Only the West Genesee girls swim team stood between Cicero-North Syracuse and its quest to secure the CNY Counties League regular-season championship.
But when those two sides got together Thursday night in Camillus, the Wildcats, despite two race wins apiece from Becca Kanoza and Kaitlin Dunning, could not match the depth of the Northstars, who prevailed 102-84 and now had the league crown to itself.
Kanoza had started the meet joining Chizeki Boudreau, Morgan Riley and Jenna Mellen in the 200-yard medley relay, where WG was fast, getting a time of one minutes, 58.91 seconds, but C-NS (1:58.50) was just a bit quicker.
Not fazed by this, Kanoza would go on swim the 50 freestyle in 26.52 seconds, ahead of the Northstars’ Olivia Griffin (26.84 seconds), and then win the 100 backstroke in a swift 1:04.43, with the Northstars’ Carla Champagne (1:05.72) right behind.
Dunning had her own disappointment in a relay, joining Boudreau, Mellen and Hannah Jasinski in the 200 freestyle, where WG went 1:46.89 and, again, C-NS (1:46.50) nipped them, clinching the meet and the league title with those points.
No one caught Dunning in the 200 freestyle, where her 2:02.39 beat C-NS’s Lauren Thorne (2:05.25) by nearly three seconds as Gabby Shuron (2:10.14) was third. During the 100 freestyle, Dunning, in 56.32 seconds, pulled away from the Northstars’ Sarah Walter (57.20 seconds), with Mellen third in 59.65 seconds.
Boudreau was second (1:05.82) to Brooke Fedi (1:04.50) in the 100 butterfly, while Fedi also took the 200 individual medley (2:19.35) as C-NS’s lone double individual champion. Maddie Zapisek was third in the 200 IM (2:23.36) and second in the 500 freestyle in 5:42 flat behind Thorne, who won in 5:31.32.
WG’s lone relay title came at the end, in the 400 freestyle, with Zapisek, Riley, Morgan Cappon and Maggie Linton roaring to a time of 3;53.15.
In many years past, the notion that a meet against Liverpool would serve as the warm-up for C-NS was absurd, given the traditional power of the Warriors’ program, but 2015 has proven different, as the Wildcats showed again Tuesday by defeating the Warriors 96-88.
Dunning won twice, starting in the 200 freestyle, where in 2:06.09 she pulled away from Liverpool’s Maddie Rose (2:10.25), and followed it up with a 500 freestyle where Dunning finished in 5;33.77, with teammate Maddie Zapisek second in 5:48.31.
The Wildcats also went 1-2 in the 50 freestyle, with Boudreau holding off Mellen, 27.38 seconds to 27.57, while Kanoza went 1:06.29 in the 100 backstroke to get away from Liverpool’s Emma Van Houte (1:11.93) for that title.
Kanoza had already finished second (57.42 seconds) to Warriors star Sydnie Sovinsky (55.56 seconds) in the 100 freestyle, but had also paired with Boudreau, Mellen and Riley to win the 200 medley relay in a thriller with Liverpool, finishing in 2:00.56 to the Warriors’ 2:00.60 to gain valuable early points.
Jasinski, who was second in the 100 butterfly in 1:09 flat (Liverpool’s Ali Testone won in 1:07.23), joined Dunning, Boudreau and Mellen as WG went 1:47.67 to the Warriors’ 1:48.77 in the 200 freestyle relay. Zapisek took second in the 200 IM in 2:26.91, again with Sovinsky (2:20.39) in front.
Some tough meets still remain for the 4-2 Wildcats, despite the league title being out of reach, starting with next Wednesday’s battle with Christian Brothers Academy at Le Moyne College’s pool.
