Entering high school as an athlete, many freshman enter their sport with high hopes — maybe one of those dreams would be to set a school record. Those dreams seem far from reach most of the time and are usually broken during an athlete’s later years in high school but, for sophomore Amy Vober, this was not the case.

Going into the meet, Vober had no expectations of breaking the 10-year old school record in the 50 yard freestyle, her best event. Previously, Vober’s best time was 26.33. Shattering all expectations set by herself and coaches, Vober dropped 1.71 seconds and demolished the school record of 24.93 and swam a 24.62.

The time made Vober second in the district and automatically qualified her for the district meet the following weekend. The moment was surreal for the sophomore sensation.

“After my race, when I looked up at the board and saw not only had I won my heat but I had broken the school record, I was in shock,” Vober said. “It did not feel real until I looked over at my coaches. They were jumping in excitement just as in shock as I was.”

In her second event, the 100 yard freestyle, sprinter Vober shaved 3.38 more seconds off of her former personal best for a time of 54.87 that also put her in 5th overall and set her up for the district meet.

“During the swim season, I had very high expectations of myself and I was determined to reach those goals,” Vober said. “I put in 100 percent effort in every practice, which I would have never gotten through without the help of my teammates and coaches. The morning of sectionals, I made sure I had the right mindset and was determined to reach my goals. The time came and I definitely exceeded those expectations.”

Vober was not alone on her quest to shatter records. At the sectional meet, Isaac Lumley came with fire in his eyes and a goal he wasn’t ending his season without meeting: the OHSAA swimming state meet. An incredibly competitive pool of qualifiers beat Lumley out last season very narrowly. Although setting a school record, it just wasn’t quite enough last year.

Lumley started his meet strong with a time of 21.75 in the 50 freestyle. Keeping the momentum going, Lumley achieved a personal best and reset his own record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.23. Lumley easily qualified for districts along with 10 other teammates.

In the 50 the next weekend, Lumley improved to a time of 21.40 and in the 100, a time of 47.05. The times were a great improvement from the previous weekend, and Lumley was set to swim the following Friday at CT Branin Natatorium in North Canton for the state meet; the first swimmer for Stow to be able to qualify in years.

For the next five days, Lumley was put onto a strict training schedule leading up to the state meet. He was completing his sets alone with coach Dan Reese as the only state qualifier.

“Traning by myself was pretty intense and kind of lonely at times, but I knew it would pay off in the end,” said Lumley.

At the state meet, Lumley struggled to drop time from his bests but that is common among many who reach the state meet. In the 50 freestyle, he swam a 21.65 and a 47.06 in the 100 freestyle. Although not reaching finals in the 50, Lumley had a second chance to swim on Saturday evening in the 100 in a consolation heat; his time was an impressive 47.31.

“States was an incredible experience. My times weren’t what I was hoping for, but I was pretty tired by the time I got there; as were many other swimmers,” said Lumley.

Vober and Lumley will have their times up in Akron General Lifestyles’ pool on the record board. The sophomore will be back next year to viciously defend her name, and up and comings will set their sights on these new times for years to come.

The beauty of playoff basketball lies in the rise of the underdog, so in the case of the Lady Bulldogs, Thursday night’s game was drop-dead gorgeous.

The fourth-seed Stow Bulldogs toppled the top-seed Canfield Cardinals in the St. Vincent-St. Mary Division I district championship game on Feb. 25. 

Stow came off an overtime thriller against rival Kent Roosevelt to earn a spot in the district final against a Canfield team holding a very similar record.

Freshmen Lizzie Stefanov and Lexie Petit got things rolling for the Bulldogs early in the first quarter, with consecutive layups to pull Stow ahead 4-0. Difficulties on the offensive end for Stow were amplified by missed opportunities, as they were given good looks but failed to finish around the rim. Fortunately, the first quarter ended with a tie at 10-10. The Cardinals kept Stow’s defense honest with success behind the arc.

With substitutions for Stow to the start the second quarter, the defensive intensity was revved up, as junior Kelly Fenwick swiped the ball from a Canfield guard and laid it in to pull the Dogs ahead 12-10. A fire was lit under the Bulldogs and defensive pressure forced steals that were in turn converted into points for Stow. Sophomore Teresa Parr came up big, contributing three consecutive strong takes to the basket to bring Stow ahead 22-14 wit 3:37 to go in the half. First half play concluded with Stow holding a 26-19 lead over Canfield.  

The second half was dominated by the Bulldogs as the Cardinals never came within five points for the rest of play. Canfield attempted to press late in the third, but Stefanov was able to knock down a pair of three balls forcing the defense to pull off the pressure.

Stow went on to defeat the Canfield Cardinals 56-40. Senior Jessie Stout led the Bulldogs with 12 points, followed by Parr with 11, and Petit and Stefanov each adding 10 of their own for the team. With the win, Stow earned its first district title since 2007.

 The Bulldogs will now move on to take on Canton McKinley in the Division I regional semifinal. The game will take place March 1 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center starting at 6:15.