Blue Dolphins excel

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: October 8, 2015

3 YMCA Blue Dolphins swimmers qualify for AHSAA sectional meet; Montgomery continues to impress

YMCA Blue Dolphins simmers (from left) Cade Hilbun, Lucia Balma and Colton Smith all qualified for the state sectionals. Below, 10-year-old Maya Montgomery continued to impress with four wins.

By East Alabama Sports Today

Three members of the YMCA Blue Dolphins swim team qualified for the AHSAA Sectional Meet during the recent Sprint into Fall Invitational at the Birmingham Crossplex.

Weaver’s Lucia Balma and Oxford’s Cade Hilbun and Colton Smith all met qualifying times in the early-season event.

Balma, a sophomore who has been swimming competitively only two years, qualified for sectionals for the first time in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 500 freestyle.

Smith, a senior at Oxford High School, qualified in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 breastroke; his 50 freestyle time (24.93) almost met the state qualifying standard (24.79). Hilbun, a seventh-grader at Oxford Middle, qualified for sectionals for the first time in the 50 freestyle.

Meanwhile, 10-year-old Maya Montgomery of Saks continued to show her potential by setting meet records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 50 backstroke. She also won the 10-and-under 50 butterfly.

The high school swimmers on the team have three more chances to qualify before the Nov. 20-21 sectionals – this weekend at Auburn, next weekend in Trussville and in Marietta, Ga., Nov. 7-8.

The Calhoun County Championship Meet is Nov. 12 at the YMCA of Calhoun County.

Here are the top 8 finishes for the Blue Dolphins at the BSL Sprint into Fall Invitational:

8-and-under

Joshua Reaves: 2nd, 50 backstroke; 2nd, 25 freestyle; 3rd, 25 breastroke, 2nd, 100 freestyle.
Mya Pearson: 8th, 25 freestyle; 6th, 100 freestyle.

10-and-under

Suzanna Reaves: 8th, 25 breastroke.
Maya Montgomery: 1st, 50 butterfly; 1st, 100 freestyle; 1st, 50 freestyle; 1st, 50 backstroke.
Sterling Kelly: 6th, 50 butterfly.
Boys 100 freestyle relay: 3rd (Sterling Kelly, Josh Reaves, Vinson Montgomery, Kaleb Wyatt).

11-12

Cade Hilbun: 3rd, 100 backstroke; 2nd, 50 breastroke; 2nd, 50 freestyle.
James Reaves: 7th, 100 backstroke, 3rd, 50 breastroke; 6th, 100 butterfly; 8th, 50 freestyle.
Girls 200 freestyle relay: 3rd (Abby Rouse, Nancy Brock, Erin Earls, Heather Wright).

15-and-over

Boys 200 freestyle relay: 8th (Cade Hilbun, Colton Smith, Trevor Perry, Dylan Haynes)