SKANEATELES – After seeing what each other was accomplishing during a busy autumn, the Skaneateles and West Genesee girls swim teams finished the regular season battling one another.
Claiming nine of the 12 events on points, the Lakers pulled away and defeated the Wildcats 98-80, with Ari Matthews part of four different Skaneateles winning efforts.
To open the meet Matthews, paired with Olivia Springer, Landyn Bennett and Sophia Nichols, went two minutes 4.54 seconds in the 200-yard medley before she turned right to the 200 freestyle and won there, too, in a quick 2:03.83.
Another relay title followed when Matthews, Bennett, Springer and Caylinn Grady got the title in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:48.26 to get away from the 1:50.33 the Wildcats’ quartet of Kiley Johnson, Maddie Owczarzak, Josie Owczarzak and Rachel Hann recorded Matthews closed out by winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:15.07.
Also a standout on an individual basis, Marcellus swimmer Vivian Pilon went 25.33 seconds in the 50 freestyle, more than a second clear of Bennett’s 26.89 as WG’s Maddie Owczarzak (26.94) was right behind in third place, edging Allie Ivery’s 27.09.
To complete her sprint sweep, Pilon claimed the 100 freestyle in 57.29 seconds, while Owczarzak got second place in 58.69 and Springer (59.45) also broke the one-minute mark. Pilon’s teammate, Molly McMaster, was second in the 100 backstroke in 1:19.80 as the Wildcats’ Olivia Nabewaniec got third in 1:21.26 to edge Makayla Dunham’s 1:21.35.
Bennett’s title came in the 100 butterfly, where her 1:06.56 beat the 1:12.95 of WG’s Lena Kent, with Caylinn Grady third in 1:15.34, while Ana Nichols won the 100 backstroke in 1:11.15 to Kent’s 1:15.95.
1-2-3 Lakers sweep in diving had Phoebe Bedard earn 246.75 points, well clear of the 176.80 Anasofia Cirincione needed to edge Mattie Bales (174.45) and the Wildcats’ Mia Berrios in 169.10.
WG went 1-2 in the 500 freestyle, Hann going 6:24.66 to edge the 6:25.95 from Kierstin Lee. The Wildcats also had Ki Johnson take second in the 200 freestyle
