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University’s Moody, Beachwood’s Zhang net pleasant-surprise gold at Viking Invitational swimming – News-Herald

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University’s Moody, Beachwood’s Zhang net pleasant-surprise gold at Viking Invitational swimming – News-Herald

University’s Ben Davis reacts after his 200 IM win Dec. 16 during the Viking Invitational at Cleveland State. (Brian Fisher – for The News-Herald)

Holidays at the Viking Invitational every year are rung in by at least two constants.

One is Santa Claus’ appearance at Cleveland State’s Busbey Natatorium during the 50-yard freestyle/100 butterfly break to the tune of Bruce Springsteen and Mariah Carey.

Another, fitting of the season, are pleasant surprises.

Count Paul Moody and Kevin Zhang the happiest recipients of the latter — especially given the fact, to their utmost credit, it came out of left field.

Moody, a University sophomore, and Zhang, a Beachwood junior, turned in unexpected gold-medal swims that should prove to be a buoy for both heading into the new calendar year.

PHOTOS: Viking Invitational swimming, Dec. 16, 2023

More known for being a promising performer in 100 backstroke, Moody found his first on this occasion in 500 free. Locked in a duel with US teammate Quinn MacPhail, Moody dug down well on the back half to edge out a Viking title with a time of 4 minutes, 42.58 seconds to MacPhail’s 4:42.71.

Considering MacPhail was coming off a 4:42.83 to take fourth in an outstanding field at the prestigious Ned Reeb Invitational earlier this month — and considering Moody’s best work is normally found elsewhere — Moody was elated with the swim. It also would have been the fastest 500 free in The News-Herald coverage area in the regular season last year.

University’s Paul Moody, bottom, and Quinn MacPhail battle it out in the final 15 for the 500 free title Dec. 16 in the Viking Invitational at Cleveland State. Moody won with a 4:42.58. (Brian Fisher – for The News-Herald)

“It caught me off-guard,” said Moody, who laudably came right back for a third in 100 back (53.10) thereafter. “I saw (MacPhail) over there next to me, and I was trying to push him and he was trying to push me. So we just went as fast as we could.

“It was really encouraging seeing him next to me, so that pushed me to go faster.”

The key was a stretch on Splits 3-5 during which he went 28.24, 28.43 and 28.62. That set the stage for 29.2 consistency 6 through 9 into a 27.86 to fend off a hard-charging MacPhail.

“I try to,” Moody said of getting in distance free work in addition to back. “Whenever I can, I would like to. But now that I’ve gotten that time, I think I might be swimming it a little bit more.”

The surprise resonated with impressed teammates as well, including US senior staple Ben Davis, who knows a thing or two about first-class 500s on big stages.

“That … I always knew Paul was a great distance swimmer, but that 4:42 really just came out of nowhere,” Davis said. “I’m very excited for Paul on that matter. He beat my best 500 time, and now he’s one of the top 500 freestylers of all time at US. So that’s really exciting and really encouraging going into the postseason.”

Davis didn’t surprise by any means with his 200 individual medley win, being one of Ohio’s best IMers after all. But the manner as well as the pre-Christmas speed showed what could be in store in 2024 as he eyes the Division II state title.

The US senior was engaged in a battle with St. Ignatius’ Jaimeson Hong before seizing control with a 32.45 breaststroke split, a 2.37 drop from when he was sixth at Ned Reeb and 2.60 from when he was third at sectional a year ago, en route to a 1:55.37.

That overall time is 1.78 faster vs. his third-place swim at Viking last winter and puts him within striking distance earlier of the sub-1:53 caliber he displayed at district and state as a junior.

“That’s pretty good,” Davis said. “I know from now on that I really just need to work on my fly to back. My back half felt great. I felt like I was really powering through my breast and my free.”

Those wins, along with Miguel Figueroa’s 200 free reel-in (1:42.78), also came as US was a competitive runner-up to host St. Ignatius with 400.5 points to the Wildcats’ 405.

“That’s great with our team,” Davis said. “Our team really stepped up. We had a lot of place movements in finals. Going into finals, we were excited. But once we got here, it felt like our energy really rose up, and we rose up to the challenge of facing Ignatius.”

Zhang’s crown came in 100 fly. Out in Lane 2, he beared down for a 27.47 to the wall for a 51.90 to edge Wooster’s Gabe Bosler-Kilmer (52.18) and Canisius (N.Y.)’s Erik Parkes (53.05).

Beachwood’s Kevin Zhang captured 100 butterfly out of Lane 2 on Dec. 16 during the Viking Invitational. (Brian Fisher – for The News-Herald)

For perspective on how much of a drop this marked for Zhang, last year at sectional he was fifth in the event with a 54.47. That 27.47 was a .73 cut vs. that sectional swim.

“It was really surprising,” Zhang said. “Last week at a dual meet, I went a 53. So I sort of had an idea of what I was going to do today suited. But it’s definitely a really pleasant surprise and better than I thought I would do.

“I think my underwaters were always really good. I think they’re always pretty fast and efficient. So over the summer this year, I just made sure I could do underwaters all the way to the 15-meter mark on all of my walls. And that really cut down a lot of time.”

Other News-Herald coverage area champions at Viking were Gilmour’s Laina Collis, who captured 100 free (52.37), and Hawken’s Nina Newton, who staved off the Lancers’ Maddie Sammut for 100 breast gold with a 1:05.90 to Sammut’s 1:06.37, and girls 200 free relay (1:37.77). That quartet delivered 24s across, with Newton’s 24.42 popper into Bree Shirkey (24.22), Addy Pruce (24.77) and Savannah Hirsch (24.36).


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