Damon Fisher of Jackson won the 500-yard freestyle at a home meet on Thursday. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
While a new natatorium is being built at Jackson High School, the Vikings are building a solid group of young swimmers.
That showed up on Thursday as the Vikings improved to 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference with a home win.
Jackson defeated Ypsilanti Lincoln High School on senior night, 109 – 79.
Second-year coach Sean McCully said the young swimmers are coming on as the season progresses.
“We had a superb night tonight,” McCully said. “Our two relay teams (200 medley and 400 freestyle) qualified for the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association meet.”
The new home for Jackson swimming is slated to open in the spring of 2021.
But McCully said mild weather has allowed for more work to be completed than expected. He hopes to squeeze in a meet at the end of next boys’ season.
“I am hoping the new building brings new interest in the community for swimming and new bodies to the team,” McCully said.
The new pool will allow Jackson to have the diving event during the actual meet. Now, the diving is held 90 minutes earlier at the Middle School at Parkside.
“Sometimes the divers feel a little distant from the team,” McCully said.
Jackson honored four seniors during the diving intermission at the meet. One senior was away on a mission trip and Matthew Sargent, Ian Cristiano, and Luke Lyons were celebrated during a ceremony.
Jackson started the meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay and never trailed in the meet.
Canon Rose, Alejandro Baird, John Benedetto, and Mason Rose won the relay in 1 minute, 46.23 seconds. Both Canon Rose and Baird are sophomores.
Damon Fisher of Jackson won the 200-yard freestyle event in 2:03.42.
Cristiano won the diving and Sargent was second with 154.15 and 141.45 respectively for the Vikings.
Mason Rose won the 100-yard butterfly in 59.13 seconds; Canon Rose won the 100-yard freestyle in 52.92 and the 100-yard backstroke in 1:01.15; Fisher won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:37.3; and Mason Rose, Benedetto, Fisher, and Canon Rose won the 400-yard freestyle in 3:32.94.
Jackson is scheduled to travel to Pinckney next Thursday, for an SEC meet scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
