Claypoole breaks school record, South boys and PHS girls take Patriot Invitational victories

PARKERSBURG -- What Jordan Claypoole did in the pool during Saturday's Parkersburg South Patriot Invitation was aptly put by one of her teammates after they won the 400 freestyle relay.

"That was amazing," her teammate continued to say to the South parents in the stands after Claypoole gave quite the encore performance after setting a school record in the 500 freestyle earlier in the afternoon.

"We were hoping I would break the record in the 500 free -- it was kind of iffy because I've been trying so, so hard," Claypoole said. "My coaches believe in me, my parents believe in me and I believed in myself. I just kind of swam it. There wasn't much of a plan other to swim my best."

Claypoole turned in a time of 5:27.61 while winning the 500 freestyle and eclipsed the old girls mark of 5:31.64 which had stood for 11 years. With a victory in the 200 individual medley also to her credit, the junior capped off the girls portion of the meet with an explosive swim as the anchor of the 400 free relay.

Parkersburg High School pulled out to a significant lead through the first three swimmers. When Claypoole hit the water off the block for the final 100 yards, it was just a matter whether enough distance remained in the race. The cheering section representing South and PHS just about raised the roof as Claypoole eventually pulled even with the Big Red swimmer in the lane beside her and outtouched their cross-town rival in a time of 4:19.20.

Unfortunately for the Big Reds, their entry was disqualified. In the big picture, however, the Big Reds overcame the error and claimed the team title with 422 points behind a pair of wins. The 200 medley relay of Ryan Lincicome, Kaelin Morris, Izzy Farinash and Noemi Jacopucci opened the meet in winning fashion, while Farinash took first in the 100 butterfly

""Our girls are picking up a lot of momentum," PHS coach Emily Martin said. "I told them this week, they are doing things this year that I didn't think would be possible from this girls team for another year or two.

"We have been kind of rebuilding the last couple of years. We have a lot of freshmen who are making a big mark and really helping our girls out."

With five wins in tow, South placed runner-up at 408 points. Paige Johnson won the 100 backstroke, while the 200 freestyle relay also turned in the fastest time for its event.

Claypoole, who did not swim the 500 free last year and entered the event for the first time on Saturday, currently owns six of a possible eight records on the girls ledger for South individual events.

"We put her in the 500 free because, one she wanted to break the record," South coach Ryan Radcliff said."

"We decided to put her in it and see what she could do. It was fun to watch. Every meet with her is fun because she just keeps getting better.

"She is so dedicated and so hard working, she is a coach's dream. We're trying to enjoy every minute we can because we are on the backside of her career."

Following third-place Athens (375) in the team standings was a Warren outfit which was without the services of a couple of individuals. The Warriors scored 372 points despite not turning in a first-place finish, Their effort was definitely built on the team aspect according to coach Jenny Miller.

"Working with the girls team is nice because our numbers have been growing," Miller said. "We compete as a team and they have been doing real well -- they have been in the top 5 in almost every invitational we have swam in.

"This pool (at the Boys and Girls Club) is a hard one to swim in because we had a lot of swimmers racing in the outer lanes. And in the outer lanes you get a lot of feedback from the water.We had some big time time drops, but for the most part the girls stayed in their range."

Sophomore Madison Lovejoy put Marietta into the winner's circle by capturing the 50 freestyle to complement her runner-up showing in the 100 freestyle. A bit of a snafu with the starting block shile getting set in the 100 freestyle caused Lovejoy to lose her footing. She fell into the water before the starter's gun sounded and managed to avoid a DQ.

"In the next couple of weeks, I just need to get train harder and swim as fast as I can, and fuel my body" Lovejoy said.

On the boys side, Parkersburg established its presence early and remained in first place by a 16-point margin with three events remaining. The Patriots showcased its depth with three top 5 finishes in the 100 backstroke, another two top 5 performances in the 100 backstroke and an outright win in the 400 freestyle.

The Patriots, who medalled in five events, finished with 541 points compared to 518 for the runner-up Big Reds. South won two of the three relays (200 medley and 400 freestyle), while also receiving a pair of individual victories from Quade Harris (500 freestyle and 100 backstroke), and another from Anthony Ott (100 butterfly).

PHS, which hosts the Penguin Invitational Saturday where more than 300 athletes will converge at the Parkersburg YMCA, saw Carty Ramsay (200 IM) and Ian Sasyn (100 backstroke) provide individual wins. Both individuals were members of the victorious 200 freestyle relay.

"With the boys, South and us have been kind of back and forth all year," Martin said. "We dropped a 'B' relay in the 200 medley relay which really hurt us on points. But we still have our eyes on the prize for the end of the season and keep building the momentum."

Top performances from the local contingent representing the Ohio side of the river were turned in by Mason Frances, who placed runner-up in both the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.

"I was extremely happy with what Mason did," Miller said. "I know he wasn't happy, but he swam a personal best and set a new record in the 50 free."

The Patriot Invitational also recognized the final home meet for five South seniors, including four on the boys side (Ryan Richardson, Andrew Kirk, Nathan Macke and Xavier Leeson). Karena Clark was the lone representative on the girls side. She had an older brother swim for South and with the urging of the coaching staff she joined the program for her final two year of high school.

"It was an emotional meet, but deep down I tried not to show it," Clark said. "Being here for two years has made a big impact on me and something I would definitely recommend to younger kids to try."

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com