Merrill Fun in the Sun draws swimmers from a dozen schools

TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR

The 2024 Merrill Fun in the Sun Relay Outdoor Swim Meet was held at the Bierman Family Aquatic Center at the Merrill Area Recreation Complex (MARC) on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. The event drew 12 teams from high schools across central Wisconsin and was the kick-off event for the high school swim season. “It’s really a unique opportunity for teams to have some fun and get everybody swimming in a low stress but high energy environment,” Merrill Girls Varsity Swim Coach Kristie Winter said. “Coaches are able to get a good view of where their teams are at [and] what technique they need to work on to prepare for the rest of the season, while swimmers get to bond as a group and integrate their newer swimmers on the team.”
With combined scores, the Merrill Girls finished in fourth place as a team overall.
Merrill Girls results
The highest performing Merrill team in each event was as follows:

• Event 1 Women 200 Yard Medley Relay – Third place with a time of 2:02.23: Addison Jirovec, Olivia Pajtash, Marissa Miles, and Claire Jirovec.
• Event 2 Women 400 Yard Medley Relay – Fifth place with a time of 5:14:20: Deylah Schulz, Katelyn Klimek, Caroline Durbin, and Emily Winter.
• Event 3 Women 500 Yard Freestyle Relay 50,100,150,200 – Seventh place with a time of 5:54:04: Claire Jirovec, Brenna Jirovec, Patricia Priebe, and Emily Winter
• Event 4 Women 400 Yard Medley Relay 4 x 100 IM – Second place with a time of 4:44:59: Olivia Pajtash, Addison Jirovec, Caroline Durbin, and Marissa Miles.
• Event 5 Women 200 Yard Butterfly Relay – Third place with a time of 2:05:09: Olivia Pajtash, Addison Jirovec, Caroline Durbin, and Marissa Miles.
• Event 6 Women 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Seventh place with a time of 2:05:72: Brenna Jirovec, Katelyn Klimek, Patricia Priebe, and Emily Winter.
• Event 7 Women 200 Yard Backstroke Relay 2,3,4 front dive – Sixth place with a time of 2:24:83: Patricia Priebe, Deylah Schulz, Brenna Jirovec, and Addison Jirovec.
• Event 8 Women 200 Yard Breaststroke Relay – First place with a time of 2:22:68: Olivia Pajtash, Claire Jirovec, Emily Winter, and Marissa Miles.
• Event 9 Women 400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Seventh place with a time of 4:35:34: Brenna Jirovec, Katelyn Klimek, Caroline Durbin, and Claire Jirovec.

Combined Team Scores

1. Stevens Point 346
2. DC Everest 287
3. Wausau West 284
4. Merrill High School 269
5. Colby/Abby 218
6. Lakeland Union High School 200
7. Trident Swim and Dive 172
8. Antigo Red Robins 160
9. Wisconsin Rapids 154
10. Marshfield High School 148
11. Mosinee High School 76
12. Tomahawk High School 44