Sandusky hosts swim meet honoring legendary Groscost

SANDUSKY — Five area swim teams converged on the new Sandusky Aquatic Center on Monday to compete over Christmas break and honor one of the legendary names in the sport. The 2025 Joe Groscost Dual Meet Showdown featured plenty of close races as Norwalk boys and Margaretta's girls posted 4-0 records. Sandusky coach Tommy Patterson was proud to host the eighth event at the new facility at Sandusky High School. "I think having a meet like this to honor Joe Groscost was beyond all my expectations," Patterson said. "A lot of former coaches who coached with him came, his wife came. We're keeping that legacy going to honor the person probably most responsible for swimming in our community that anyone else." Groscost died in October at the age of 81. The 1961 Sandusky graduate was a head coach for 47 years in northwest Ohio and his teams won a state-record 845 dual meets. Teams from Sandusky, Norwalk, Margaretta, Huron and Danbury competed in the meet. "It was really neat to have these five teams take part in the first one," Patterson said. "A lot of good races. We were having season-best times all meet. Having that during Christmas break says a lot about the kids and competition and where we're at. I'd say most kids haven't swam in a couple days and to show up and give it their best, that's what we wanted." Sandusky senior Logan Van Scoy, Danbury junior Ethan McDonald and Huron junior Rylie Towns each won two individual events. Van Scoy also anchored the Blue Streaks' 200-yard freestyle relay, which won the second-closest race in the meet. Van Scoy swam the final leg in 24.65 and Norwalk's Raymond McCreary turned in a 24.33. Sandusky's relay finished in 1:43.95 and the Truckers were timed in 1:44.01. Terrence Carrasco, Maxwell Meagrow and Sam Milas joined Van Scoy in the relay. "I slipped on the wall and saw him get ahead of me," Van Scoy said. "I can't let down my team like that and came back and won. "It was too close. You just gotta lock in and make sure you don't make mistakes. Our team did great today." Van Scoy also won the boys 200 individual medley in 2:20.83 and touched first in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.22). Danbury's McDonald won the 200 free in 2:06.64 and the 100 back in 1:03.46. Towns stayed very busy in the middle of the meet. She won the 100 butterfly in 1:09.18 and came back two races later to win the 500 free in 6:04.98. "My events were really close together," Towns said. "It was really just an endurance day." Towns also is competing in indoor track, along with freshman swimming teammates Andrea Lesnak and Hadley Barkema. "On Christmas Day I ran eight miles and the next day I swam and ran a few more miles," Towns said. "It's good, though. I like working out. It's pretty relaxing to me." Lesnak, another track standout, won the 100 breast in 1:26.68 in just her third time competing in the event. "I've been working so hard and I'm so excited to get my first career win as a freshman," Lesnak said. "It's really fun, honestly, going back and forth between running and swimming. Sometimes it gets tiring, but it's fun to differentiate between teams and fun to hang out and compete in two sports at the same time." Barkema led off Huron's runner-up 200 medley relay. Lesnak, Towns and Sydney Merckens brought it home in 2:24.45, behind only Norwalk's 2:18.83. "Both of them (Towns, Lesnak) are on indoor track and we ran all day yesterday. That's not easy to do," Huron coach Daniel Smith said. "Our other freshman, Hadley, she's also an indoor track kid and pole vaulted till 10 o'clock last night, she's also our diver and got up and led our relay to second place." Smith, who said the Huron's boys team is in a rebuilding year, was impressed with the event. "We have a lot of work to do and these are the meets that expose it," he said. "The meet is fantastic; we love the pool, love the environment, love the teams here." Margaretta's girls team dominated their duals, winning each by at least 31 points. The Polar Bears got individual wins from Lexis Murray (200 IM, 2:47.01), Kayla Aceto (100 back, 1:14.22) and Cassandra Bull (100 free, 1:10.32). Margaretta also won the 200 and 400 free relays with the same four in each event Sydnie Riedy, Murray, Kylee Aceto and Kayla Aceto. Riedy also was second in the girls 50 free and Murray was second in the girls 500 free. Sophomores Jace Berg and Dusty Bath each won events. Berg took the 50 free in 26.20, edging Norwalk's Braydan Weinert by .05 seconds, and finished second in the 100 fly. "He's working on refining his stroke," Margaretta coach Marnie Hallett-Szymanski said of Berg. "He's also dropping time. His goal is the school record. He's a beast." Bath finished first in the 100 free. Weinert again was the runner-up. Bath took second in the 200 IM. "He's dropping time every time he gets in the pool," Hallett-Szymanski said of Bath. It was Margaretta's sixth meet in two weeks. "I thought they looked good; their form looked really good," Hallett-Szymanski said. "We'll focus on the positives." Norwalk finished 4-0 to edge Sandusky (3-1) for top honors among the boys teams. The Truckers won the boys 200 medley relay (1:55.90) and 400 free relay (3:55.09) to end the meet. Lincoln Snyder, who swam on both winning relays, also won the 100 fly in 59.51. "The kids are working hard; they just came off a meet on Saturday (in Tiffin) and I'm excited that we just moved right into this one," Norwalk coach Niki Cross said. "They were picking up on the technique that we were talking about from that meet. They're definitely getting stronger every time. "It's exciting to have a meet against the teams we competed against today because we're so closely matched." Danbury's Ellie Colon won the 200 free (2:24.37) and was second in the 100 back. Sandusky's girls got runner-up finishes from Izabell Sartor (girls 200 free), Meagrow (boys 200 free), McKenzi Johnson (girls 100 free), Sam Milas (boys 500 free) and the boys 400 free relay. "We had season-best times left and right," Patterson said. "Our middle distance kids are just tearing it up. We haven't had an easy couple weeks of training, so seeing what those kids are doing, that's a lot of positives for us." 2025 Joe Groscost Dual Meet Showdown At Sandusky High School Girls winners 200 Medley Relay — Norwalk A (Saige Konik, Becca Farmer, Amara Rodriguez, Kylah Daniels), 2:18.83 200 Freestyle — Ellie Colon, Danbury, 2:24.37 200 IM — Lexis Murray, Margaretta, 2:47.01 50 Freestyle — Amara Rodriguez, Norwalk, 29.72 100 Butterfly — Rylie Towns, Huron, 1:09.18 100 Freestyle — Cassandra Bull, Margaretta, 1:10.32 500 Freestyle — Rylie Towns, Huron, 6:04.98 200 Freestyle Relay — Margaretta A (Sydnie Riedy, Lexis Murray, Kylee Aceto, Kayla Aceto), 2:00.37 100 Backstroke — Kayla Aceto, Margaretta, 1:14.22 100 Breaststroke — Andrea Lesnak, Huron, 1:26.68 400 Freestyle Relay — Margaretta A (Sydnie Riedy, Lexis Murray, Kayla Aceto, Kylee Aceto), 4:30.81 Boys winners 200 Medley Relay — Norwalk A (Canyon Craig, Anthony Hall, Lincoln Snyder, Raymond McCreary), 1:55.90 200 Freestyle — Ethan McDonald, Danbury, 2:06.64 200 IM — Logan VanScoy, Sandusky, 2:20.83 50 Freestyle — Jace Berg, Margaretta, 26.20 100 Butterfly — Lincoln Snyder, Norwalk, 59.51 100 Freestyle — Dusty Bath, Margaretta, 55.45 500 Freestyle — Maxwell Meagrow, Sandusky, 6:05.22 200 Freestyle Relay — Sandusky A (Terrence Carrasco, Maxwell Meagrow, Sam Milas, Logan VanScoy), 1:43.95 100 Backstroke — Ethan McDonald, Danbury, 1:03.46 100 Breaststroke — Logan VanScoy, Sandusky, 1:09.22 400 Freestyle Relay — Norwalk A (Lincoln Snyder, Eli Loudy, Braydan Weinert, Raymond McCreary), 3:55.09