Marshall’s Lady Redhawks were busy in the second half of September.  The team participated in four events that included the Mason Invitational on September 14, a Tri-Meet in Chelsea on the 19th, the Marshall Invitational on the 21^st, and a conference meet with Sturgis on the 24^th.  The team continues to work hard and is showing continued growth as new swimmers get stronger and seasoned swimmers push for quicker times in their events.

The Mason Invitational featured eight teams, including Mason, Charlotte, Coldwater, Ionia, Marshall, Mt. Pleasant, Sturgis, and Thornapple Kellogg.  The Redhawks earned a total of 398 points to secure a third place finish overall among the competition.  There were numerous events where Marshall had solid results.  Ella Doolittle beat them all in the 500 Yard Freestyle coming in 1^st with her best time thus far of 6:14.47.  In synchronized diving, Alexes Spencer and Lindsay Miller grabbed second place.  Other notable finishes include a 4^th place finish by Doolittle in the 200 Yard Freestyle, 4^th place for Grace Johnson in the 100 Yard Breaststroke, and a 4^th place finish in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay by the team of Johnson, Doolittle, Maria Dent, and Claire Thomas.

The Chelsea Tri-Meet also included Ann Arbor Green Hills along with Marshall.  There was stiff competition for the Lady Redhawks among the other two teams, but they broke through in several events.  In the 200 Yard Freestyle, Claire Thomas came in 2^nd and Ella Doolittle came in 4^th.  Doolittle also placed 3^rd in the 500 Yard Freestyle, with Maria Dent right behind her in 4^th place.  In the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay, the team of Lilly Marvin, Doolittle, Grace Johnson and Thomas finished 3^rd.  Johnson also captured 3^rd place in the 100 Yard Breaststroke, while Courtney Olding came in 4^th for the 100 Yard Backstroke.  For the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, Marshall’s team of Autumn Sanchez, Thomas, Doolittle, and Dent finished in 3^rd place.

Marshall hosted four other teams for its Invitational Meet.  The home team worked very had to chalk up 383 points for a 2^nd place finish following Portage Northern with 430.5 points and ahead of Otsego with 304 points, St. Johns with 154.5, and Lansing with 25 points.  In the 200 Yard Freestyle, Maria Dent and Ella Doolittle finished 3^rd and 4^th, respectively.  The 200 Yard Individual Medley featured Autumn Sanchez in 3^rd and Ava Wagner in 4^th.  These two swimmers each dropped 3 seconds off of their times!  Claire Thomas finished 3^rd in the 100 Yard Freestyle, and the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay team of Thomas, Doolittle, Grace Johnson, and Maria Dent also came in 3^rd.  Johnson placed 2^nd in the Breaststroke and the 400 Freestyle Relay team of Thomas, Sanchez, Doolittle and Dent seized a 2^nd place finish.  However, the shining start was Ella Doolittle, who left everybody in her wake with another 1^st place finish in the 500 Yard Freestyle with an improved time of 6:11.79!  Way to go, speed demon!

The conference meet with Sturgis wrapped up with the Trojans besting the Redhawks with 119 points to Marshall’s 66 points.  This event saw Alexes Spencer at the top of her game with a 1^st place score in Diving and Lindsay Miller had a great set of dives to finish in 2^nd.  Ella Doolittle and Claire Thomas came in 2^nd and 3^rd, respectively, with their 500 Yard Freestyle races.  Then, the team of Maria Dent, Doolittle, Grace Johnson and Thomas were 2^nd for their 200 Yard Freestyle Relay finish.  In the 100 Yard Backstroke, Ava Wagner came in 2^nd and Johnson came in 2^nd with her 100 Yard Breaststroke.