Even though it was competing at its home pool, and despite the fact that it won a majority of the races, the Skaneateles girls swim team still saw its reign as Section III Class C champions end on Friday night at the Community Center.
The Lakers’ total of 387 points was not quite enough to keep up with Christian Brothers Academy, who had moved into this class for 2016 and went to the top of the standings with 486 points. Lowville was third with 206 points.
In the night’s first race, the 200-yard medley relay, Skaneateles topped CBA as Rose Keady, Lily Buchholz, Leah King and Ashley Drotar posted one minute, 51.83 seconds, just ahead of the Brothers’ 1:52.81.
As a follow-up, Rachel Teixeira prevailed in the 200 freestyle in 2:01.96, though CBA did take three of the next four spots to build up a point lead that would grow as the meet progressed. Taylor Hill was sixth in 2:14.54.
Leah King made it three straight Skaneateles wins when she covered the 200 individual medley in 2:21.33, more than two seconds ahead of Cooperstown’s Delilah Griger (2:23.50). But then CBA’s Tessa Queri (24.87 seconds) and Lauren Kelly (26.63 seconds) went 1-2 in the 50 freestyle ahead of Drotar, who was third in 26.66 seconds as Keady (26.84 seconds) got fifth place.
Another key event was the 100 butterfly, where Skaneateles saw Grace King post 1:05.14, which put her third behind a second straight Brothers sweep at the top from Julia Torell (59.34 seconds) and Darien Tompkins (1:03.16).
But the Lakers got its own 1-2 effort in the 100 freestyle, with Buchholz needing 54.68 seconds to go to the top of the podium and Leah King getting second place in 55.69 seconds. Then, in the 500 freestyle, Teixeira, in 5:30.24, pulled far away from the field, which included Grace King (5:48.11) in fifth place.
After Teixeira, Keady, Drotar and Grace King finished second (1:48.82) to CBA (1:46.75) in the 200 freestyle relay, Buchholz took a close second in the 100 backstsroke in 1:02.46 to Torrell’s 1:02.20 as Tompkins was third.
At least the Lakers finished with back-to-back wins. Keady, in 1:10.13, outlasted the field in the 100 breaststroke before Teixeira, Buchholz, Leah King and Grace King pulled away in the 400 freestyle relay to win in 3:50.46, far clear of CBA’s time of 3:57.89.
In the Class C diving competition held the day before at Nottingham High School, the Lakers’ Gabriella Capozza got fourth place with 301.15 points and Kyra Cottrill (274.95 points) was sixth, though they both trailed the Brothers’ Sam Lanzafame, whose total of 447.05 points qualified her for the Nov. 18-19 state championships at Ithaca College.
Skaneateles, due to its quick time in the 200 medley relay, was going to the state meet, too, but would still test itself against the area’s top swimmers during Sunday’s overall sectional meet.
Buchholz, Keady, Drotar and Leah King were third in the 200 medley relay in 1:53.02, close behind CBA (1:52.25) and Liverpool (1:52.91), while Buchholz, in 54.86 seconds, was third in the 100 freestyle, inches behind Jamesville-DeWitt’s Alexis Phillips (54.82 seconds) for the runner-up spot, with Leah King fifth in 55.87 seconds.
Keady contended in the 100 breaststroke, posting 1:10.68 to finish third behind Baldwinsville’s Noelle Staso (1:07.04) and Liverpool’s Ali Testone (1:08.73). Grace Femano got fifth place in the 100 backstroke in 1:03.33.
As a team, Skaneateles earned 158 points, tying Auburn for sixth place. In a close fight for the top spot, sectional Class A champion Fayetteville-Manlius, with 231 points, edged Liverpool (223 points) and J-D (219 points) to prevail.
