Colonel Crawford, Ontario, Lexington set the pace at Division II sectional swimming meet

MANSFIELD − Colonel Crawford, Ontario and Lexington all set the tone Saturday at the Division II Sectional Swimming Meet at Malabar Intermediate School for what could shape up to be promising postseasons for the three schools. Next step: onto the district meet in Bowling Green.

Let's dive into the main takeaways from the Sectional Meet.

Colonel Crawford girls were on it

I'm not sure what the mindset of Colonel Crawford's girls were making the trip to Mansfield, but based on the results alone, they were laser-focused. Focused enough to win four of the eight individual events.

More: Title reunion: Ontario boys, girls back together atop MOAC swim standings

Junior Ashtyn Rickel led the charge for the Eagles, winning the 100 freestyle (55.41) and 200 individual medley (2:15.54). Sophomore Ava Finnan took first in the 200 free − including second in the 100 free − and freshman Riley Finnan got in on the fun, winning the 50 free. While sophomore Brynn Bruner didn't win an individual event, she had second-place finishes in the 500 free and 100 backstroke.

The Eagles weren't just making it happen in the solo events either. The girls won both the 200 (1:44.38) and 400 (3:46.71) free relays, with the foursome of Bruner, Rickel and the Finnan sisters carrying the day.

A swell of a day for the Colonel Crawford girls.

Four multiple individual event winners

Along with Colonel Crawford's Ashtyn Rickel's two wins, three other swimmers also asserted themselves as multiple individual event winners.

Ontario sophomore Grantham Trumpower, an All-Ohioan last year, was a double winner, pulling off victories in the 50 free (22.03) and 100 free (48.78), where he was pushed by runner-up Colonel Crawford's Landon Sutter (49.84), who won the 200 individual medley.

Grantham's younger sister Mirielle picked up wins in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly, going under a minute in impressive fashion in both events − 56.22 in backstroke and 56.84 in butterfly. Her neat underwater work played a key role in both wins.

Lexington's sophomore Cooper Watters took part in four events, but that didn't stop him from winning the 200 free (1:54.03) and 500 free (5:06.82).

Lexington, Ontario boys grab the crowd in relay events

If there were any events that had the crowd and cheering teammates in a frenzy, it was the boys 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Local rivals Ontario and Lexington were at the center of it.

In the 200 free relay, Ontario and Lexington went down to the wire, with the Warriors quartet of Trumpower, Logan Bernat, Owen Walter and Evan Ruhe just holding off Lexington's Watters, Isaac McFadden, Trey Nickoli and Oden Bell with a time of 1:33.86 to the Minutemen's 1:34.86.

In the 400 free relay, it was a similar neck-and-neck finish but closer. Ontario threw out out the same four of Trumpower-Bernat-Ruhe-Walter against Lexington's McFadden, Watters, Ivan Prykhodko and Joe Hathaway, and once again the Warriors came out the victors, squeezing it out on the final leg in which Ruhe held off Prykhodko.

The Warriors time was 3:26.21 to the Minutemen's 3:26.95.

Other sectional meet winners

Ontario's Joie Simmering: 1st in 100 breaststroke

Shelby's Emma Montgomery: 1st in 500 freestyle

Lexington girls: 1st in 200 Medley Relay

Ontario's Logan Bernat: 1st in 100 backstroke

Lexington's Ivan Prykhodko: 1st in 100 breaststroke

Ontario's Ivan Ruhe: 1st in 100 butterfly

Lexington boys: 1st in 200 Medley Relay

jsimpson@gannett.com

Twitter:@JamesSimpsonII

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Colonel Crawford, Ontario, Lexington in postseason form at sectionals