More than a month before the Section III championships get decided at Nottingham, the West Genesee girls swim team got to make an early trip to that pool – and it turned out to be a winning one.
It wasn’t easy for the Wildcats, though, as it needed every point to fight off a challenge from the combined Syracuse City team in a 76-75 victory not sealed until the meet’s latter stages.
In a time of one minute, 25.64 seconds, WG’s Cassie Wetmore edged Syracuse’s Carmelina Vigliotti-Martinez (1:25.92) in the last individual event, the 100-yard breaststroke, and the Wildcats had enough points, even though Syracuse won the closing 400 freestyle relay.
Prior to Wetmore, five other WG swimmers won individual races, starting with Mikki Riley, who pulled away to take the 100 butterfly in 1:06.60 before Maddie Zapisek, in 1:01.06, beat teammate Gabby Shuron (1:01.98) in the 100 freestyle.
Hannah Jasinski (6:02.88) and Abrianna Gittschau (6:02.95) swam together to a 1-2 finish in the 500 freestyle, with Maggie Smith claiming the 100 backstroke in 1:12.83. Gittschau had already won the 200 freestyle in 2:16.15.
Maggie Linton, in 29.23 seconds, was right behind Nicola Vigliotti (29.14 seconds) in the 50 freestyle. Kathleen Draveck got 188.9 points in diving, a close second to Syracuse’s Lydia Richard (191.95 points), while Grace VanHoven was third with 181.0 points.
Two wins in relays helped, too, with Jasinski, Shuron, Zapisek and Jenna Mellen together as WG won the opening 200 medley relay in 2:08.48. Then, in the 200 freestyle relay, Linton and Shuron joined Samantha Norton and K O’Brien as, in 1:58.46, the Wildcats edged Syracuse (1:59.35) for more valuable points.
WG would take on CNY Counties League front-runner Cicero-North Syracuse Wednesday at the Northstars’ home pool at Le Moyne College before facing Mexico on Friday night.
