The Lenoir City High School swim team took to the road for one of the final meets of 2012. Taking on McMinn County, the team came up just short by a score of 157-145.

Individually, several swimmers put in a strong performance in Athens, with 23 swimming personal bests and two qualifying for the Knox-area Interscholastic Swim League City Meet.

Senior Jessica Ball qualified in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.82, nearly six seconds better than her previous best in the event. Loudon Junior John William Harrison qualified in the 200-yard individual medley. Harrison swam a time of 2:41.34.

Two male swimmers also gained significant ground on qualifying for the Tennessee Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association state meet.

Seth Hughes, a sophomore from Midway High School, swam a time of 1:03.44 in the 100-yard back stroke. The time was 6.65 seconds better than his previous and just over one second off the state cut.

Freshman Jacob Gump swam a time of 1:02.31 in the 100-yard butterfly, cutting half a second off his best time and pulling within .52 seconds of hitting the qualifying mark of 1:01.79.

Lenoir City had 10 first-place finishes in the meet, including two relays and six individuals. The winning relays were the women's 200-yard medley, composed of Olivia Fisher, Courtney Pethers, Emily Thompson and Madison Gump, and the women's 200-yard free relay, composed of Pethers, Ball, Fisher and Megan Grugin.

Individual winners were Pethers in the 100-yard butterfly, Madison Gump in the 500-yard freestyle, Jacob Gump in the 100-yard butterfly, Fisher in the 100-yard freestyle, Jeremiah Cordero in the 500-yard freestyle and Ball in the 200-yard freestyle.

The team will compete for the final time before the new year Saturday as they travel to Knoxville for the Ray Bussard Invitation. The noon meet is held at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center on the University of Tennessee campus.