Case shines for Otsego in losing cause against Marshall

Tyler Case didn’t win either of his two individual events during Otsego’s Southwest and Central Michigan Swim Conference meet with Marshall on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
That doesn’t mean that he didn’t have a strong showing.
Case finished second in both the 100-yard butterfly and the 200 IM in addition to helping the 200 free and 400 free relay teams finish runner-up.
The quality of Case’s performance wasn’t lost on longtime Otsego coach Darryl Belton.
“I thought Tyler Case was our best swimmer tonight,” said Belton, whose team dropped the meet 106-69. “He PR’d in the fly and was pretty decent in his other events.”
Case’s time of 58.83 in the fly was less than two-tenths of a second behind Nathan Turner of Marshall. Case also swam a 2:21.75 in the 200 IM.
The 200 relay saw Case anchor Otsego’s team—which also included Owen Stender, Kevin Gibson and Gage Pompileo—to a time of 1:40.06. That was 21-hundredths of a second behind the winning time of Marshall.
In the 400 free relay, Case saw the lead leg, followed by Avery Bush, Dillon Avery and Stender. That group posted a time of 4:00.45.
Stender provided the lone event win for the Bulldogs, taking the 100 breaststroke at 1:04.02.
Also securing runner-up finishes for Otsego were the 200 medley relay team of Brendan Gross, Stender, Pompileo and Gibson (1:54.54) and Avery in the 200 free (2:04.1).
Gibson (25.64 in the 50 free), Gross (58.36 in the 100 free) and Luke Aldrich (1:09.05 in the 100 backstroke) all garnered third-place finishes for the Bulldogs.
“We swam okay,” Belton said. “Nothing great. Nothing awesome. It’s a tough time of the year with Christmas break practices looming and the newness of the season has worn off. I liked that the boys competed hard, though. We were a little slow, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.”
Belton remains excited for the rest of the season.
“I like this team’s work ethic,” he said.”I am curious as to how w