The Northmont Thunderbolts had a strong showing Saturday night at the Bethel Invitational, finishing 3rd overall out of 8 teams with 526 total points, just one point shy of second place. The boys team placed 2nd overall, while the girls finished 3rd, an impressive result considering Northmont competed with only 13 swimmers.

The meet started on a high note with both medley relays earning first-place finishes.The girls’ 200 medley relay of Yanelle Wilkinson-Harper, Amia Burgess, Abbie Weeks, and Annika Comer kicked off the night with a 1st-place finish in 2:14.71. Shortly after, the boys’ relay of Knox Reed, Javier Pfeiler, Logan Suchland, and Scott Abbott also took 1st place, touching the wall at 1:52.50.

Northmont continued to rack up points throughout the meet with strong individual performances.In the 200 freestyle, Scott Abbott placed 2nd (2:13.49) and Jonas Roberts finished 3rd (2:15.36).
Abby Prater earned 2nd place in the 200 IM (3:09.93), while the boys dominated the event with Knox Reed taking 1st (2:14.99) and Logan Suchland placing 3rd (2:29.66).

Sprint events brought more success for the Bolts as Abbie Weeks placed 2nd in the 50 freestyle (26.82), and Javier Pfeiler captured 1st place in the boys’ 50 freestyle with a 22.25. In the butterfly, Amia Burgess placed 2nd in the 100 fly (1:15.10) and Annika Comer finished 4th (1:25.38), while Logan Suchland added a 4th-place finish on the boys’ side (1:04.83).

The freestyle events continued to highlight Northmont’s depth. Abbie Weeks won the 100 freestyle with a 59.52, and Javier Pfeiler earned another 1st-place finish in the boys’ 100 free (49.49).
Distance swimming was led by Scott Abbott, who took 1st place in the 500 freestyle with a 5:59.74.

Relay success continued as the girls’ 200 freestyle relay of Wilkinson-Harper, Burgess, Weeks, and Comer placed 2nd overall (2:02.40).
Additional scoring performances included Knox Reed placing 2nd in the 100 backstroke (59.12) and Amia Burgess winning the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:19.38.

Overall, the Thunderbolts delivered an outstanding performance, especially given the small roster competing. The team showed resilience, depth, and competitive drive from start to finish.

Swimmers of the Week:
- Knox Reed is the boys’ Swimmer of the Week after an incredible meet that included two individual best times in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke. Knox consistently works hard in practice and is always asking what he can do to improve.
- Amia Burgess earns girls’ Swimmer of the Week honors for her strong performances, including 1st place in the 100 breaststroke and 2nd place in the 100 butterfly. Amia stepped into new events this meet, competed with confidence, and maintained a positive attitude throughout the night. Her hard work in practice is clearly paying off.

Great job, Thunderbolts! We will be back in the water Saturday and Sunday at the West Carrollton YMCA.