This season, as in years past, girls swimmers from Marcellus have competed with Skaneateles, taking part in head-to-head meets, waiting for an individual chance to shine.
That came on Oct. 14 when the Mustangs took part in the Onondaga High School League championships, and Grace Femano was victorious in one race, the 100-yard freestyle.
In a close battle with Christian Brothers Academy’s Kaitlyn Bushnell, Femano finished in 57.54 seconds, just ahead of the 57.84 posted by Bushnell. Femano’s teammate, Emily Comer, was fifth in 1:01.28.
Femano didn’t stop there, either, also getting to fourth place in the 100 backstroke in 1:05.55, improving her best time of the fall by seven-tenths of a second. Skaneateles’ Lily Buchholz won in 1:02.50.
Another Marcellus swimmer, Allison Comer, made it to third place in the 500 freestyle in 5:59.68, while Emily Comer was fourth in the 50 freestyle in 27.48 seconds and Allison Comer sixth in 28.72 seconds.
West Genesee, going through the toughest part of its schedule, had to face Jamesville-DeWitt last Tuesday night, and despite some fine efforts from the likes of Maddy Zapisek, the Wildcats still lost, 99-85, to the Red Rams.
Maddie Zapisek needed 2:07.70 to beat J-D’s Sawyer Parker (2:08.85) in the 200 freestyle, while in the 500 freestyle Zapisek finished in 5:38.20, but that was well back of the Rams’ Amelia Hesler, who won in 5:22.54.
Hannah Jasinski was twice a runner-up, going 2:33.52 in the 200 individual medley and then going 1:18.16 in the 100 breaststroke, just ahead of Haley Hagadorn’s 1:18.71.
Anna Ivery, in 27.46 seconds, was second in the 50 freestyle, adding a second-place clocking of 1:11.10 in the 100 butterfly as Maggie Smith was second (1:12.09) and Maggie Linton third (1:15.08) in the 100 backstroke.
In the 200 freestyle relay, Zapisek, Jasinski, Riley and Morgan Cappon were second in 1:51.76 to J-D’s 1:46.34. Earlier, WG was runner-up in the 200 medley relay (2:07.41) as Zapisek, Ivery, Allison Putnam and Adrianna Gatschau went 4:03.15 in the 400 freestyle relay, inches behind J-D’s 4:03.08.
Two nights later, hosting Cicero-North Syracuse, the Wildcats utilized its depth to overcome the Northstars claiming most of the individual races and win by a score of 100-84.
Zapisek again won two races, starting with the 200 freestyle, where her time of 2:09.55 proved enough to prevail by more than four seconds, and then tearing through the 100 freestyle in 58.43 seconds. Putnam added a 500 freestyle victory in 5:50.66, just ahead of Gatschau (5:51.02) as part of a 1-2 effort by WG.
A close 100 butterfly saw Jasinski, in 1:07 flat, edge C-NS’s Sarah Walter (1:07.11) at the wall, this before Jasinski paired with Zapisek, Cappon and Hannah Murdoch to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:49.23.
WG loaded up on second and third-place finishes to build an insurmountable point edge. Ivery was second in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke, with Putnam second in the 200 freestyle behind Zapisek and Jasinski second in the 200 IM. Hagadorn was second in the 100 breaststroke. Kathleen Draveck (177.25 points) and Claire Kitts (176.55 points) were second and third, respectively, in diving.
Meets remain for the Wildcats against Skaneateles and CBA before the Section III championships in the first week of November.
