By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Paige Murphy enjoyed quite the day at the Elkhorn Invitational Sept. 12 at Elkhorn High School.
Murphy finished second in two individual events, medaled in a total of four events and helped the Elks to a seventh-place finish in the 13-team meet.
Elkhorn scored 132 points. McFarland won the meet with 405 points.
“Paige is a competitor,” Elks coach Jamie Richardson said. “She really rises to the competition and has the drive to do well and get her best times and push at the end of races.”
Murphy finished second in the 100-meter backstroke in 1 minute, 9.56 seconds. Richardson said the stroke is Murphy’s bread and butter event.
Murphy competed in the 100 freestyle for the first time in high school and also finished second (1:03.34).
In the 400 relay, Murphy, Audrey Earle, Sarah Broga and Gabby Pinnow finished fifth (4:31.65). Murphy swam with Avonlea Odling, Pinnow and Broga on the Elks’ sixth-place 200 medley relay (2:17.26).
Medals were awarded through eighth place.
Elkhorn finished the meet with 50 personal best times. Josie Longhorn dropped 34.42 in the 400 freestyle. Longhorn finished 19th (5:36.27).
“She looked great,” Richardson said. “In both of her relays, she dropped more time. It was just a really overall great day for her. She looked really strong. I was pleasantly pleased with her performance.”
Longhorn swam with Allison Schopf, Emily Kruse and Sarah Krupp on the Elks’ 200 free relay, which finished 17th (2:14.10).
Longhorn, Abby Partington, Kruse and Amanda Papenfus finished 17th in the 400 freestyle relay (5:01.41).
Longhorn finished 15th in the 200 freestyle (2:37.56).
Richardson also said Rachel Larson swam well. Larson’s best finish individual finish is 12th in the 200 breaststroke (1:29.01). She finished 18th in the 200 individual medley (3:03.39).
Larson swam with Broga, Partington and Earle in the 200 freestyle relay and finished 12th (2:08.70) and swam with Cailin Jacobs, Julia Los and Papenfus on the Elks’ 12th place 200 medley relay (2:32.81).
“She’s really come along this year,” Richardson said of Larson. “She’s got one of those drives you can’t teach. She always wants to do her best. If it’s neck and neck, she wants to win that race.”
In team standings, Milton finished second (338), Kenosha Tremper third (330), Beloit Memorial fourth (273) and Monroe/New Glarus fifth (217).
Whitewater came in sixth (152), Janesville Parker/Evansville eighth (126), Fort Atkinson ninth (104) and Watertown 10th (57).
Lodi finished 11th (26), West Allis 12th (6) and Elkhorn 2 and Delavan-Darien 13th (2).
Elkhorn competed Tuesday in a Southern Lakes Conference dual meet against Burlington Co-op at the Aurora Wellness Center in Burlington.
The Elks compete Saturday in an invitational at Hononegah High School in Hononegah, Ill.
