had the top performances for Athens in Day 1 at the District 4 Swimming & Diving Championships, leading both the boys and girls teams into fourth place at the midway point.

“We had some very good races and fast swims,” said Athens coach Mark Keister. “Most of our swims are finishing at or better than seed times.

“We are excited to see our swimmers do tomorrow,” added Keister. “We have swimmers in every event for Day 2, and some events have multiple swimmers. It should be a lot of fun.”

BOYS
DeForest had a trio of top-four finishes on Day 1.

DeForest finished second in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.17 seconds, and freshman Josh Leonard was 16th in 28.71 seconds. He finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 58.83 seconds, and Leonard was 10th in 1:07.84.

DeForest teamed with junior Ethan Denlinger and freshmen Ethan Hicks and Ronel Ankam to finish third in the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:50.46.

Hicks and Ankam teamed with fellow freshmen Ryan Gorman and Leonard to finish fifth in the  200-yard medley team in a time of 1:58.01.

Junior Ethan Denlinger finished sixth in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:02.78, and junior Joe Blood was 12th in 2:29.2.

Central Columbia leads the team standings with 210 points, while Lewisburg is second with 157 points, Danville is third with 134, and Athens has 133 points.

GIRLS
Williams had a pair of third-place finishes, and junior Taylar Fisher had a pair of top-six finishes to pace the Lady Wildcats.

Williams finished third in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:03.8, and sophomore Grace Cobb was 11th in 2:21.62.

Williams teamed with Fisher, senior Brooke Kopatz, and sophomore Emily Marshall teamed to finish third in the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:50.46.

Fisher finished sixth in the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:28.86, and Kopatz was ninth in 2:37.32.

Junior Macaria Benjamin finished eighth in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:17.61, while Marshall was ninth in 1:18.44, and freshman Elizabeth Talada was 11th in 1:38.34.

Senior Hannah Walker finished 14th in the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 30.89 seconds.

Athens sits in fourth place after Day 1 with 129 points, well behind powerhouse Danville, which leads the team standings with 257 points. Central Columbia is second with 156 points, and Bloomsburg is third with 146.

Day 2 action begins at 6 p.m.

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ATHENS POSTS CONVINCING WINS OVER TOWANDA ON SENIOR NIGHT

ATHENS POSTS CONVINCING WINS OVER TOWANDA ON SENIOR NIGHT

February 10, 2022 Tim Birney

ATHENS — The Athens boys and girls rolled to big wins over Towanda on Senior Night here Thursday in NTL swimming & diving action.

Senior Reuven Gifeisman won four events to lead the Athens boys to a 115-41 wi over the Black Knights, while senior Brooke Kopatz was a triple-winner to help the Lady Wildcats to a 115-35 win.

BOYS
Athens 115, Towanda 41

Like Gifeisman, junior Chris DeForest won four events, while junior Ethan Denlinger and freshman Ethan Hicks was a triple-winner as the Wildcats close the season with a 6-1 record.

"I am really impressed with all our first-year swimmers and how all our kids have shown improvement this season,” said Athens coach Mark Keister.

Gifeisman led a sweep in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at 1:02.65, while junior Joe Blood was second in 1:08.52, and freshman Aiden Oldroyd was third in 1:14.86.

DeForest won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:56.1, and Blood was third in 2:29.51.

DeForest also won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 23.61, and freshman Ronel Ankam was second in 25.86 seconds.

Gifeisman and DeForest teamed with Hicks and Blood to win the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 4:07.84.

Gifeisman, DeForest and Denlinger teamed with Ankam to win the 200-yard free relay in a time of 1:44.54

Gifeisman and Hicks teamed with freshmen Ryan Gorman, and Josh Leonard to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:04.38

Denlinger won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:24.23, and Hicks won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:40.32.

Ankam won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:16.29, and Leonard won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:10.96.

Freshman Treyvon Simpson won the 1-meter diving competition with 143.25 points, and freshman Carter Lewis was second with 120 points.

Denlinger was second in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:19.56, and Gorman was third in 1:28.28.

GIRLS
Athens 115, Towanda 35

Juniors Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher won four events, while sophomore Emily Marshall joined Kopatz as a triple-winner in Athens’ 115-35 win over Towanda.

“The kids are really hitting their times at the right time of the season to qualify for the post-season,” said Athens coach Shauntel Place. “I am so happy with all our swimmers today."

Williams won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:08.8, and sophomore Grace Cobb was second in 2:23.42. Williams also won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:55.95, and Cobb was second in 6:32.85.

Fisher won the 200-yard IM in 2:32.47, edging Kopatz (2:32.9) by less than a half-second. Fisher also won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:11.73, and Marshall was second in 1:18.15.

Williams and Fisher teamed with Marshall and Kopatz to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:53.35.

Williams and Fisher teamed with Kopatz and Cobb to win the 400-yard free relay in a time of 4:28.51.

Kopatz led a sweep in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:13.42, while junior Alli Thoman was second in 1:24.19, and sophomore Emily Henderson was third in 1:42.62.

Marshall won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:19.5, edging out Macaria Benjamin, who was second in 1:19.93.

Marshall, Thoman, Benjamin, and freshman Elizabeth Talada teamed to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:20.13.

Senior Hannah Walker was second in the 100-yard freestyle in a personal-best time of 1:11.71

Thoman finished third in the 50-yard freestyle in 31.37 seconds

“We are looking to have an all-NTL last chance meet next week to give swimmers and divers one more time to improve their swims and possibly qualify for post-season competition,” said Keister.

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ATHENS BOYS TOP ELK LAKE; LADY WILDCATS FALL

ATHENS BOYS TOP ELK LAKE; LADY WILDCATS FALL

February 1, 2022 Tim Birney

DIMOCK, Pa. — Junior Ethan Denlinger and freshman Ethan Hicks were triple-winners to lead Athens to a  101-59 win over Elk Lake here Tuesday afternoon in non-league swimming action, while the Lady Wildcats dropped a 102-83 decision.

Junior Chris DeForest, and freshmen Ronel Ankam and Carter Lewis were double-winners for the Wildcats, who are 4-1 on the season.

Hicks won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:26.86, and junior Travis Webster was third in 3:03.11.

Hicks also won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:03.4, and freshman Pierce Oldroyd was third in 1:58.88.

Denlinger won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:42.85.

Hicks, Denlinger, Ankam, and Lewis won the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 3:57.59.

Denlinger, DeForest, Ankam, and Gorman teamed to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:42.36.

Webster and Lewis, teamed with freshmen Josh Leonard and Treyvon Simpson to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:23.7.

DeForest won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 58.47 seconds, and Leonard was third in 1:14.88

Denlinger was second in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:01.66, and junior Joe Blood was third in 3:31.71.

DeForest finished second in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.67 seconds, and Ankam was third in 25.64 seconds

Lewis was second in the 1-meter diving completion with 112.2 points, and Simpson was third with 102.15.

Gorman (59.83 seconds) and freshman Aiden Oldroyd (1:12.77) finished second and third, respectively, in the 100-yard freestyle.

Gorman finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:23.43, and Webster was third in 1:29.16.

GIRLS
Elk Lake 102, Athens 83

Junior Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher, and senior Brooke Kopatz won four events apiece, but Elk Lake used superior depth to pull out a 102-83 decision.

Williams won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:08.56, and sophomore Grace Cobb was third in 2:26.46. Williams also won the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 59.59 seconds.

Kopatz won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:35.63. Kopatz also won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:16.66.

Fisher won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:10.17. Fisher also won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:11.82.

Fisher, Kpoatz, and Williams teamed with sophomore Emily Marshall to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:55.41. The same foursome won the 400-yard freestyle really in a time of 4:17.94.

Senior Hannah Walker finished third in the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 31.23 seconds, and
Cobb finished third in the 500-yard freestyle in 6:37.77

Freshman Abby Panek was third in the 1-meter diving competition with 166.5 points

Athens closes out the dual season next week against Towanda.

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ATHENS BOYS TOP DANVILLE; LADY WILDCATS FALL

ATHENS BOYS TOP DANVILLE; LADY WILDCATS FALL

January 24, 2022 Tim Birney

DANVILLE — Junior Chris DeForest won four events to lead Athens to a 57-37 win over Danville Monday afternoon in non-league swimming action, while the Lady Wildcats dropped a 76-25 decision.

The meet also included Towanda, which was also swimming exclusively against Danville.

BOYS
Athens 57, Danville 37

DeForest won two individual events and was on a pair of winning relays, while junior Ethan Denlinger was a double-winner, swimming on a pair relays.

DeForest won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 24.17 seconds.  DeForest also won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:02.03, and freshman Josh Leonard was second in 1:12.9.

DeForest teamed with Denlinger, and freshman Ethan Hicks and Ronel Ankam to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:42.45. The same foursome won the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 3:51.13.

Freshmen Pierce Oldroyd, Aiden Oldroyd, Carter Lewis, and Treyvon Simpson won the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:44.92.

Denlinger was second in the 200-yard IM in 2:24.20, and Hicks was third in 2:24.26.

Hicks finished second in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:02.75, and Lewis was third in 1:21.85.

Ankam finished second in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 57.16 seconds.

Simpson was third in the 1-meter diving competition with 144.8 points, and Lewis was fourth with 111.25 points.

Junior Joe Blood was third in the 500-yard freestyle in 6:44.56.

Gorman finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:29.64, and Aiden Oldroyd was fourth in 1:38.14.

Senior Reuven Gifeisman finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle in 2:30.27.

GIRLS
Danville 76, Athens 25

The Wildcats had three second-place finishes in a 76-25 loss to powerhouse Danville.

Junior Taegan Williams finished second in the 50-yard freestyle in 25.88 seconds, and senior Hannah Walker was fourth in 30.73 seconds.  Williams finished third in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:08.13, and junior Macaria Benjamin was fourth in 1:24.38.

Freshman Abby Panek was second in the 1-meter diving competition with 170.5 points.

Senior Brooke Kopatz finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:15.93, and junior Alli Thoman was third in 1:22.45. Kopatz finished third in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:17.31, and sophomore Grace Cobb was fourth in 2:30.58.

Fisher finished third in the 200-yard IM in 2:34.36, and sophomore Emily Marshall was fourth in 2:56.36. Fisher  (1:13.2)and Marshall (1:19.86) also finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 100-yard backstroke.

Cobb finished third in the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 6:48.53, and freshman Elizabeth Talada was fourth in 7:08.14.

Athens will compete at the Tunkhannock Swimming & Diving Championships this weekend.

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ATHENS GIRLS TOP LEWISBURG; BOYS DROP CLOSE DECISION

ATHENS GIRLS TOP LEWISBURG; BOYS DROP CLOSE DECISION

January 22, 2022 Tim Birney

TOWANDA — Senior Brooke Kopatz, and juniors Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher were double-winners to lead Athens to a 60-36 win over Lewisburg here Saturday afternoon, while the Wildcat boys dropped a 53-48 decision in non-league swimming action.

Lewisburg was also swimming against Towanda at the meet.

GIRLS
Athens 60, Lewisburg 36

Athens won six events, and also had seven second-place finish in the three-team meet, pulling out a 60-36 win over Lewisburg.

Williams won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:10.39, and sophomore Emily Marshall was third in 1:24.04.

Fisher won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:38.62, and Kopatz was second in 2:41.89.

Kopatz won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:17.43, and junior Alli Thoman was second in 1:21.93.

Kopatz, Williams and Fisher teamed with Marshal to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:57.14.

Sophomore Grace Cobb won the 500-yard freestyle in a mite of 6:43.28, and freshman Elizabeth Talada was second in 7:08.07

Freshman Abby Panek won the 1-meter diving competition with 181.35 points.

Williams finished second inn the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:14.78, and Cobb was fourth in 2:28.83.

Fisher finished second in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:14.73, and Marshall was third in 1:21.40.

Thoman finished second in the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 30.78 seconds, and Talada was fourth in 33.15 seconds.

Senior Hannah Walker finished second in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:16.98.

BOYS
Lewisburg 53, Athens 48

Junior Ethan Denlinger was a double-winner, but Athens came up just short in a 53-48 loss to powerhouse Lewisburg in the three-team meet that also included Towanda.

Denlinger won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:05.7, and junior Joe Blood was fourth in 2:32.77. Denlinger finished second in the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:52.34.

Chris DeForest won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 24.0 seconds, and freshman Ryan Gorman was third in 27.35 seconds. DeForest finished second in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:00.64.

Freshman Ethan Hicks won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:06.08. He was third in 200-yard IM in a time of 2:27.57, and freshman Ronel Ankam was fourth in 2:46.11.

Ankam won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:21.44, and Gorman was third in 1:28.38.

Denlinger teamed with Blood, senior Reuven Gifeisman and freshman Aiden Oldroyd to win the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 4:23.5.

Freshman Treyvon Simpson was second in the 1-meter diving competition with 131.25 points, and freshman Carter Lewis was third with 100.05 points.

Gifeisman finished second in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:02.33, and Lewis was fourth in 1:04.63.

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ATHENS ROLLS TO WINS OVER TOWANDA

ATHENS ROLLS TO WINS OVER TOWANDA

January 20, 2022 Tim Birney

TOWANDA — The Athens girls and boys both turned in strong performances in convincing wins over Towanda here Thursday in NTL swimming & diving action.

The Lady Wildcats won by a lopsided tally of 93-32, while the boys won, 94-46.

GIRLS
ATHENS 93, TOWANDA 32

Four different Lady Wildcats — senior Brooke Kopatz, juniors Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher, and sophomore Grace Cobb —  were double-winners to lead Athens to a 93-32 win over Towanda.

Kopatz won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 28.76 seconds, and junior Alli Thoman was third in 31.28 seconds.

Kopatz led a sweep in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:18.06, while Thoman was second in 1:21.79, and sophomore Emily Henderson was third in 1:42.3.

Williams won 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:11.06, and Cobb was third in 2:28.75. Williams also won the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:03.07

Fisher won the 100-yard butterfly in a district-qualifying time of 1:14.02, and freshman Elizabeth Talada was second in 1:35.94.

Fisher led a sweep in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:13.37, while sophomore Emily Marshall was second in 1:20.81, and freshman Maryrose Bertsch was third in 1:50.03.

Cobb won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 6:35.98, and Marshall was second in 6:38.55

Cobb, teamed with Bertsch, Talada, and sophomore Rebecca Gifeisman to win the 400-yard freesrtle relay in a time of 5:21.8.

Sophomore Abby Panek won the 1-meter diving competition with 171 points

BOYS
ATHENS 94, TOWANDA 46

Juniors Ethan Denlinger and Chris DeForest were quadruple-winners, and freshmen Ronel Ankam and Ethan Hicks were double-winners in Athens’ 94-46 win over Towanda.

Denlinger won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:27.5, and Hicks was second in 2:28.16.

Denlinger also won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:12.92, and freshman Pierce Oldroyd was third in 2:11.94.

DeForest won the 100-yard freestyle in a district-qualifying time of 1:03.07.

Deforest, and Denlinger teamed with Hicks and Ankam to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:04.81. The same foursome won the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:44.38.

DeForest teamed with Ankam, Hicks, and senior Reuven Gifeisman to  win the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 4:01.97.

Freshman Ryan Gorman won the 50-yard freestyle in 27.01 seconds, and Gifeisman was second in 27.57 seconds. Gorman finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:28.51.

Freshman Carter Lewis won the 1-meter diving competition with 88.25 points

Ankam finished second in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:18.75, and Gifeisman finished second in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:04.45.

Junior Joe Blood finished second in the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 6:47.15.

Athens returns to action Saturday against Lewisburg at Towanda.

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ATHENS TURNS IN STRONG PERFORMANCE AT ELK LAKE INVITE

ATHENS TURNS IN STRONG PERFORMANCE AT ELK LAKE INVITE

January 15, 2022 Tim Birney

DIMOCK, Pa. — Juniors Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher won two events apiece to lead Athens’ efforts here Saturday at the Elk Lake Keep the Beat Swimming Invite.

GIRLS
Williams, Fisher, and senior Brooke Kopatz, who also logged one first-place finish, each had four top-two finishes for the Lady Wildcats.

Williams won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:11.68. and sophomore Grace Cobb was fourth in 2:29.34

Williams also won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:56.56, and Cobb was fourth in 6:47.92

Fisher led a sweep of the top three spots in the 100-yard butterfly, clocking int at 1:13.66. Kopatz was second in 1:19.06, while sophomore Emily Marshall was third in 1:22.22, and Macaria Benjamin was fifth in 1:27.58.

Fisher also won the 200-yard IM in 2:34.92.

Kopatz won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:15.84, and junior Allison Thoman was third in 1:24.53.

Fisher, Kopatz, and Williams teamed with Thoman to finish second in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.24.

Fisher, Kopatz, and Williams teamed with Marshall to finish second in the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 4:21.42.

Marshall finished third in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:116.47

Elizabeth Talada was fourth in the 100-yard freestyle in 1:13.06, and sophomore Emily Henderson was sixth in 1:24.97.

BOYS
Ethan Denlinger logged Athens’ only win, and had ta pair of second-place finishes to pace the Wildcats.

Denlinger won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:04.89, and freshman Ethan Hicks was 2:08.35. He was second in the 100-yard freestyle in 57.34 seconds.

Delninger teamed with Hicks, and freshmen Ronel Ankam and freshman Josh Leonard to finish second in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:47.74.

Hicks finished second in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:04.7, and freshman Treyvon Simpson was fifth in 2:13.47.

Ankam finished third in the 50-yard freestyle, and Leonard was sixth in 29.16 seconds.

Ankam also finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:23.91, and junior Travis Webster was fourth in 1:29.28.

Leonard was third in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:12.47, and junior Joe Blood finished third in the 500-yard freestyle in 6:49.79

Athens will travel to Towanda Tuesday for a 4:30 p.m. meet.

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