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  • RLAY Otters Coach Laura Johnston stands for a photo with 9-10 boys' and girls' division winners Andrew Roberts and Katie Cully. REND LAKE COLLEGE PHOTO

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December 25, 2009

RLAY Swim Team sparkles at Candy Cane Classic

By NATHAN WHEELER

Rend Lake College

MT. VERNON, Ind. — Swimmers on the Rend Lake Aquatic Youth swim team broke five meet records and scored more than 1,000 points for second place at the Candy Cane Classic, Dec. 4 through 6, in Mt. Vernon, Ind. It is the second straight year the RLAY Otters came in as the runner up at the annual meet.

Three RLAY swimmers took overall honors. Katie Cully won the girls' 9-10 division, Andrew Roberts won the boys 9-10 division and Blake Chapman won the boys 15-over division.

Makoa Montgomerey was third overall at 6-under, Isabel Heitmeyer came in third overall in the 9-10 division, Cheyenna Rhine was third overall at 11-12, Mikaela Montgomerey took third overall in the 13-14 division, Aaron Holt came in second and Justin Zuck third overall at 15-over.

The Otters' five meet records came by way of Rhine's time of 1:04.91 in the 100 backstroke, Holt's 2:06.22 in the 200 backstroke, and three relay records in freestyle and medley by RLAY 15-over swimmers Holt, Zuck, Tyler Dobbs and Chapman. Holt set the meet's 100 backstroke record the previous year.

RLAY's second at the Candy Cane Classic follows the team's first-place finish three weeks earlier at the SCCY Gobbler Game Invitational in St. Charles, Mo.

Earlier this year, Mt. Vernon resident Holt competed in the YMCA swimming national championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to previous information from the college.

Cully, of Marion, won in two events at the Area Championships in Dekalb in March, after swiming 30.80 for first place in the 8-under girls 50 freestyle and 14.19 for first in the 25 free. In February, she logged six first-place finishes and broke five pool records on her way to the district championships. At the same meet, Hold posted two area qualifying times and finished in the top three in the 50 free, 100 butterfly, 100 free and 100 breast individual events, information from Rend Lake College states.

Also in its first season, the RLAY Otters swim team took a third place in Paducah; secons in St. Charles, Mo., and at Mt. Vernon, Ind.; and a first at Hannibal, MO. A second and third were in USA Swimming and a first and second were in YMCA Swimming. The Otters are the local team for YMCA and USA swimming. Ages range from 6-and-under up to 18.

For additional information, one may contact Johnston by calling 618-437-5321, Ext. 1207 or by e-mailing her at johnstonj@rlc.edu or visit online at www.rlayotters.swim-team.us.

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