ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Rays returned to the water on Thursday, battling the Byron Tiger Sharks in a head-to-head matchup at Spring Lake Pool to open the 2021 summer swimming season. Rochelle defeated Byron 478-217, with the Rochelle boys winning 222-99 and the Rochelle girls earning a 256-118 victory. Roughly 500 spectators attended the meet.

The swimmers were so excited to get back to swimming,” head coach Marianne Swanson said. “We had 400-500 people in attendance and the excitement was overwhelming. Several park districts did not have teams this year including teams we typically swam against in the past. It was difficult setting up swim meets this year. Nevertheless, we are happy to be back in the water and look forward to year-round swimming now that we have an indoor pool in Rochelle.”

The Rochelle Rays will host an intra-squad/community swim meet on Thursday, July 15 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Youth from the Rochelle community are welcome to swim in this meet. There is no charge to do so and interested persons should stop by Spring Lake Pool after July 1 and pick up a sign-up form. Swimmers who sign up for the meet will compete against the members of the Rochelle Rays swim team as well as other swimmers from the community.

8 & Under Girls

Berkeley Thompson, Taylor Burke, Ashley Carmichael and Clara Lofthouse won the 100-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:56.40. Thompson finished second in the 25-yard freestyle with a time of 21.30 seconds and Lofthouse took third in 26.59 seconds. Thompson placed second in the 25-yard breaststroke with a time of 32.75 and Carmichael finished third in 41.20. Lofthouse took second in the 25-yard backstroke with a time of 32.83 and Burke placed third in 34.23.

8 & Under Boys

Grange Kissack, Leo Ege, Caleb Johnson and Jimmy Chadwick won the 100-yard freestyle relay unopposed with a time of 2:01.29. Kissack took second in the 25-yard freestyle with a time of 23.65 and Gavin Smith finished third in 25.20. Kissack won the 25-yard breaststroke with a time of 32.12 and Smith placed third in the 25-yard backstroke with a time of 30.76.

9-10 Girls

Tess Kissack, Leni Haedt, Daphne Wise and Sydney Burke won the 200-yard medley relay unopposed with a time of 3:47.20. Jehan Jaradat won the 25-yard freestyle with a time of 23.80 seconds, while Natalie McCandless took second with a time of 28.89 seconds. Burke placed second in the 50-yard freestyle (38.74) and Rowan Thompson took third (42.44).

Kissack won the 25-yard breaststroke with a time of 26.54 and Burke finished second in 28.98. Thompson placed second in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.25 and Wise took third in 1:03.21. Kissack and Burke brought home first and second-place finishes in the 25-yard backstroke with respective times of 22.97 and 25.91. Kimber Ege and Kendra Ege finished first and second in the 50-yard backstroke with respective times of 1:06.06 and 1:11.27.

Burke won the 25-yard butterfly with a time of 26.12 and Wise placed second in 28.70. Rochelle’s 200-yard freestyle relay team (Burke, Haedt, Kissack and Thompson) won unopposed with a time of 3:12.41. Kendra Ege, Kimber Ege, Wise and Jaradat took second in 3:56.95.

9-10 Boys

Jadon Exantus, Elijah Good, Joah Horner and Declan McKinney won the 200-yard medley relay unopposed with a time of 4:41.65. Exantus, Good, Dany Garcia and Horner finished second in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:47.75. McKinney won the 25-yard freestyle with a time of 21.83 seconds and Garcia placed second with a time of 23.22 seconds.

Horner won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 36.30 and Good took second in 46.54. Good finished second in the 25-yard breaststroke with a time of 29.42 and McKinney placed third in 31.83. Horner won the 100-yard individual medley unopposed with a time of 1:33.92. Good finished second in the 25-yard backstroke with a time of 27.29 and Carson Smith took third in 34.76. Horner won the 25-yard butterfly with a time of 19.06 and Good placed second in 35.98.

10 & Under

Leyna Dicus won the 25-yard freestyle with a time of 29.05 and Jehan Jaradat took second with a time of 30.47. Grange Kissack finished second in the 25-yard freestyle with a time of 29.64 and Carson Smith placed  third in 29.94.

11-12 Girls

Jillian Bruns, Cambrey Rodeghero, Roxy Taft and Mackayla Downing finished second in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 3:22.10. Bruns placed second in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 49.72 seconds and Rodeghero took third in 50.11 seconds. Reese Kissack finished third in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 46.03. Leiya Smith, Josie Slattengren, Kissack and Bruns placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 2:48.67.

11-12 Boys

Charlie Carmichael, Bryson Stewart, Owen Carmichael and Dayton Mellor won the 200-yard medley relay unopposed with a time of 3:22.22. Charlie Carmichael, Landon Ege, Stewart and Owen Carmichael won the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 2:49.01. Stewart finished second in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 39.40 and Ege took third in 40.13.

Stewart placed second in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 51.51 and Charlie Carmichael finished third in 55.58. Charlie Carmichael won the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 1:54.19 and Mellor placed second in 2:23.81. Ege won the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 49.64 and Stewart took second in 53.76. No Rochelle swimmers raced in the 50-yard butterfly.

13-14 Girls

Sydney Carmichael, Natalie Wagner, Emma Kennay and Kendyl Darby won the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 2:51.00. Kennay, Wagner, Carmichael and Darby won the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 2:25.64. Kennay won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 30.97 seconds and Darby finished second with a time of 32.94 seconds. Darby took second in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 47.50 seconds and Wagner placed third in 49.40 seconds.

Kennay won the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 1:24.62 and Michelle McCandless finished third in 1:29.80. McCandless won the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 40.19 and Riley Doyle took second in 42.73. Kennay won the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 37.18, while Doyle placed second in 43.13 and Annaleigh McKinney took third in 52.62.

13-14 Boys

Jaime Christensen, Van Gerber, Nolan Johnson and Samuel Hilleson won the 200-yard medley relay unopposed with a time of 3:10.35. Christensen, Gerber, Hilleson and Johnson won the 200-yard freestyle relay unopposed with a time of 2:53.34. Johnson won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 32.87 seconds and Gerber finished second with a time of 33.80 seconds.

Gerber won the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 41.76 and Johnson took second in 45.42. Johnson won the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 1:31.88 and Gerber won the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 45.33 while Christensen took second in 54.97.

15-18 Girls

Karyssa Dale, Olivia Sergeant, Baylie Sutton and Francesca Williams won the 200-yard freestyle relay unopposed with a time of 2:24.59. Sergeant won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 1:10.86 and Sutton finished second with a time of 1:22.80. Sutton won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:48.97 while Dale placed second with a time of 1:50.92.

Sergeant won the 200-yard individual medley unopposed with a time of 3:03.03. Dale won the 100-yard backstroke unopposed with a time of 1:56.16.

15-18 Boys

Luke Orlikowski and Max Orlikowski won the 200-yard freestyle relay unopposed with a time of 2:15.19. Max Orlikowski won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 1:16.13 and Luke Orlikowski placed second with a time of 1:17.57. Max Orlikowski won the 100-yard breaststroke unopposed with a time of 1:44.21 and Luke Orlikowski took second in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:46.36.