To cap off another tremendous season, the West Genesee girls swim team lay claim to the Section III Class A championship Thursday at Nottingham High School.
Among the field of 11 entrants, the Wildcats accumulated 375.5 points, beating out OHSL regular-season champion Christian Brothers Academy, who was second with 322 points. Liverpool (255 points) edged out Baldwinsville (241 points) for third place.
In every single event, WG put together a top finish, none better than Olivia Castro going to the 100-yard freestyle and, in 53.76 seconds, edging out Auburn’s MaryJane Leja (53.86) and Liverpool’s Madeline Murphy (53.89) for the victory. Castro also was second in the 200 freestyle in 1:58.70.
Kim Pedrotti worked her way to second place in the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.06, and also took third in the 500 freestyle in 5:21.60. Brianna Smith got second place in the 100 backstroke in a time of 1:02.39 and added a fifth (26.33 seconds) in the 50 freestyle.
Shannon Cahalan took third in the 100 butterfly in 1:04.52 and fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:06.50) behind Smith. Erin Dowler needed 2:27.03 for fifth place in the 200 individual medley, with Abby Mullett fifth in the 100 butterfly in 1:07.46 and Sinead Guy fifth in the 100 freestyle (58.33 seconds) behind Castro.
WG contended in every relay, too. Smith, Pedrotti, Jessie Brusa and Gianna Branca swam the 200 individual medley in 1:56.34, second to CBA (1:54.29), while Castro and Branca helped Sinead Guy and Becca Kanoza get third place in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:45.53. Kanoza, Guy, Smith and Pedrotti claimed third in the 400 freestyle relay with a clocking of 3:55.91.
Not only did the team prevail, but head coach Bob Marks earned Coach of the Year honors as WG had an undefeated run through the CNY Counties League this fall.
When the action moved over to Saturday’s state qualifier, WG sought the overall sectional title. But it could only manage second place, with 241 points, as this time CBA relied on its individual stars to go to the top with 275 points.
In a 200 freestyle thriller, Castro posted a school-record time of 1:54.77, just behind CBA’s Maggie Fletcher, who won in 1:54.71, and she was also third in the 100 freestyle in 53.84 seconds.
Pedrotti would earn her own school record of 5:18.07 in the 500 freestyle, on her way to a second-place finish behind Fletcher (5:17.09), and though she improved in the 100 breaststroke to 1:08.74, CBA’s Kathryn Coughlin still beat her in 1:04.78.
Castro, Pedrotti, Brusa and Smith would earn a spot in the Nov. 19-20 state meet at Erie Community College in Buffalo when they swam the 200 medley relay in 1:53.43, second again to CBA (1:51.95).
Smith, on her own, was fifth in the 100 backstroke (1:01.60) as the Wildcats got fourth in the 200 freestyle relay (1:44.27) and sixth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Abby Uczen was 16th in diving with 287.90 points, earning a spot in Saturday’s qualifier, where she did a superb job, rising to sixth place with 330.3 points.
