SHS, TA Champs
Capture Valley Titles
Posted: February 4, 2013
HARRISONBURG — When Spotswood High School freshman Julia Sheffer was in elementary school, she won something in part because she was a klutz.
As a second grader, Sheffer spilled strawberries in her house, staining her parents’ white carpet. Soon thereafter, she wrote an essay that included how her older sister, Olivia, was trustworthy because she didn’t rat Julia out to their parents. The essay won Julia an award from the Rockingham Educational Foundation.
More often, Julia Sheffer wins because of her grace in a pool.
And, for that matter, so does Olivia. The Sheffers combined to win six events – two of them were meet records, including a relay in which they each swam a leg – and Spotswood’s girls’ team swept all 12 events to win its seventh straight Valley District swim and dive tournament meet held Friday and Saturday at James Madison University’s Savage Natatorium, scoring 185 points.
Turner Ashby’s 100 points was good for second place in the five-team field.
In the boys’ competition, TA won six of 12 events to claim the title, scoring 135 points to edge Waynesboro (126) and Spotswood (119). The Knights’ boys set a meet record in the 200 medley relay (1 minute, 44.23 seconds), as TA seniors Andrew Moran, Aaron Glick and Jordan Andrews and junior Tanner Clark beat the mark set by last year’s Knights team (1:44.74), which featured four different swimmers.
For the girls, Blazer sophomore Jessie Arnold was her usual dominant self, shattering two individual records: the 100 butterfly (1:00.04, beating the 1:03.22 set by Rockbridge’s Erika Karsh in 2006) and the 100 backstroke (59.65, beating Olivia Sheffer’s 1:01.22 last year). And Arnold didn’t even swim the 500 freestyle, where she won the Group AA/A state championship last season.
Arnold is still the Blazers’ best swimmer, but she’s handed the freshman prodigy torch from last year to Julia Sheffer.
SHS coach Barbara Palmer knew all about Sheffer, and not just because of Olivia, an all-state swimmer in two events last season.
“I remember Julia doing the backstroke in the shallow end as a 4-year-old,” Palmer said. “They’ve just grown up around a swimming pool. So I was excited knowing we had another one coming up right behind Jessie.”
On Friday, the Sheffers, Arnold and junior Emily Smith – also a multi-event winner – combined to swim the 200 medley relay in 1 minute, 56.36 seconds, tying the meet record set by the Blazers last year. Julia Sheffer’s 100 freestyle time of 56.19 seconds also broke the record (56.39 by Spotswood’s Angie Kim last year), and she also won the 200 individual medley (2:20.60) and the 200 freestyle relay along with Olivia Sheffer, senior Savannah Hepner and sophomore Sierra Hepner (1:45.35).
Olivia Sheffer, who claims that she sometimes did squeal on her sister to her parents, said she does have some anxiety over her kid sister breaking more records than she does.
“I’m secretly, like, ‘No, Julia. Julia, that was my time, not yours,’” Olivia said.
Olivia said she’s not going to keep swimming in college because she wants to “focus on other things,” which means Julia can possibly clock times her sister never did – perhaps good enough to keep winning this season. The Sheffers, along with every swimmer and diver who either made the regional qualifying mark or finished in the top six individuals – or top three for relays – will advance to the Region III meet next week, also at Savage Natatorium.
Julia said her main goal is just to get to the state meet in two weeks in Christiansburg in as many events as possible. She already swam two state qualifying times at districts.
Gracefully, as usual.
“She has been waiting to be a part of this dynasty that we’ve built,” Palmer said. “…She’s the full package.”
RESULTS
Valley District Meet
Friday-Saturday
At JMU Savage Natatorium
TEAM SCORES
Boys: 1. Turner Ashby 135, 2. Waynesboro 126, 3. Spotswood 119, 4. Harrisonburg 71, 5. Broadway 53
Girls: 1. Spotswood 185, 2.Turner Ashby 100, 3. Broadway 78, 4. Harrisonburg 74, 5. Waynesboro 67
INDIVIDUAL REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
Top 6 individuals, top 6 relays automatically qualify for Region III tournament next week
* = Meet record
! = Qualified for states on time/score
Boys
200 medley relay: 1. TA 1:44.23*, 2. WHS 1:46.18^, 3. SHS 1:48.16
200 freestyle: 1. Flowers (WHS) 1:58.69^, 2. Andrews (TA) 2:03.15^, 3. Schaeffer (SHS) 2:05.47, 4. Dillard (SHS) 2:05.55, 5. Snider (BHS) 2:13.67, 6. Bell (HHS) 2:17.19
200 individual medley: 1. M. Bihl (WHS) 2:11.30^, 2. Sowers 2:13.09^, 3. Glick (TA) 2:14.00, 4. Kenee (SHS) 2:20.39, 5. A. Bihl (WHS), 2:32.97, 6. Couric (SHS) 2:40.10
50 freestyle: 1. Clark (TA) 21.94!, 2. Krauss (SHS) 23.43, 3. Strickler (HHS) 25.41, 4. Robbins (BHS) 25.58, 5. Sherrill (TA) 27.39, 6. Moreira (HHS) 27.68
1-meter dive: 1. Roth (TA) 262.45^, 2. Donitzen (SHS) 260.35^, 3. Zepp (HHS) 250.90^, 4. Carver (WHS) 237.65^, 5. Arellano (HHS) 232.10^
100 butterfly: 1. Carey (WHS) 57.71^, 2. Kenee (SHS) 1:01.73, 3. Moran (TA) 1:01.63, 4. Folsom (SHS) 1:04.02, 5. Byrd (HHS) 1:04.58, 6. Bates (TA) 1:10.11
100 freestyle: 1. Clark (TA) 48.93!, 2. Jenny (WHS) 49.64!, 3. Krauss (SHS) 53.03, 4. Corder (SHS) 57.94, 5. Pierce (BHS) 58.56, 6. Carr (TA) 1:01.03
500 freestyle: 1. Carey (WHS) 5:07.87^, 2. Flowers (WHS) 5:15.03^, 3. Andrews (TA) 5:45.92, 4. Strickler (HHS) 5:57.55, 5. Amoss (SHS) 6:00.26, 6. Snider (BHS) 6:11.10
200 freestyle relay: 1. TA 1:33.56!, 2. SHS 1:34.72!, 3. WHS 1:44.12
100 backstroke: 1. Jenny (WHS) 57.25*, 2. Moran (TA) 1:05.58, 3. Schaeffer (SHS) 1:06.35, 4. Folsom (SHS) 1:06.90, 5. Byrd (HHS) 1:07.53, 6. Corder (SHS) 1:11.63
100 breaststroke: 1. Glick (TA) 1:04.01!, 2. M. Bihl (WHS) 1:05.35!, 3. Sowers (SHS) 1:09.27, 4. Sherrill (TA) 1:14.46, 5. Amoss (SHS) 1:14.52, 6. Bell (HHS) 1:14.53
400 freestyle relay: 1. WHS 3:37.47, 2. BHS 4:05.53, 3. HHS 4:07.11
Girls
200 medley relay: 1. SHS 1:56.36*, 2. TA 2:05.65, 3. BHS 2:07.27
200 freestyle: 1. E. Smith (SHS) 2:05.35^, 2. Miller (WHS) 2:05.46^, 3. Sa. Hepner (SHS) 2:06.04^, 4. Collier (TA) 2:11.69^, 5. Armentrout (BHS) 2:16.15, 6. G. Smith (BHS) 2:27.70
200 individual medley: 1. J. Sheffer (SHS) 2:20.60^, 2. Little (HHS) 2:28.08, 3. Dean (SHS) 2:28.54, 4. Terrell (WHS) 2:37.21, 5. A. Rohrer (TA), 2:38.06, 6. Morrow (BHS) 2:39.48
50 freestyle: 1. O. Sheffer (SHS) 25.89!, 2. Si. Hepner (SHS) 27.85, 3. Franco (HHS) 27.98, 4. Cummings (HHS) 28.60, 5. Morris (BHS) 28.97, 6. atwood (TA) 29.03
1-meter dive: 1. Rafferty-Lewis (SHS) 290.70!, 2. Syptak (SHS) 275.65!, 3. Siever (BHS) 233.00^
100 butterfly: 1. Arnold (SHS) 1:00.04*, 2. Sa. Hepner (SHS) 1:06.43, 3. Miller (WHS) 1:07.05, 4. Collier (TA) 1:07.36, 5. A. Rohrer (TA) 1:10.08, 6. Back (TA) 1:12.02
100 freestyle: 1. J. Sheffer (SHS) 56.19*, 2. Armentrout (BHS) 59.97, 3. Si. Hepner 1:00.44, 4. Walker (TA) 1:00.87, 5. Terrell (WHS) 1:02.98, 6. Kunowsky (TA) 1:04.22
500 freestyle: 1. E. Smith (SHS) 5:39.59^, 2. Terrell (WHS) 5:53.22^, 3. Dean (SHS) 5:54.22, 4. Franco (HHS) 6:27.13, 5. Kreider (BHS) 6:42.30, 6. Miler (SHS) 6:45.22
200 freestyle relay: 1. SHS 1:45.35!, 2. BHS 1:53.00, 3. HHS 1:53.42
100 backstroke: 1. Arnold (SHS) 59.65*, 2. Little (HHS) 1:07.79^, 3. Morrow (BHS) 1:09.91, 4. Walker (TA) 1:11.74, 5. Carter (WHS) 1:14.80, 6. Garber (WHS) 1:15.67
100 breaststroke: 1. O. Sheffer (SHS) 1:14.29^, 2. Peifer (HHS) 1:17.74, 3. Sullivan (TA) 1:20.54, 4. K. Rohrer (TA) 1:20.87, 5. Morris (BHS) 1:21.12, 6. Newbanks (HHS) 1:21.29
400 freestyle relay: 1. SHS 3:55.67!, 2. TA 4:09.24, 3. WHS 4:12.17
As a second grader, Sheffer spilled strawberries in her house, staining her parents’ white carpet. Soon thereafter, she wrote an essay that included how her older sister, Olivia, was trustworthy because she didn’t rat Julia out to their parents. The essay won Julia an award from the Rockingham Educational Foundation.
More often, Julia Sheffer wins because of her grace in a pool.
And, for that matter, so does Olivia. The Sheffers combined to win six events – two of them were meet records, including a relay in which they each swam a leg – and Spotswood’s girls’ team swept all 12 events to win its seventh straight Valley District swim and dive tournament meet held Friday and Saturday at James Madison University’s Savage Natatorium, scoring 185 points.
Turner Ashby’s 100 points was good for second place in the five-team field.
In the boys’ competition, TA won six of 12 events to claim the title, scoring 135 points to edge Waynesboro (126) and Spotswood (119). The Knights’ boys set a meet record in the 200 medley relay (1 minute, 44.23 seconds), as TA seniors Andrew Moran, Aaron Glick and Jordan Andrews and junior Tanner Clark beat the mark set by last year’s Knights team (1:44.74), which featured four different swimmers.
For the girls, Blazer sophomore Jessie Arnold was her usual dominant self, shattering two individual records: the 100 butterfly (1:00.04, beating the 1:03.22 set by Rockbridge’s Erika Karsh in 2006) and the 100 backstroke (59.65, beating Olivia Sheffer’s 1:01.22 last year). And Arnold didn’t even swim the 500 freestyle, where she won the Group AA/A state championship last season.
Arnold is still the Blazers’ best swimmer, but she’s handed the freshman prodigy torch from last year to Julia Sheffer.
SHS coach Barbara Palmer knew all about Sheffer, and not just because of Olivia, an all-state swimmer in two events last season.
“I remember Julia doing the backstroke in the shallow end as a 4-year-old,” Palmer said. “They’ve just grown up around a swimming pool. So I was excited knowing we had another one coming up right behind Jessie.”
On Friday, the Sheffers, Arnold and junior Emily Smith – also a multi-event winner – combined to swim the 200 medley relay in 1 minute, 56.36 seconds, tying the meet record set by the Blazers last year. Julia Sheffer’s 100 freestyle time of 56.19 seconds also broke the record (56.39 by Spotswood’s Angie Kim last year), and she also won the 200 individual medley (2:20.60) and the 200 freestyle relay along with Olivia Sheffer, senior Savannah Hepner and sophomore Sierra Hepner (1:45.35).
Olivia Sheffer, who claims that she sometimes did squeal on her sister to her parents, said she does have some anxiety over her kid sister breaking more records than she does.
“I’m secretly, like, ‘No, Julia. Julia, that was my time, not yours,’” Olivia said.
Olivia said she’s not going to keep swimming in college because she wants to “focus on other things,” which means Julia can possibly clock times her sister never did – perhaps good enough to keep winning this season. The Sheffers, along with every swimmer and diver who either made the regional qualifying mark or finished in the top six individuals – or top three for relays – will advance to the Region III meet next week, also at Savage Natatorium.
Julia said her main goal is just to get to the state meet in two weeks in Christiansburg in as many events as possible. She already swam two state qualifying times at districts.
Gracefully, as usual.
“She has been waiting to be a part of this dynasty that we’ve built,” Palmer said. “…She’s the full package.”
RESULTS
Valley District Meet
Friday-Saturday
At JMU Savage Natatorium
TEAM SCORES
Boys: 1. Turner Ashby 135, 2. Waynesboro 126, 3. Spotswood 119, 4. Harrisonburg 71, 5. Broadway 53
Girls: 1. Spotswood 185, 2.Turner Ashby 100, 3. Broadway 78, 4. Harrisonburg 74, 5. Waynesboro 67
INDIVIDUAL REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
Top 6 individuals, top 6 relays automatically qualify for Region III tournament next week
* = Meet record
! = Qualified for states on time/score
Boys
200 medley relay: 1. TA 1:44.23*, 2. WHS 1:46.18^, 3. SHS 1:48.16
200 freestyle: 1. Flowers (WHS) 1:58.69^, 2. Andrews (TA) 2:03.15^, 3. Schaeffer (SHS) 2:05.47, 4. Dillard (SHS) 2:05.55, 5. Snider (BHS) 2:13.67, 6. Bell (HHS) 2:17.19
200 individual medley: 1. M. Bihl (WHS) 2:11.30^, 2. Sowers 2:13.09^, 3. Glick (TA) 2:14.00, 4. Kenee (SHS) 2:20.39, 5. A. Bihl (WHS), 2:32.97, 6. Couric (SHS) 2:40.10
50 freestyle: 1. Clark (TA) 21.94!, 2. Krauss (SHS) 23.43, 3. Strickler (HHS) 25.41, 4. Robbins (BHS) 25.58, 5. Sherrill (TA) 27.39, 6. Moreira (HHS) 27.68
1-meter dive: 1. Roth (TA) 262.45^, 2. Donitzen (SHS) 260.35^, 3. Zepp (HHS) 250.90^, 4. Carver (WHS) 237.65^, 5. Arellano (HHS) 232.10^
100 butterfly: 1. Carey (WHS) 57.71^, 2. Kenee (SHS) 1:01.73, 3. Moran (TA) 1:01.63, 4. Folsom (SHS) 1:04.02, 5. Byrd (HHS) 1:04.58, 6. Bates (TA) 1:10.11
100 freestyle: 1. Clark (TA) 48.93!, 2. Jenny (WHS) 49.64!, 3. Krauss (SHS) 53.03, 4. Corder (SHS) 57.94, 5. Pierce (BHS) 58.56, 6. Carr (TA) 1:01.03
500 freestyle: 1. Carey (WHS) 5:07.87^, 2. Flowers (WHS) 5:15.03^, 3. Andrews (TA) 5:45.92, 4. Strickler (HHS) 5:57.55, 5. Amoss (SHS) 6:00.26, 6. Snider (BHS) 6:11.10
200 freestyle relay: 1. TA 1:33.56!, 2. SHS 1:34.72!, 3. WHS 1:44.12
100 backstroke: 1. Jenny (WHS) 57.25*, 2. Moran (TA) 1:05.58, 3. Schaeffer (SHS) 1:06.35, 4. Folsom (SHS) 1:06.90, 5. Byrd (HHS) 1:07.53, 6. Corder (SHS) 1:11.63
100 breaststroke: 1. Glick (TA) 1:04.01!, 2. M. Bihl (WHS) 1:05.35!, 3. Sowers (SHS) 1:09.27, 4. Sherrill (TA) 1:14.46, 5. Amoss (SHS) 1:14.52, 6. Bell (HHS) 1:14.53
400 freestyle relay: 1. WHS 3:37.47, 2. BHS 4:05.53, 3. HHS 4:07.11
Girls
200 medley relay: 1. SHS 1:56.36*, 2. TA 2:05.65, 3. BHS 2:07.27
200 freestyle: 1. E. Smith (SHS) 2:05.35^, 2. Miller (WHS) 2:05.46^, 3. Sa. Hepner (SHS) 2:06.04^, 4. Collier (TA) 2:11.69^, 5. Armentrout (BHS) 2:16.15, 6. G. Smith (BHS) 2:27.70
200 individual medley: 1. J. Sheffer (SHS) 2:20.60^, 2. Little (HHS) 2:28.08, 3. Dean (SHS) 2:28.54, 4. Terrell (WHS) 2:37.21, 5. A. Rohrer (TA), 2:38.06, 6. Morrow (BHS) 2:39.48
50 freestyle: 1. O. Sheffer (SHS) 25.89!, 2. Si. Hepner (SHS) 27.85, 3. Franco (HHS) 27.98, 4. Cummings (HHS) 28.60, 5. Morris (BHS) 28.97, 6. atwood (TA) 29.03
1-meter dive: 1. Rafferty-Lewis (SHS) 290.70!, 2. Syptak (SHS) 275.65!, 3. Siever (BHS) 233.00^
100 butterfly: 1. Arnold (SHS) 1:00.04*, 2. Sa. Hepner (SHS) 1:06.43, 3. Miller (WHS) 1:07.05, 4. Collier (TA) 1:07.36, 5. A. Rohrer (TA) 1:10.08, 6. Back (TA) 1:12.02
100 freestyle: 1. J. Sheffer (SHS) 56.19*, 2. Armentrout (BHS) 59.97, 3. Si. Hepner 1:00.44, 4. Walker (TA) 1:00.87, 5. Terrell (WHS) 1:02.98, 6. Kunowsky (TA) 1:04.22
500 freestyle: 1. E. Smith (SHS) 5:39.59^, 2. Terrell (WHS) 5:53.22^, 3. Dean (SHS) 5:54.22, 4. Franco (HHS) 6:27.13, 5. Kreider (BHS) 6:42.30, 6. Miler (SHS) 6:45.22
200 freestyle relay: 1. SHS 1:45.35!, 2. BHS 1:53.00, 3. HHS 1:53.42
100 backstroke: 1. Arnold (SHS) 59.65*, 2. Little (HHS) 1:07.79^, 3. Morrow (BHS) 1:09.91, 4. Walker (TA) 1:11.74, 5. Carter (WHS) 1:14.80, 6. Garber (WHS) 1:15.67
100 breaststroke: 1. O. Sheffer (SHS) 1:14.29^, 2. Peifer (HHS) 1:17.74, 3. Sullivan (TA) 1:20.54, 4. K. Rohrer (TA) 1:20.87, 5. Morris (BHS) 1:21.12, 6. Newbanks (HHS) 1:21.29
400 freestyle relay: 1. SHS 3:55.67!, 2. TA 4:09.24, 3. WHS 4:12.17