Bryant swim 2nd at Hendrix Invite

CONWAY – Winning their first two meets of the season, the Bryant Hornets swim team would have to settle for second in the Hendrix December Invite, while the Lady Hornets also took runner-up, with the host Conway boys and girls both earning the victory.

The Hornets were not far from the lead, though, with Conway winning with 430.5 points, while Bryant came in with 411. Cabot (278), Russellville (228) and North Little Rock (215) rounded out the top five of nine teams competing.

The 200-yard medley relay team of Jase Gladden, Aidan Shaw, Ethan Eubanks and Caden Payne would edge out North Little Rock for the top spot, winning with a time of 1:47.48 to NLR’s 1:48.67 to get Bryant’s first win of the day.

Gladden and Eubanks took first and second in the 100-yard backstroke, with Gladden winning in 59.35 and Eubanks runner-up in a personal-record time of 1:04.10.

Eubanks was just short from the top spot in the 50-yard freestyle but did set a new personal record of 24.05 for second, while Payne took fourth in a time of 24.68.

Eli Matthews would also get a second place for Bryant, taking runner-up in the 100 butterfly in a time of 1:03.04.

Gladden, Eubanks, Shaw and Matthews were less than a second shy from the win in the 200 freestyle relay with their time of 1:39.15 just short of Conway’s 1:39.05.

Ian Archer, Dylan Middleton, Brylane

Holloway and Matthews were also just two seconds short of first in the 400 free relay in a time of 3:48.16.

Shaw took third in the 200-yard IM in a time of

2:28.46, while Middleton was fifth in a PR time of 2:36.43. Shaw would also take third in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:11.94.

Sergio Gonzalez took third in the 1-meter dive with a score of 158.55.

Gladden and Matthews would finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 200 freestyle, with Gladden fourth in 2:04.80 and Matthews fifth in 2:05.86.

Holloway finished fourth in the 100 freestyle in a time of 57.29.

GIRLS

Conway dominated on the girls side with 481 points, with the Lady Hornets second with 317. Cabot (296.5), Russellville (253.5) and North Little Rock (246) finished out the top five out of eight teams.

Lady Hornet Kaylee Dale set a new personal record in the 200 IM while also earning the win in the event. Dale’s time of 2:30.59 was four full seconds faster than the runner-up swimmer and almost three seconds faster than her previous PR of 2:33.26. *

Dale wasn’t finished with her first-place finishes, also dominating in the 500 freestyle in another PR time. Dale took first in 6:02.05, almost 14 seconds faster than the runner-up swimmer and over nine seconds faster than her previous PR.

Bryant’s Jessica Rolen would also take a first place in the 1-meter dive with a score of 191.90, with Addison Priddy (130.85) and Bailey Gould (122.00) following with fifth- and sixth-place finishes.

Isabella Sharp also took first in the 100 backstroke in a time of 1:08.88, with teammate Claire Matthews fifth in 1:17.07.

In the 400 free relay, McKenna Runnells, Emory Givens, Hailey McGuire and Katherine Witeaker were third in a time of 4:45.71.

Sharp would take fourth in the 100 butterfly in a time of 1:15.49, with Gould sixth in 1:21.62.

In the 200 freestyle relay, the foursome of Kayleigh Baker, Claire Matthews, Sharp and Dale finished fifth in 1:56.52.

Bryant is back in action on Thursday at home at the Bishop Aquatic Center in Bryant.