Though only one event per meet is scored, rather than timed, the entire Cicero-North Syracuse girls swim team can consider itself a perfect 10.
The Northstars’ dream 2015 season included 10 meets – and 10 victories, the final one of them secured Wednesday night at Le Moyne College when C-NS roared past the Fayetteville-Manlius Hornets 101-82.
That the last hurdle came against F-M made sense, for the Hornets had also achieved vast improvement in 2015, entering the meet with a 5-4 record. But like all of C-NS’s previous foes, it had no answer for the depth and versatility of the Northstars.
To start things, Kiersten Coates, Jamie Rolf, Sarah Walter and Christina Champagne swam the 200-yard medley relay in two minutes, 1.28 seconds, while another C-NS quartet, that of Brooke Fedi, Olivia Griffin, Cassie Baldwin and Kelly Festa finished in 2:05.41 for second-place points.
Fedi would claim two individual titles, starting in the 200 freestyle, where she posted 2:08.46 to hold off F-M’s Abbey Harris (2:10.65). Much later, in the 100 backstroke, Fedi would finish in 1:05.67 to pull away from the Hornets’ Christina Burnam (1:11.62) for the clinching points.
Lauren Thorne also won twice, battling to a time of 2:26.60 in the 200 individual medley, just ahead of F-M’s Sophie Fowler (2:29.58), before going to the longest race on the card, the 500 freestyle, and winning there, too, in 5:44.93.
Not only did Coates swim the 50 freestyle in 26.85 seconds as part of a 1-2 finish with Griffin (27.04 seconds), she also put up another strong diving performance, earning 217.1 points to get second place behind Miranda Frascatore’s 232.65 points.
Walter was victorious in the 100 freestyle in 58.60 seconds over Harris (1:00.12), leading to the 200 freestyle relay, where Rolf, Festa, Coates and Thorne posted 1:50.53, just ahead of Griffin, Baldwin and Grace Devinney on a relay side that finished second in 1:51.47.
Now the Northstars can focus on this weekend’s Section III championships at Nottingham High School, with the Class A meet set for Friday and the state qualifier taking place on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool had a chance to swim at that Nottingham pool during last Wednesday’s meet against the combined Syracuse city team, where it prevailed by a 96-79 margin to break through for its first team win of the season.
Sydnie Sovinsky again led the way, taking first place in the 100 butterfly in 1:02.20 and also winning the 500 freestyle in 5:28.66. Ali Testone was first in the 200 IM in 2:25.46, with Reilly Wolf victorious in the 200 freestyle in 2:21.04.
Maddie Rose needed 1:00.17 to beat Avery Clarke (1;02.17) and Emma Van Houte (1:03.39) in the 100 freestyle, with Jaida Fox swimming the 50 freestyle in 27.79 seconds to edge Syracuse’ Nicola Vigliotti (28.32 seconds). Alyssa Vadala won a close diving competition with 237.29 points, edging Sarah LaValley (231.08 points) as Kelley Townley (207.37 points) finished third.
Sovinsky, Fox, Testone and Van Houte got to first place in the 200 medley relay in 2:02.79. Fox was second in the 100 butterfly, with Lauren Flynn second (2:27.14) to Wolf in the 200 freestyle and Wolf getting to second place in the 500 freestyle.
