UNION TOWNSHIP | Two Greater South Shore Conference champion teams celebrated with an impromptu post-meet dip in the Wheeler High School pool Saturday afternoon.
On one side of the pool, the Wheeler girls team pushed their coach, Adam Klimczak into the first lane, then jumped in after him. On the other side, the Bishop Noll boys were in the midst of a similar celebration with their coach, Pam Armagast, chanting "Repeat, repeat."
The conference championship marked the third straight for the Warriors, while the Bearcats celebrated their fourth straight title.
Klimczak and Armagast are so used to meeting each other in the pool after the conference championship meet that during the past couple years they swam a victory lap together.
The Warriors took first over the second-place Wheeler boys team by a score of 426-390. The Bearcat girls swam away from everybody with 465 points, with North Newton taking second with a score of 281.
Bishop Noll's relay teams set conference records in the 200 medley (1:50.04) and 400 free (3:41.62), and two individuals set new records as well. Junior Brayden Banske set a new mark in the 100 fly with a time of 57.33, and Anthony Repay notched a conference record in the 100 breast with a time of 1:10.15.
Armagast pointed out the Warriors had not even won a conference event until three years ago. Banske said it has been fun to watch the program grow.
"I thought when we started as freshman that we were just kind of average," he said. "But we've progressed and we keep on getting better and better."
The Bearcats' 200 free relay set a pool and conference record with a time of 1:46.77 and their 400 free relay set a conference record at 3:54.88. Danielle Radosevich also set a conference record for Wheeler in the 100 back with a time of 59.80.
Klimczak said the Bearcats now have one goal in mind - the Chesterton Sectional.
"Everybody is swimming for a spot on the sectional team," he said. "So that motivates them and keeps them swimming fast."
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