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Hawken’s Jessica Eden, Will Dietz double individually at Division II SPIRE Sectional


Jessica Eden admittedly sensed some fatigue Feb. 11 following the Division II SPIRE Sectional.

One contributing factor for the Hawken standout senior and her counterparts in that regard was likely, between additional body heat as opposed to last year’s pandemic-limited sessions and facility temperature, SPIRE felt like a sauna — and unusually so.

Another factor undoubtedly, though, was the usual brilliance from Eden as the road to Canton commences in earnest.

The reigning two-time News-Herald girls swimmer of the year swept her signature individual events, 200-yard individual medley and 100 backstroke, for her fifth and sixth career sectional individual crowns, along with a strong anchor on the Hawks’ runner-up 400 free relay.

Hawken was outdistanced for the sectional team title by longtime rival Hathaway Brown, 432-402. But the Hawks — and the Blazers, for that matter — will place more emphasis on that component at the district and state level. There wasn’t even a team trophy presentation or celebratory picture, after all, postmeet at SPIRE.

As far as Eden, it was all in a day’s work as the stakes increase deeper into February.

In 200 IM, in which the Ohio State signee is the two-time defending D-II state champion, she touched the wall in a time of 2 minutes, 6.52 seconds. Of note, amid a solid swim and cognizant of her deep sub-2:04 potential, was a 26.94 butterfly split. That is .35 faster than her sectional-winning swim a year ago.

“I was happy with it,” Eden said. “I still feel pretty tired right now. We have been putting in some work, so I’m excited to see what I can do at district next week.”

Her 100 back was a sturdy and essentially unchallenged 57.38, which marks a .47 drop from when she was second in the event at SPIRE last winter. Eden hit a 27.77 on her opening 50, a .49 drop in and of itself vs. 2021 at SPIRE.

Relays, as they’re likely to be over the next two weekends, presented the usual battles with HB. Eden had a 51.96 anchor as the Hawks went 3:34.68 on 400 free relay.

“My goal is just to be out as fast as I could be,” Eden said of 100 back. “I struggle with that. I am usually out slower than I want to be, and so  it makes it harder to come back as fast as I need to. So getting that pace out immediately was what I was looking to do.

“I think relays are all subject to change. I feel pretty confident with all the girls who swam today, and we’ll just see what happens.”

On the boys side, Hawken’s Will Dietz continued to amplify his 2022 News-Herald boys swimmer of the year candidacy with an individual double of his own.

His 200 free win was a 1:42.88, a 1.50 drop vs. his 2021 district title-capturing swim in the event. What really stood out there was a 26.36 third 50, a .72 cut vs. last winter’s SPIRE District.

That was a nice piece of business, but arguably his 100 back crown was even more impressive.

In a loaded field with Chagrin Falls’ Joshua Rooney, NDCL’s Jonathan Ratka, Gilmour’s Andrew Lewis and Andrews Osborne’s Krys Gorski, Dietz emerged with first in perhaps the highlight race of the meet. He went 26.44 coming home, featuring an underwaters masterclass off the final 25 turn, to thwart any resistance from neighboring lanes en route to a 52.26.

“I don’t know (Gorski) very well — I was talking to him a little bit before the one event,” Dietz said. “But I train with Josh and Jon in the offseason. We were all jabbing fun at each other before the meet, and we were just talking it up. So we were all really excited to swim it.

“And especially Josh, because I know after the CVC meet, I was telling Josh that was going to be the last time I ever swam the 100 back, because I didn’t think I was going to swim it in the postseason. Josh was very happy to find out I was going to be swimming it to get more races against me, I guess. And I’m looking forward to racing him next weekend.”

Dietz also had a 47.39 anchor as Hawken took 400 free relay in 3:16.56.

University won the boys team title handily with 453 points. Jack Faulkner helped lead the charge with a 50 free win in 21.91, a .05 drop from his district-winning swim a year ago, a tight second in 100 free (48.98) and a 22.05 second leg on the Preppers’ victorious 200 free relay (1:29.82).

Other standout swims from News-Herald coverage area performers were logged by Geneva’s Nathan Reigle, Hawken’s Lucas Greenberg and Preston Wooley, Gilmour’s Maddie Sammut and US’ Aiden Owens.

Reigle was a surprise runner-up out of Lane 0 in 50 free with a 22.43. Greenberg rallied from a .44 deficit at the turn for a 25.18 closer, a .91 drop vs. sectional a year ago, as he won 100 free with a 48.89.

Wooley had a first-class reel-in of his own in 500 free, going 29.20/28.15 over his last 100 for the sectional crown in 4:52.07. Sammut recorded a breakthrough performance in 200 free with a 1:58.84 to take second. Owens was second in 100 breast in 1:03.32, a massive 1.58 cut from when he was 11th in district competition in 2021.



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