Bridgeport High School’s Randy Keener competed in the shortest individual event and the longest during Friday’s Harrison County Championship swim meet at Salem University.

 

Two completely different races, yet he dominated both.

 

In what has already been a sophomore season of record-breaking performances, Keener notched two more by setting meet records in the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.31 and the 500 free with a time of 5:00 flat.

 

The Indians combined to set five meet records en route to sweeping the county team titles. The defending state champion boys team improved to 11-0 and finished with 129.5 points. Robert C. Byrd was the runner-up at 78.5 and Notre Dame was third with 40.

 

The girls, who are now 9-2, finished with 156 points. Notre Dame was second with 52 and was followed by Liberty (19), Robert C. Byrd (14) and Lincoln (6).

 

“Mentally, you have to prepare for those two races differently,” Keener said of the 50 and 500. “In the 50 free you put your head down, spin your arms and kick as hard as you can. The 500 is more about getting after it and going and going and going. The 500 is definitely more mentally grueling.”

 

The previous Harrison County record in the 50 free was 22.78 set by Notre Dame’s Andrew Boyles in 2015. Bridgeport’s Matt Lowther had the previous best mark in the 500 free with a time of 5:15.46 in 2013.

 

Keener was also part of a record-setting relay team as he joined Phillip Malenich, Ryan Knapp and Marcel Rodriquez on the 200 freestyle squad that finished with a time of 1:35.93. That time broke the mark of 1:36.66 set by Bridgeport in 2003.

 

The other two records set by the Indians were by Cheyanne Rohde and Marra Johnson, respectively.

 

Rohde won the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02.30, eclipsing the previous meet record of 1:03.08 by Bridgeport’s Brittany Csonka in 2003.

 

“I was surprised,” Rohde said. “I wasn’t feeling that race in the beginning but it ended pretty good. It definitely helps when there is someone pushing you in the next lane. But if you are wanting that record or to get a certain time, that’s definitely going to push you too.”

 

Johnson’s record came in the final individual race of the meet as she won the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:13.99 breaking the previous mark of 1:14.33 held by Robert C. Byrd’s Avery Thrush in 2016.

 

“I did the same event last year and wanted to break it then but it just didn’t happen,” Johnson said. “I’ve been training really hard to break this year so I was excited to get it.”

 

The Indians took first place in 13 other events, including a clean sweep of the relays.

 

The event began with the 200 medley relay. Rohde was joined by Lilly Madden, Darian Spencer and Cheri Signorelli to give the BHS girls a win with a time of 2:01.61. The boys team of Reed Smith, Knapp, Mason Titchenal and Malenich followed with a winning time of 1:53.16.

 

Johnson picked up another individual title in the 200 IM with a time of 2:26.94, while her teammate, Violet Sickles was third at 2:48.31.

 

Luke Pinti picked up his first of two individual victories in the 200 IM with a time of 2:13.65. Also for the Tribe, Knapp came in third at 2:25.36.

 

The BHS girls finished 1-2-3 in the 50 free. Spencer won with a time of 26.58 and was followed by Kelsey Dorchak at 29.28 and Lindsey Suter at 29.65.

 

Malenich placed third in the 50 free with a time of 24.26.

 

It was another 1-2-3 finish in the 100 fly for the girls with Spencer taking first with a time of 1:07.63. Vaughn Vincent was second at 1:09.43 and Dorchak was third at 1:23.34.

 

For the boys, Titchenal won the 100 fly with a time of 56.93.

 

For the third straight event, the BHS girls took all three spots in the 100 free. Rohde was first at 56.75, Maria Lacaria was runner-up at 1:01.05 and Hope Rieser was third with a time of 1:02.90.

 

Rodriquez picked up an individual crown in the 100 free with a winning time of 52.06. Smith added a third-place finish at 55.97.

 

Signorelli gave the girls a second-place finish in the 500 free with a time of 6:22.76.

 

The boys 500 free race had a little more drama than just Keener’s record as the Indians’ Reese Allen and RCB’s Adam Fubio finished tied for second with dead even times of 6:19.13.

 

Maria Lacaria joined Vincent, Johnson and Rohde on the 200 free relay team that took first place with a time of 1:51.16.

 

Rieser and Signorelli followed Rohde in the 100 back with times of 1:09.27 and 1:11.17, respectively.

 

Two boys had two of the top three spots in the 100 back with Malenich the runner-up at 1:02.16 and Smith at third with a time of 1:02.58.

Madden was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:17.44.

 

Pinti’s second win came in the 100 breastroke with a time of 1:03.55. Knapp followed with a second-place time of 1:08.36.

 

The county meet closed with two more relay wins for the Indians.

 

The girls team of Lacaria, Signorelli, Johnson and Spencer won the 400 medley with a time of 4:11.80. The boys took the 400 medley title with a time of 3:33.05 by Titchenal, Pinti, Rodriquez and Keener.

 

Only four events were won by other county swimmers. Notre Dame’s Caitlin Oltman won the 200 free at 2:09.26 and the 500 free with a time of 5:48.59. She joined the BHS trio of Johnson, Rohde and Spencer in sharing individual high point honors for the girls. Pinti and Keener shared high-point honors for the boys.

 

RCB’s Zac Basler won the 200 free with a time of 1:56.99. His teammate, Patrick Fubio, won the 100 back with a time of 1:00.30.

 

“I was pleased with the efforts of both teams,” Bridgeport coach Jan Grisso said. “It was a great performance by Randy. He has goals and he keeps going out there and achieving them. Cheyanne’s record was a little bit of a surprise. Not surprising that she broke it because you could tell she was really going for it. I was just surprised when I looked and saw how long that record had stood. It was one of the oldest records of the meet.

 

“Both teams did great and I hope we can keep it going next week at the Big 10 meet.”

 

The Big 10 Conference championship meet will be Feb. 1 at the Harrison County YMCA.

 

For more coverage, photos and video of the county meet check back on Connect-Bridgeport.com in the coming days.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo is of Randy Keener. The second photo features Cheyanne Rohde, while the third one is of Marra Johnson. The bottom photo is of Luke Pinti. Photos by Joey Signorelli for www.benqueenphotography.com.