Sports

The Vinton-Shellsburg United Special Olympics basketball program put on a strong performance Saturday at the 2015 Iowa Winter Games the University of Iowa Fieldhouse in Iowa City.   In all, VSU came back with with a pair of gold medals, a silver and two strong fourth-place finishes along the way.    The male 5-on-5 basketball brought home gold with three wins in three tries.

Vinton-Shellsburg wrestlers, and even a couple of their coaches, competed in the Corn Cob Nationals at the Iowa State Fairgrounds this past weekend. Among the first place winners were Vikings Scott Betterton and Carter Weeks.  Also Nick Hyland finished 4th in his weight class; Michael Neal was 3rd and Viking Assistan Coach Phillip Miller was also 3rd.

Members of the Vinton Aquatic Club have done well in the Senior Short Course Swimming Championship and very well in the 2015 Iowa Junior Spring Diving Championship events. On Feb. 19-22, three VAC members qualified for the Senior meet. Ben Dvorak finished in 21st place in the boys 13-14 age division 100 yd. breaststroke with a time of 1:12.

The Automatic Amusement Sunday's winter pool league wrap up was held on Sunday March 8th at The Ozone Bar and Grill in Urbana.  The league consisted of 10 teams made up of 3 individual shooters on each team.  The teams played each other every Sunday for the past 19 weeks.  Play consisted of each team individual playing 3 games per week by playing each member of the other team.

The Vinton-Shellsburg girls track team began its season at the Dickinson Relays at UNI, where dozens of other schools of all sizes competed. Coach Heather Kalous was very pleased with the Vikettes' first performance of the season. Vikette Results: 60 M: LaDorshae Mull, 22nd, 8.45; 200 M: Maci Griffith, 65th, 29.99; Hannah Kalous, 77th, 30.

Nick Stein (The V-S Senior Bowler who placed 4th at State and was on the State Runner-up bowling team) is one of three finalists for the KCRG “Athlete of the week”. Voting will continue through 10 a.m. Thursday. You may vote by going to: www.kcrg.com/sports/athleteoftheweek/vote Text your vote to: number 45548 and type NICKS as your message.

Senior Derek Dinderman and junior Jordan Womochil earned honorable mention on the Wamac  West Conference All-Conference basketball team after coaches met to honor the league’s best players. See the complete list of honorees HERE.

Congratulations to Maci Griffith for her unanimous selection to the Wamac West All Conference Girls Basketball team.  Two other Vikettes, Brea Burroughs and Chelsey Mier, earned honorable mention.  Maci, a junior, tied for the Wamac West scoring lead with an average of 17.2 points per game, which was also 6th-highest among all Class 4A players.

Ten swimmers from the Vinton Aquatic Club qualified for the Iowa Swimming 12 and Under State Championship event, which took place Feb. 20-22 in Iowa City. The swimmers qualified by achieving a qualifying time throughout the year; 400 swimmers from throughout the state competed. VAC members who earned a spot in the event included Tori Elwick and Elyah Steffen (girls 8 and under); Wesley and Broden Farrell (boys 8 and under); Justyce Dominick (girls 9-10); Ian Steffen (boys 9-10); and Clarissa Carolan, Alex Hall, Natalie Tecklenburg and Geordyn Webster (girls 11-12).

The crowded alleys and gallery full of spectators at the Plaza Lanes in Des Moines this week are evidence of how much bowling is catching on in high schools around Iowa. And Vinton-Shellsburg’s bowlers are a part of that growing trend. The Viking bowling team finished second in its first-ever appearance at State – in just the second year of bowling at VSHS.