The Bedford Swimming Lady Mules faced Ann Arbor Pioneer at home on Thursday. It was a close meet, but the Kicking Mules came up just short of a victory.

The meet started off with a 2nd place finish, less than a second behind Pioneer, in the 200 Medley Relay of Lauren Sullivan (11), Allie Steffin (10), Maureen Lingle (10), and Hannah Asselin (12). The Mules followed this up with first, third and fifth place finishes in the 50 freestyle by Sullivan, Asselin and Lauren Metter (12), respectively. Jennifer Ortiz (12), Rachel Staley (11) and Laiya Scheffer (11) finished the 1 meter diving event in 3rd, 4th and 5th places.

Bedford came back strong in the second half of the meet with Lingle finishing first in the 100 butterfly under the state qualifying time, with Ortiz and Staley finishing 5th and 6th. The 100 backstroke was the strongest event of the night, with Sullivan and Lingle finishing first and second, Lingle with a season-best time. Steffin then won the 100 breaststroke, coming back in the second half of the event after turning in 2nd going into the second 50. Emily Altweis (12) finished 4th in the same event.

The Mules finished their night with a 3rd place finish in the 400 freestyle relay after Sarah Mulder (12) kicked it in for the final leg to beat the 4th place Pioneer team. The 400 freestyle relay also consisted of Kayla Binder (10), Allie Steffin (10) and Alyse Geiger (12). The Mules will travel to Erie Mason and Ann Arbor Skyline next week on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, with both meets beginning at 6:00.