Swimming strong

Several Jefferson Sea Dragons scored big in the local swim team’s first large meet of the year.
Twelve Jefferson swimmers placed in the top 10 of their respective division in Saturday’s Winder Pentathlon.

The meet tests a swimmer’s versatility, as each competitor swims in five events — butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and the intermediate medley (one lap of each stroke) — to accumulate an aggregate final score.

“Placing in the top ten at this meet is quite an achievement and many of our swimmers did,” Sea Dragon team administrator Chad Klink said.

The event is open only to the top 275 swimmers out of the 1,100 in the league.

Jefferson swimmers placing the in the top 10 Saturday were:

•McKenzie Klinck, fourth 8-and-under girls, 3:11.
•Will Guzman, third, 8-and-under boys, 3:28 (two seconds away from first place).
•Perry Jackson, fourth 8-and-under boys, 3:34.
•Haley Bartoletta, eighth, 10-and-under girls, 2:44.
•C.J. Guzman, fifth, 10-and-under boys, 2:41.
•Brendon Mitchell, seventh, 10-and-under boys, 3:11.
•Dylan Childress, ninth, 10-and-under boys, 3:12.
•Bree Hanson, fourth, 12-and-under girls, 3:34.
•Heather Perry, sixth, 12-and-under girls, 3:40.
•Ryan Childress, eighth, 12-and-under girls, 3:44.
•Lilli Blackstock, ninth, 12-and-under girls, 3:48.
•Gabrielle Joransen, ninth, 18-and-under girls, 3:38.

Others participating were Josh Joransen, Nick Joransen, James Joransen, Brandon Liles, Bryson Mitchell, Angela Scogin, Quincy Mashburn and Caroline Mitchell.

Jefferson swims again Saturday in the SPLASH meet in Habersham County. Swimmers 10-and-under begin at 8 a.m. Those 11-and-older start at noon.