Fire alarm delays swim meet but doesn’t dampen enthusiasm

Opening with a stellar first-place Holyoke finish in the 200-yard medley relay and progressing through one heat of the next event with HHS swimmers Brenna Gatton and Eva Kramer, things took a strange turn at the Dec. 10 Berthoud swim dual in Loveland.

Fire alarms went off and everyone was asked to exit the pool. Swimmers and spectators stood in the cold for approximately 25 minutes, waiting for the all-clear from the Loveland Fire Department.

“But the delay did nothing to ice the team’s enthusiasm,” coach Aly Brinkema said. Holyoke went on to win first-place finishes in six of the 11 total swimming events.

Haley Van Overbeke’s 100-yard freestyle time secured her a spot on the 3A state qualifying team with her first individual event. She joins teammate Rylee Schneller who provided two first-place finishes in her own state qualifying races of the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breaststroke.

Van Overbeke and Schneller were joined by Traeli Hutches and Lali Marquez to once again win the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay, both of which they had already qualified for state the previous week.

Van Overbeke won the 100-yard backstroke event to round out the Dragons’ first-place finishes.

Brinkema pointed out that Hutches and Marquez both inched closer to their own individual 3A state cuts in nail-biting finishes in the 200-yard freestyle, 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.

She added that the 200-yard freestyle relay team led by Josie Schlachter with teammates Jackie Valenzuela, Aly Lock and anchor Summer Martin revved up the crowd with a surprise second-place finish, coming from behind to solidly out-touch a Berthoud team.

Amy Mackay debuted her swim season at the Berthoud dual with an outstanding 100-yard backstroke, taking third overall.

Freshmen on the Dragon team continue to inspire and motivate the entire team with their relentless pursuit to improve, Brinkema said. She noted that Destanie Engle, Aliyah Engle, Clover Adler and Erin Andersen, along with Lock, Martin and Sabryn Burris, have already proved their great worth in practices and meets alike.

“Our small but mighty team of 15 took on the Berthoud team of 23-plus and came away with a quiet confidence and the guarantee that when you race against a Holyoke Dragon, we are there to bring out the best in every competitor,” Brinkema said.

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