MasonBuzz.com

Mason’s Zoe Thatcher competes in the girls’ 500-yard freestyle on Feb. 9, 2013. File photo

Mark Schmetzer reports:

Zoe Thatcher didn’t realize she’d just broken a Division I girls’ district swim meet record until she was standing on the award-winners’ podium.

She didn’t realize the total magnitude of the accomplishment until she stepped down after receiving her medal.

The Mason junior broke the meet’s longest-standing record, winning the 200-yard freestyle in 1:47.59 to just squeeze past the 1:48.00 logged by Finneytown’s Buffy Krieger in 1984.

She didn’t know the record had been set long before she was born until it was mentioned to her minutes later.

“I didn’t even realize I broke the record until they said something while I was getting my medal,” said Thatcher, clutching a stuffed purple-blue “Sulley” character from the Disney movie “Monsters, Inc.” – a tribute to Mason coach Mark Sullivan. “Sometimes I think it’s better if you don’t know until later. Then you can be like, ‘Oh, wow.’

“This is probably the biggest record I’ve ever broken,” she added.

Thatcher also broke the meet’s most recent record, the 500 freestyle mark she set last year. Thatcher, the defending 500 freestyle district and state champion, knocked 3.46 seconds off the previous record, finishing in 4:47.26.

“I’m very happy,” she said. “I just wanted to swim my fastest. The record is a bonus.”

Thatcher helped lead the Comets to what coach Mark Sullivan said is the program’s first district championship. They eased past Centerville, 321-302.5, at Miami’s Corwin M. Nixon Aquatics Center, breaking Ursuline’s two-year hold on the title.

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Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: abbey esler, comets, corwin m. nixon aquatics center, district championship, dive, jordan decker, julia volpenehein, mark sullivan, mason, mason high school, maureen sullivan, miami, record, swim team, zoe thatcher

Kevin Goheen reports:

Amelia’s Jeff Glos had sat atop the city’s all-time shot put record list since May 8, 1975.

Western Brown senior Mack Tudor ended that 37-year run Friday night.

Tudor added the city shot put record to his growing resume when his third attempt of the Division I Mason district championship landed 62 feet, 6 inches away from the ring, bettering Glos’ record of 62-2.5. The win gives Tudor his first district shot put title to go along with the discus championship he won on Wednesday with a meet record throw of 185-5.

“It felt all right but it didn’t feel like a record-setting throw,” said Tudor. “It just felt like a normal throw to me and that’s why I thought I had a lot left. But I’m happy. This is what I came in to accomplish and I did it.”

The city records are compiled by the Southwest Ohio Track Cross Country Coaches Association and Tudor’s record was confirmed Friday.

The top four finishers in each event qualified for next week’s regional meet at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium.

The Mason girls won their 10th consecutive team title with 128.5 points. Walnut Hills was second with 92 points, followed closely by Princeton (89), Sycamore (83) and Withrow (80).

The Comets won four events over the two-day competition and qualified athletes in 11 events for the regional meet. Senior Monica Lake (1,600 and 3,200 relay) was a double winner for Mason.

Mason also won the boys’ competition; it was the fourth team title in the last five years for the Comets. Mason’s 136 points was comfortably ahead of Princeton (67) in second place and third-place Moeller (64).

The Comets won six events and will send athletes to Dayton in 13 of the 17 events. Senior Josh Dooley (long jump and 100) and junior Asad Maiden (high jump and 110 hurdles) were double winners.

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Posted in: Uncategorized |

Tags: Tags: asad maiden, comets, district championship, div. i, josh dooley, lady comets, mason, mason high school, monica lake, track

The Enquirer

Mason – ranked No. 3 in the Enquirer Division I softball coaches’ poll – scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth and held off No. 5 Fairfield’s rally in the seventh to win a Division I district championship 4-3.

Fairfield answered with two runs in the top of the seventh, but with two outs and the tying run on third, Mason senior center fielder Sami Parave made an outstretched catch to end the game.

In the sixth inning the game was tied 1-1 when Mason junior outfielder Sammi Hayner started the Comets’ inning with a go-ahead RBI. Mason senior pitcher Sarah Browning threw a complete game with seven strikeouts and went 2-for-2 at the plate.

Mason, who lost 1-0 in the district finals last season to Glen Este, will face No.1-ranked Lebanon (28-1) in the regional semifinals Thursday at 5 p.m. at Northmont.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: comets, district championship, fairfield, lady comets, mason, mason high school, sami parave, sammi hayner, sarah browning, softball

The Mason girls’ softball team might have won the Division II district championship last season, but the team isn’t taking anything for granted.

The team’s goal, at least this early in the season, is to get better at something every day, as reported by Enquirer contributor Mark Schmetzer.

The team got off to a good start with a 5-1 non-league win over Kings on Tuesday.  Mason, in its first season under coach Lianne Muff, improved to 2-0 going into its home opener Wednesday against Hamilton.

“We’re executing,” said Muff, a Comets assistant for eight seasons before replacing Brian Castner, who guided them to a Division I district championship last season. “We’re playing good defense. We play fundamental defense. That’s been a strength. Offensively, we’re watching too many pitches. We’re a young team. We’re trying to get better every day.”

Schmetzer reports on the game’s highlights:

Mason struck out 11 times and drew eight walks against Kings sophomore right-hander Casey Murdoch, but a strikeout proved to be the key play in the Comets’ four-run sixth inning. Murdoch got Mason sophomore pinch-hitter Megan Warren swinging with two outs and a runner on second to seemingly end the inning, but the ball rolled far enough away from senior catcher Clairisa Stayton for Warren to reach base, keeping the inning alive.

Junior catcher Margo Hutchison, whose line drive single to left-center field drove in freshman Liz Hillen from third and gave Mason a 1-0 lead in the second, walked to load the bases, and sophomore Alexandra Johnson snapped a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring infield single.

Mason junior right-hander Sarah Browning allowed three hits in an efficient performance that included just three strikeouts and two walks. The only run she allowed was unearned.

WP – Browning. LP – Murdoch. Hitting leaders: M – Richardson 2B. Records: M 2-0, K 0-2.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: comets, district championship, division ii, girls softball, kings, mason high school