Record-setting Days for Martin and Roghair Lead West High to Runner-up Finish at State Swim Meet
Your Prep Sports
MARSHALLTOWN – Byron Butler was beaming with pride.
In a season like no other, his West High swimming team came through with a finish to remember behind a record-setting day from his stars at the Marshalltown YMCA pool.
Junior Scarlet Martin set a pair of individual state records while senior Aurora Roghair also set a state mark in one of her two championship performances.
To cap off the meet the West High standouts combined with Ella Hochstetler and Jade Roghair for a record swim in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The four meet records pushed West High to a runner-up finish behind Ames in the team race. Ames won the team title with 303 points, the ninth championship in 11 seasons for the Little Cyclones.
West High was runner-up with 277.5 and defending champion West Des Moines Dowling was third with 233 points.
Martin, a junior who has committed to Florida, was named the meet’s most outstanding swimmer.
She set new state standards in winning the 100 butterfly (53.01) and the 100 backstroke (54.14).
Roghair, a senior headed to Stanford next year, defended her titles in the 200 and 500 freestyles. She won the 200 in 1:47.30 and the 500 in a meet record time of 4:45.78.
“Given all the circumstances, no home pool, the derecho, the three-week hiatus, just overcoming all that stuff makes me humble,” Butler said. “I’m really, really proud to be their coach.”
West High endured a three-week break in the middle of the season due to the Iowa City Community School District electing to shift to an entire online learning curriculum in the face of COVID-19.
That meant no meets or practices.
“It was super hard,” admitted Martin about the breaks in the season. “I think we all kept our heads up and we got through it really well. Honestly, we were just really happy to have even made it to state. We were just happy to have this day.”
And Martin and Roghair were not about to waste that day.
They were dominant each time they hit the water.
“They definitely took it to another level today,” Butler said. “They absolutely just elevated themselves, they elevated their teammates and the others on their relays. That’s what the best athletes do.”
Roghair had very tough competition in her two races from Waukee sophomore Jessi Wigham and City High junior Heidi Stalkfleet.
Wigham actually had the top preliminary qualifying times entering the Saturday finals.
“Aurora knew she had some pretty tough competition in both the 200 and 500,” Butler said. “In the 500, we talked and I told her that she has the best speed, an amazing aerobic base and she pulled away at that 11-length mark. She is just an amazing, amazing athlete.”
Roghair relished the opportunity in front of her in her final individual race of her prep career.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had,” she said. “I was talking to Byron about our strategy in the 500. We wanted to take it out controlled, then put it into gear and go after it.”
Butler said it will be “sad” not having Roghair in the program when practice begins in 2021.
“All these girls look up to her,” he said. “She is the heart and soul of the team. She has become even more vocal as an upperclassman. Nobody outworks her and she has helped to build a culture where we can compete for trophies. This was our first one. She will be truly, truly missed.”
Roghair’s sister, sophomore Jade, had a strong meet as well.
She was on both winning relays and took third in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 500.
Martin was just as excited about her team’s performance as she was about her individual performances.
“This is a super special team,” Martin said. “Everyone here today contributed to what we did today. We’re very happy with a second-place finish.”
In the final meet for coach Zane Hugo City High finished 15th with 46 points.
Hugo is leaving City High to take a position as an aquatics director at the University of Wisconsin.
Stalkfleet led City High with third-place finishes in the 500 free and 100 butterfly.
In her state meet debut Stalkfleet finished behind Roghair and Wigham in the 500 freestyle in 4:51.22 and was third behind Martin and Ames senior Mia Moulden in the 100 butterfly in 56.3.
Stalkfleet set a school record in the 100 fly in the prelims on Friday and broke the school record in the 100 freestyle in the leadoff leg of the 400 freestyle relay on Saturday.
Averi Loria, Kalea Seaton, Rika Yahashiri and Stalkfleet finished 15th in the relay in 3:43.37.
Yahashiri placed 12th in the 100 breaststroke and 14th in the 50 freestyle for City High.
State Swimming and Diving Meet
At Marshalltown YMCA
Team scores – 1. Ames 303; 2. West High 277.5; 3. West Des Moines Dowling 233; 4. Waukee 227; 5. Johnston 173; 6. Cedar Falls 118.5; 7. Ankeny 105; 8. Linn-Mar 83; 9. Bettendorf 79; 10. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 73; 11. Norwalk 71; 12. Des Moines Roosevelt 58; 13. Council Bluffs Lewis Central 57; 14. West Des Moines Valley 55; 15. City High 46; 16. Carroll 45; 17. Boone 44; 18. Pleasant Valley 40.5; Sioux City Metro 40.5; 20. Waterloo 40; 21. Fort Dodge 33; 22. Muscatine 31; 23. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 22; 24. Davenport Central 20; 25. Dubuque Senior 18; 26. Marshalltown 12; 26. Decorah 12; 28. Mason City 4; 28. Spencer 4.
1-meter diving – 1. Makayla Hughbanks (Bettendorf) 505.7; 29. Greta Stanier (ICH) 174.15
200 medley relay – 1. Johnston 1:46.74; 6. West High (Carlee Wilkins, Makala Hajek, Ella Hochstetler, Olivia Taeger) 1:50.21; 16. City High (Julianne Berry-Stoelzle, Rika Yahashiri, Heidi Stalkfleet, Averi Loria) 1:51.69
200 freestyle – 1. Aurora Roghair (ICW) 1:47.30; 3. Jade Roghair (ICW) 1:52.85, 7. Kolby Reese (ICW) 1:56.13
200 IM – 1. Olivia Swalley (Johnston) 2:03.28; 12. Olivia Taeger (ICW) 2:12.03; 13. Makala Hajek (ICW) 2:12.12
50 freestyle – 1. Meghan Donald (Ames) 22.99; 14. Rika Yahashiri (ICH) 24.78; 16. Ella Hochstetler (ICW) 24.97.
100 butterfly – 1. Scarlet Martin (ICW) 53.01; 3. Heidi Stalkfleet (ICH) 56.30; 8. Ella Hochstetler (ICW) 58.93
100 freestyle – 1. Meghan Donald (Ames) 50.63
500 freestyle – 1. Aurora Roghair (ICW) 4:45.78; 3. Heidi Stalkfleet (ICH) 4:51.22; 4. Jade Roghair (ICW) 5:02.64; 7. Kolby Reese (ICW) 5:12.85.
200 freestyle relay – 1. West High (Ella Hochstetler, Jade Roghair, Aurora Roghair, Scarlet Martin) 1:34.24
100 backstroke – 1. Scarlet Martin (ICW) 54.14; 13. Carlee Wilkins (ICW) 59.03.
100 breaststroke – 1. Olivia Swalley (Johnston) 1:04.12; 12. Rika Yahashiri (ICH) 1:08.84
400 freestyle relay – 1. West High (Jade Roghair, Olivia Taeger, Aurora Roghair, Scarlet Martin) 3:23.73; 15. City High (Heidi Stalkfleet, Averi Loria, Kalea Seaton, Rika Yahashiri) 3:43.37
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