Krupp finds the state meet podium in all four events

By: 
J. Patrick Eaken

Oak Harbor senior Elayna Krupp has come a long way since she began swimming competitively in middle school.

Krupp, who hopes to swim for Bowling Green State University next year, reached the podium in four events at the Division II state swim meet at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton. However, most of her competitors were swimming competitively at a much younger age than she was.

“She came to me in the summer of her eighth grade year and she was kind of raw,” Oak Harbor coach Andrea Sorg said. “She really had not swum before seventh grade competitively. For her to have a career like this and not really compete until you are in seventh grade, that is pretty much unheard of. So, she trained hard, she was very coachable and listened, and she is just all around an athlete. So, you combine that with coachable and the rest is history. 

“This year, she was surrounded by a lot of hard workers between the boys swimmers and then the girls swimmers, especially that freshman group who came in and was very hard working and they helped elevate each other.”

Krupp said she was influenced not only by friends, but by her grandfather Jerry Davenport, who swam for Port Clinton.

“I was going out because I thought it was fun and all of my friends were doing it and my grandpa, he swam in middle school and high school and he always wanted me to swim and I was just giving it a shot,” Krupp said.

At the state meet, Krupp took fifth in the 100-yard freestyle (52.4), seventh in the 50 freestyle (24.02) and was a member of the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay teams that both took fourth. Krupp said she was determined to reach the podium.

“Normally, I swim slower than I do at districts, and this year it was not the case,” Krupp said. “I stayed the same. I really pushed through. I wanted a top spot on the podium this year. The prior years I was not expecting anything on the podium or anything — I was just going to swim, and this year was different.”

Sorg said it was a great way for Krupp to finish her career.

“She just trained hard all season and she came in with some goals in mind. We talked last year at the state meet about what I thought she could be this year or should be, what it was going to take to get there, and I really think it stuck with her,” Sorg said.

“She worked hard in the track season and then in the soccer season so she could come in ready to roll, unlike last year where it took her a couple months to really get into the rhythm of swimming.”

 

More talent at Oak Harbor

Oak Harbor had three freshmen, Skyler Turner, Paige Krupp, and Alyse Sorg, qualify for state in 100 backstroke with Turner finishing the highest, 12th in 59.43. Three in one event at the state meet is also basically unheard of, especially when all are freshmen.

“That was a gamble that we took,” Sorg said. “We crunched numbers and thought it would be the best option, and it paid off.”

Elayna Krupp said the talented freshman class had a big impact on her training this year.

“It started at the beginning of the year,” Elayna said. “I knew it was going to be a tough year with these freshmen, and I would have to pick it up, and they pushed me to do my best and that is what helped — just the hard work throughout the whole year.”

All three Oak Harbor relay teams that qualified for state reached the podium, including one that Krupp did not participate on.

Krupp was joined on the 200 freestyle relay by Turner, Alyse Sorg and junior Amelia Mizelle, finishing in 1:37.21, less than two seconds off the pace of the Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown team that won the state championship. 

In the 400 freestyle relay, she was joined by Turner, Paige Krupp and Alyse Sorg, finishing in 3:37.12, less than nine seconds behind the Gates Mills Hawken team that won the title. Krupp said her relay teammates worked well together.

“I think to start off we work so well as a team because we all got along,” Elayna said. “We just really had that chemistry to get that high up on the podium. That was the biggest thing — we were all so supportive of each other and that just pushed us to the next level.”

The 200 medley relay team of Turner, Mizelle, Paige Krupp and senior Emily Haar finished eighth in 1:51.14. 

As a team, out of 59 schools scoring points, Oak Harbor finished fifth with 113 points, trailing Hawken (387), Hathaway Brown (260), Columbus School for Girls (133) and Cincinnati Seven Hills (129).

“Our girls were the top public school to place,” coach Sorg said. “Here we are, a three or four streetlight town, and we are finishing right up there with them. That speaks volumes to our swimmers.”

Elayna Krupp added, “We were prepared for a great year and all of us have worked so hard to get this far. Honestly, I was not expecting to get that high, so it was a shock to all of us.”

Oak Harbor also sent two boys relay teams to state. Sophomores Karter Lajti and Karson Lajti and seniors Troy Metcalf and Eli Sherman made up both teams. The 200 medley relay team placed 13th (1:40.28) and the 400 freestyle team placed 21st (3:24.98).

In addition, Eastwood junior Calvin Price finished 16th as an individual in the 200 freestyle (1:47.43) and 18th in the 100 freestyle (48.4).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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