Two high-level boys swimming programs that are long-time rivals had their annual showdown last Wednesday night, and West Genesee did not get the better of it.
Auburn, improving to 7-1 on the season, won each of the first five individual races, plus two of the three relays, and would pull away, the Maroons defeating the Wildcats 91-75.
Only once did WG have the lead, after the opening 200-yard medley relay, where Nate Gdula, Sean Hagadorn, Matt O’Donnell and Daniel Pesci combined for a victory in one minutes, 50.57 seconds.
From there, though, Auburn took over, winning every race until Pesci claimed the 100 backstroke in 1:07.76 over Nick Gevras (1:09.71) late in the meet, which preceded Hagadorn, in 1:08.02, pulling away from the Maroons’ Jacob Whiting (1:10.07) in the 100 breaststroke.
For the victorious Maroons, Whiting and Zach Buchberger each won two races. Whiting claimed the 200 individual medley (2:23.20) and 100 freestyle (54.58 seconds), with Gdula second (55.57 seconds) in the latter event.
Buchberger beat O’Donnell, 57.21 seconds to 58.50, in the 100 butterfly and edged Gdula, 23.47 seconds to 23.95, in the 50 freestyle. Mike Gilheney, in a time of 2:02.93, was second to Auburn’s Tyler Mason (1:56.04) in the 200 freestyle, with Mason, Buchberger and Whiting all part of a Maroons side that won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:40.97.
WG would face New Hartford two nights later, and with O’Donnell prevailing twice, plus victories from Hagadorn, Gdula and Gilheney, the Wildcats defeated the Spartans 105-81.
To start the meet, O’Donnell paired with Hagadorn, Pesci and Gdula as WG took the 200 medley relay in 1:48.62. Then, in the 200 IM, O’Donnell sped to victory in a clocking of 2:18.99 and, going to his specialty, the 100 backstroke, went under a minute to win that race in 59.53 seconds.
Gdula would prevail in the 50 freestyle in 23.61 seconds before Gilheney, taking over in the 500 freestyle, won that race in 5:38.92. Hagadorn was strong in the 100 breaststroke, improving his time from earlier in the week by nearly three seconds to win in 1:05.24.
Peter Bowman would rule in the diving competition, picking up 230.05 points, with the Wildcats also victorious in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:43.56. The win improved WG’s record to 7-3 as it pays a visit to Oswego on Thursday night.
