SWIMMING: Hemp, medley relay advance to consolation races

MINNEAPOLIS – Tyler Hemp will compete in today’s 100 breast stroke consolation race at the state Class A swimming and diving competition and he will be joined by Nate Gubbels, Matt Arndt and Nick Gubbels in today’s 200 medley relay consolation.

During Friday’s preliminaries Bemidji’s 200 medley relay squad finished 14th with a time of 1:44.02 and qualified for today’s consolation heat.

Later in the meet Hemp earned a berth in the 100 breast stroke consolation race by placing 12th in the preliminary competition after completing the race in 1:01.87.

Earlier Friday Hemp fell short of advancing to the consolation round in the 200 free as he finished 25th in 1:50.52.

And in Friday’s final race Bemidji’s 400 free relay team of Nick Gubbels, Hemp, Wyatt Yartz and Nate Gubbels swam well but didn’t make the top 16, placing 22nd in 3:25.96.

“The 400 free relay team swam its best time of the year but it just wasn’t good enough to advance,” said Lumberjacks coach Woody Leindecker. “But the medley relay team swam very well. Nick and Tyler had great legs.”

“I’m fine with what happened on Friday,” Hemp said. “The 200 free wasn’t my best race and I was disappointed with it but I knew I just had to move onto the next race.

“And it is really nice to have the medley relay moving on with me,” he said.

Joining the medley relay team and Hemp in today’s competition will be diver Sam Howard who enters today’s final three-dive round in seventh place.

“Sam needs to be steady Eddy on Saturday,” Leindecker said.

“His three dives have degree of difficulties of 1.5, 2.7 and 2.8 and if he can hit them he should finish in the top eight and medal.

“The second day is the easy day for the swimmers,” the coach continued. “The hard part, advancing to Saturday, is over and now all you have to do is swim and see where you finish.”