South Putnam enjoys record-breaking day

Sunday, February 23, 2014
South Putnam's Zane Crosby and Tayler Arnold both broke the 13-year-old school record in the 50 freestyle.

AVON -- Coming into Saturday's championship heat of the 50 freestyle, South Putnam swimmers Tayler Arnold and Zane Crosby both had a shot at the Eagles' 13-year-old record in the race.

With Arnold seeded just two-hundredths of a second slower than the record, and Crosby just nine-hundredths behind Arnold, conventional wisdom said whoever finished faster would likely have the record.

In the end, it was both.

Swimming next to each other in the outside lanes, the senior Arnold broke the record with a 22.17, and the junior Crosby was just behind at 22.61.

The fifth- and seventh-place finishes in the 50 were just the tip of the iceberg on a day the Eagles placed seventh as a team, their best finish since moving to the Avon Sectional

"I feel like our kids are really starting to believe in the program and where it can go and build some momentum," South Putnam coach Anna Kendall said. "That's what we need to have happen."

The Eagle medley relay of Zachery Rayce, Tyler Neumann, Arnold and Crosby also broke a 13-year-old school record on Thursday before breaking it again on Saturday with a time of 1:47.29, good enough for a sixth-place finish.

Besides records, though, good finishes and lifetime bests abounded on Saturday.

In the Eagles' only other individual finals swim, Arnold also placed fifth in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.52.

"Tayler Arnold just really knows how to push through, mentally," Kendall said. "That's a great talent to have as a swimmer because it's so demanding mentally."

The 200 freestyle relay of Arnold, Rayce, Wyatt Nees and Crosby placed fifth with a 1:35.79.

While not always the swimmer breaking records or grabbing headlines, Kendall expressed her gratitude for the senior Nees' contribution to the program.

"Wyatt Nees gives our team depth and you just can't win swim meets without depth," Kendall said.

The Eagles' other top-eight finish came from Neumann in diving, who has dealt with a tough situation his senior year.

"Without having a coach this year for diving, Tyler's just done really well and handled that really well," Kendall said. "And it's been so nice to have him as a swimmer and he saw a lot of improvement over the year as a swimmer."

Besides contributing to the medley team, Neumann placed 15th in the 100 breaststroke.

"That was really fun to see this year, and I was happy to have him as a swimmer this year," Kendall said.

Sophomore Zachery Rayce had a pair of consolation swims for the Eagles, placing 13th in the 100 backstroke and 15th in the 100 butterfly.

Crosby also added a 10th-place in the 100 freestyle to his record-breaking 50 swim.

South Putnam concluded the day with the 400 freestyle relay of Ben Albright, Averie Fields, Hunter Fields and Nees finishing 11th.

Kendall said the team will miss what Arnold, Neumann and Nees bring to the pool.

"They all contribute in very different ways," Kendall said. "I'm going to be disappointed to not have them next year. All three of them ended on a good note."

Even so, this sectional performance could be a stepping stone for South Putnam swimming.

"It's fun to be competitive or at least on the brink of breaking into this sectional, I really feel," Kendall said. "And without any club swimmers. We don't have any kids that swim year round, and most of these kids do here."

South Putnam sophomore Zach Rayce was 15th in the 100 butterfly and 13th in the 100 backstroke. (Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN)
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