The Bridgeport High School swim teams will go after the Harrison County championships Friday in Salem.

 

They will do so as heavy favorites as the defending state champion boys team has a perfect record thus far this season at 10-0, while the girls, who were state runner-up a year ago, aren’t far behind at 8-2.

 

The Indians were most recently in action on Wednesday with a dual meet against Buckhannon-Upshur at West Virginia Wesleyan. The BHS boys picked up a 154-72 victory, while the girls won 151-119.

 

Leading the way for the boys was Randy Keener who picked up a pair of wins in individual events and was part of two first-place relay teams.

Keener won the 200 IM with a time of 1:59.19 and the 500 free at 5:03.70. He also teamed with Reed Smith, Ryan Knapp and Marcel Rodriquez to win the 200 free relay at 1:38.27.

 

In the 400 relay, Keener and Rodriquez joined forces with Phillip Malenich and Luke Pinti in posting a first-place time of 3:53.80.

 

The Indians picked up four other individual victories. Mason Titchenal won the 100 fly at 59.93, Rodriquez took first in the 100 free at 56.42, Malenich won the 100 backstroke at 1:02.75 and Pinti was victorious in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:04.15.

 

The team of Malenich, Pinti, Titchenal and Smith made it a clean sweep in the relays by winning the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:48.92.

 

For the BHS girls, Marra Johnson picked up two wins in individual events and was part of a first-place relay team. She won the 200 free with a time of 2:09.42 and the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:14.41.

 

On the 200 medley relay squad, Johnson teamed with Cheyanne Rohde, Lilly Madden and Darian Spencer to take first place with a time of 2:08.87.

 

Rohde also picked up an individual win with a time of 1:06.94 in the 100 backstroke. Cheri Signorelli rounded things out for the BHS girls by winning the 500 free with a time of 6:28.52.

 

Friday’s Harrison County championship meet is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Salem University Pool in the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium on the Salem campus.

 

Although Friday’s meet as well as the Big 10 Conference meet (Feb. 1 at the Harrison County YMCA) are technically regular-season events, the Indians are now in the most important part of their schedule.

 

“Once we get to the county championship meet, that’s what we call championship season,” Bridgeport coach Jan Grisso said. “County, Big 10 then regionals and states, the kids have goals for those meets.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Randy Keener in action, while the bottom one features Marra Johnson. Photos by Joey Signorelli for www.benqueenphotography.com