Each season, there are some meets for the Liverpool girls swim team that mean a bit more than others. And that includes the annual encounter with West Genesee, since the two sides have combined to produce so many championships and top swimmers through the years and decades.
When the two met again Wednesday night in Camillus, less was at stake, but the competition remained intense, with the Warriors getting the upper hand in relays and diving and not letting up until it had beaten the Wildcats 100-86.
What made it more satisfying was that WG won each of the first two individual events, with the Warriors’ Jaida Fox, in a time of 2:07.66, just inches behind the Wildcats’ Maddie Zapisek (2:06.57) in the 200-yard freestyle as Hannah Jasinski (2:26.78) and Mikki Riley (2:29.46) went 1-2 in the 200 individual medley.
Things started to turn around when Ali Testone, in 27.73 seconds, edged WG’s Jenna Mellen (28.07 seconds) and Maggie Linton (28.11 seconds) in the 50 freestyle, leading to a 1-2 sweep in diving where Alyssa Vadala won with 259.75 points and Ashleigh Reinhardt was second with 223.6 points.
However, it was Sydnie Sovinsky again snatching a starring role for the Warriors. Already, Sovinsky had helped Testone, Laura Flynn and N Petit get first place in the 200 medley relay in 2:04.13, but she hadn’t yet swam in an individual event.
That changed in the 100 butterfly, with Sovinsky going under the one-minute mark as she won in 59.67 seconds, with no one close to her. Later in the meet, Sovinsky would tear through the 100 backstroke in 1:02.99, one of the best sectional times of the fall.
Meanwhile, Testone completed a sprint sweep when, in 59.83 seconds, she pulled away from Mellen (1;02.36) in the 100 freestyle, with Reilly Wolf third in 1:02.79. Fox was second (5:43.32) to Zapisek (5:40.34) again in the 500 freestyle as Courtney Robenolt, in 1:13.09, was third behind Sovinsky in the 100 backstroke.
The outcome was still in doubt, though, going into the 100 breaststroke, where Liverpool made its decisive move as Maddie Rose won in 1:18.14 and Marissa Pisegna (1:19.23) was close behind in second place. Then, to close it out, Sovinsky, Rose, Testone and Fox went 4:02.74 to win the 400 freestyle relay.
Undefeated Cicero-North Syracuse would tune up for next CNY Counties League showdown with Fayetteville-Manlius by venturing to New Hartford Thursday night and earning a 101-83 victory over the Spartans.
Kiersten Coates, mostly known for her dual threat as a swimmer and diver, claimed both sprints on th is night, going 26.41 seconds to edge Olivia Griffin (26.59 seconds) in the 50 freestyle before winning the 100 freestyle in 57.75 seconds, part of a 1-2-3 C-NS sweep that included Griffin (1:00.24) and Cassie Baldwin, who was second in 59 seconds flat.
Lauren Thorne, second in the 500 freestyle (5:42.64) to New Hartford’s Kim McDonald (5:33.02), won a 200 IM duel with Spartans rival Alexis Falvo in 2:20.01 to Falso’s 2:20.66. Falvo had already won the 200 freestyle, where Sarah Walter, in 2:14 flat, beat out Grace Devinney (2:15.18) for second place.
The Northstars went 1-2 in diving, with Miranda Frascatore earning 239.3 points and Laura Gerber (184.15 points) in the runner-up spot. Carla Champagne held off New Hartford’s Erin Spina, 1:09.91 to 1:10.54, in the 100 backstroke as Brooke Fedi, in 1:14.55, and Baldwin, in 1:18.65, went 1-2 in the 100 breaststroke.
Of the three relays, C-NS only won one of them, the 200 medley, where Coates, Devinney, Baldwin and Fedi posted 2:03.35, more than three seconds ahead of New Hartford’s 2:06.99, though the Spartans claimed the 200 (1:48.11) and 400 freestyle (3:58.87) relays.
