To be the winning team, fan votes play a heavy role, along with consideration from our sports team here at LINK.
Nominations are reader-submitted or recommended by our sports team. Our Team of the Week program honors all local sports at all levels, whether it’s youth or adult-oriented recreation, high school or college, professional or amateur.
Want to get a jump start on next week’s Team of the Week nominations? Email: edennison@linknky.com to nominate a team for next week.
This week’s nominated teams are listed below with some information provided by the submitter or LINK nky staff. The poll where you can vote follows at the end of the article.
Voting is open until Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
SIMON KENTON ARCHERY TEAM
Simon Kenton’s archery team won the Community Christian Academy Crusader Quest State Qualifier Tournament, placing first out of 15 teams with a score of 3,315 and defeating second place Cooper by 26.
Kilee Spegal led the Pioneers with a score of 286 and finished second in girls overall. Emma Vicars also posted a 286, Spegal with 20 ten’s and Vicars with 17. Cora Beth Mehltretter finished with a 284 for eighth in girls overall and Derek Laws was the top boys finisher for the Pioneers in 11th with a 281.
HOLMES BOYS BASKETBALL
Its been a trying season for the Holmes boys basketball team, but they closed out the regular season on a strong note with two victories in the final week over Bellevue (72-61) and Pendleton County (45-40).
In the victory over Bellevue, Miguel Garcia poured in 25 points and hit 7-of-10 free throw attempts. Mark McCutchin added 17 points, Adam Boone with 10 for their second win of the season.
McCutchin led the Bulldogs with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the tight win over Pendleton County, their third win of the season. Dominic Scott added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Holmes opens up the postseason on Wednesday when they take on Covington Catholic in the 35th District Tournament.
RYLE BOYS SWIM AND DIVE TEAM
The Raiders claimed third place at the University of Kentucky’s Lancaster Aquatic Center – their 152 points were five more than Henry Clay’s 147. It’s their highest finish in program history.
Ryle received its trophy – the first time that happened – because of its success in relays. The Raiders placed fourth in the 200-yard medley, fourth in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 400 freestyle.
Chase Knopf, Roman Furuta, Garrett Dennis and Blake “K-13” Koenigsknecht started Ryle’s night by placing fourth in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:39.10.
Henry Clay beat Ryle for third by 43-hundredths of a second for third place in the 200 freestyle relay. The Blue Devils’ Nick Johnson, Eli Greinke, Jack Liau and Cole Bray edged Furuta, Koenigsknecht, Zach Stephens and Andy Pleiman.
In the 400 freestyle, Johnson, Crawford Hightower, Greinke and Bray finished a little less than two seconds ahead of Pleiman, Stephens, Dennis and Knopf.
NOTRE DAME ACADEMY SWIM AND DIVE TEAM
Notre Dame coach Jamie Kelly was pleased because the Pandas placed third at the KHSAA state swim meet with 196 points, which is a whole lot better than finishing seventh last year and 14th in 2021.
Notre Dame senior Lainy Kruger and University of Florida commit capped a stellar high school career at the University of Kentucky’s Lancaster Aquatic Center. She won her second straight state 200-yard freestyle in 1:46.36 and her second consecutive 100-yard breaststroke title in 1:02.30.
When adding the 100 breaststroke she won two years ago, Kruger finished with five state titles.
Sophomore Sadie Hartig finished second in the 500 freestyle. Her 4:57.30 was a little more than four seconds behind Sacred Heart sophomore Haley McDonald’s 4:53.11.
That Hartig didn’t run out of energy by the 500 was maybe the greater story. She also swam the 200 freestyle relay with Claire Monahan, Olivia Wallace and Riley Quinn (Notre Dame finished fourth in 1:40.56) and 100 backstroke (12th place, 58.81).
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