FAYETTEVILLE

SCHULTZ LEADS LADY BULLDOGS

While both Fayetteville teams finished a respectable runner-up to Bentonville at the North District Swim Meet on Thursday, the Lady Bulldogs made more noise at the North District Diving Meet, held Wednesday at the HPER in Fayetteville.

Brooke Schultz, a freshman who attends Fayetteville Ramay Junior High, in particular continued to take the diving scene by storm. Schultz scored a whopping 633.45 in the 1-meter diving event Wednesday to easily blow past the rest of the field, and the rest of the divers in Arkansas high school history. Runner-up Erin Farrah, of Fayetteville, who was last year’s NWA Media Diver of the Year, scored 404.80 Wednesday.

To put Schltz’s score in perspective, as she prepares for this week’s state meet, the Arkansas high school 1-meter diving record is more than 100 points less than her score on Wednesday, held by Sarah Chewning of Springdale High in 2011.

Chewning, now a junior at Tennessee after two seasons at Kentucky, has a high mark of 541.15 in collegiate diving, still well below Schultz’s marks this season.

— VERNON TARVER @NWAVERNON

SPRINGDALE HIGH

LAMAESTRA, BULLDOGS HOPE FOR STATE SUCCESS

Springdale High junior Lauren Lamaestra is going to be busy at the state swimming championships this weekend.

Bulldogs coach Matt Hervey just doesn’t know exactly what events his top swimmer will compete in. She has options and will enter the meet after earning silver (100-yard breastroke) and bronze (400 free relay) medals in the 6A-7A North District championship meet Thursday.

“She’s qualified in four individual events, some of which she’s never tried until this year,” Hervey said. “She’s just that kind of an athlete.”

Lamaestra and Mariah Lucas are qualified individually, along with three relays, while diver Cadie Stair hopes to place well after finishing fourth in the conference meet. All in all, Hervey wants a girls finish around the seventh-place showing the Bulldogs had last year.

“They’ve got a shot at a couple relays and Lauren has a shot at the 100 breast,” Hervey said. “If we can come home with some sort of medal hardware, everyone will be leaving with smiles.”

— JIMMY CARTER @NWAJIMMY

ROGERS HIGH

DECISIONS AWAIT MOUNTIES COACH

Rogers High swim coach Rob Bray said it will be decision time this week for sophomore Lady Mounties swimmer Lisa Lauschke. She has qualified in the 100 free, the 100 backstroke, the 500 free and the 200 free but the sophomore can only race in two events. Lauschke also swam at the state meet as a freshman.

“She will do real well, we just don’t know which ones she will swim,” Bray said. “The 500 free is one of her strongest events, and I think she wants to swim the 100 free.”

The Mounties relay team of Jacob Carroll, Brandon Lithalancy, Paul Hescott and Evan Campbell have also qualified for two relays, the 200 medley and the 400 free medley.

“They got in the other day in one of the relays after they swam a few seconds faster at the conference meet,” Bray said. “I think one of the girls relay teams may have got in, but I have to see the results of the Central conference tournament.”

— PAUL NIELSEN

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER

WILDCATS PLACE THIRD

The Springdale Har-Ber boys finished third and the Har-Ber girls seventh in the North District swim meet last week at Springdale.

“Getting third is a good morale booster heading to the state meet in Little Rock,” Har-Ber senior Ben Parmer said. “This helps our chances. I think we can do well.”

Parmer placed second in the 50-yard freestyle in 23:06. His brother, John Parmer, a sophomore, placed second in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:05. Har-Ber’s 400-yard relay team finished second place and the 200-yard freestyle team finished third.

Har-Ber will send five athletes to the state meet at Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday.

— RICK FIRES @NWAONLINE.COM

ROGERS HERITAGE

HERITAGE SWIMMERS READY FOR STATE MEET

Rogers Heritage swim coach Julie Sakalares said her athletes were ready for next week’s Class 6A-7A state swimming championships in Little Rock.

Senior Samuel Schaefer tuned up for the state meet by winning the 50-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke at the North District meet on Thursday. Sophomore Carly Holland also won the 100 butterfly for the Lady War Eagles. Both Heritage teams finished fifth in the district meet.

“I was happy with the way performed overall,” Sakalares said. “We had a couple girls that didn’t quite make their cuts. Samuel swam well. Ian Pusey swam his best time in the 100 breaststroke. That was a really tough race. Carly raced well. I think she’s ready.”

Pusey, a sophomore, finished fourth in that 100 breaststroke race, but only five-tenths of a second out of first. Holland finished third in the 200 individual medley. Blake Holland finished fourth in the 500 free, while Tina Nguyen was also fourth in the 100 back.

Heritage has five individuals qualified for the state meet and all their relay teams. Sakalares said they will look to race well and lower their times.

Schaefer was fourth a year ago a year ago at the state meet in the 100 back and 100 fly, but primed for a better finish this year, Sakalares said.

Carly Holland also enjoyed a strong finish last year as a freshman, taking second in the 50 free and third in the 100 back.

— PAUL BOYD @NWAPAULB