Winning five times between them, the trio of Summer Schmitt, Maggie Fletcher and Kathryn Coughlin led the Christian Brothers Academy girls swim team to the overall Section III championship Saturday at Nottingham High School.
In that meet, which served as the qualifier for the Nov. 18-19 state meet at Erie Community College in Buffalo, the Brothers picked up 275 points, beating out West Genesee (241 points), who had taken the Class A meet two days earlier.
Schmitt was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, mainly for what she did in the 100-yard butterfly, where her time of 55.94 set a new Section III record. She also dominated the 100 backstroke and won that event in 57.23 seconds.
Fletcher also won twice, starting in the 200 freestyle, where she edged out WG’s Olivia Castro at the wire, 1:54.71 to 1:54.77. It proved more lopsided in the 500 freestyle, where Fletcher, in 5:17.09, beat Fayetteville-Manlius star Katie Pechacek, who was second in 5:20.68.
Coughlin had a part in three different titles won by the Brothers. On her own, she swam the 200 individual medley in 2:11.91, beating Jamesville-DeWitt’s Kalie Coyne (2:14.63), who was second, and teammate Lexy McCauley (2:18.41), who was fourth.
Also, Coughlin teamed with Schmitt, Honor Bowman and Elizabeth Catalano for a victory in the 200 medley relay in 1:51.95. To close out the meet and clinch the sectional title, Fletcher, Coughlin, McCauley and Schmitt tore through the 400 freestyle relay in 3:39.70, beating runner-up Auburn by more than four seconds.
J-D’s Coyne was second to Schmitt in the 100 butterfly in 59.49 seconds. Also for the Red Rams, Danielle Doss was third in diving with 388.9 points, while Taylor Cook (362.45 points) was fifth.
Molly Hair got fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.10) and Sophia Farchione was sixth (1:04.71) in the 100 backstroke. Farchione, Coyne, Hair and Morgan Pusey were third in the 200 medley relay in 1:57.98 as the Rams also got sixth in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Back in Thursday’s Class A meet, CBA indeed took second in the team competition with 375.5 points, trailing West Genesee, who finished on top with 375.5 points. Fayetteville-Manlius was eighth with 166 points.
Schmitt pulled away from the field. In the 100 butterfly, she finished in 57.10 seconds, with Lexy McCauley second in 1:04.38. Later, in the 100 backstroke, Schmitt won in 59.30 seconds.
Fletcher needed 1:56.79 to win the 200 freestyle and also prevailed in the 500 freestyle in 5:16.09. Coughlin would cruise to first place in the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.93 after she won the 200 IM in 2:14.05, a race where McCauley (2:21.91) was third.
Schmitt, Coughlin, Bowman and Catalano needed 1:54.29 to hold off WG (1:56.34) in the 200 medley relay, and in the 400 freestyle relay McCauley, Schmitt, Fletcher and Coughlin blazed to victory in 3:42.49. Fletcher and McCauley helped Catalano and Kendall Sangster finish fourth (1:45.74) in the 200 freestyle relay.
F-M’s Pechacek, got second place (5:21.29) behind Fletcher in the 500 freestyle and was fourth (2:01.14) in the 200 freestyle, where should later take fifth in the overall sectional race in 2:01.27.
J-D would clean up in the Class B meet, where Kalie Coyne won twice. Coyne took the 200 IM in 2:13.96 and the 100 butterfly in 59.10 seconds as Hair prevailed in the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.95. Hair, Coyne, Pusey and Farchione combined to win the 200 medley relay in 1:54.60.
Alden Coyne took second in the 500 freestyle (5:35.96) and third in the 200 freestyle (2:05.64), with Farchione third in both the 100 backstroke (1:04.45) and 200 IM (2:25.81) and Pusey was fourth in the 50 freestyle (26.86 seconds).
Hair took third in the 100 freestyle in 56.56 seconds, with Amanda Behan fourth in 57.27 seconds as Behan added a sixth in the 50 freestyle. Hayley Schultz swam to fifth in the 100 butterfly in 1:06.80, just ahead of Morgan Gunther (1:06.97) in sixth.
