Competition among the area’s trio of high school girls swim teams should prove fierce throughout the fall, with Fayetteville-Manlius already showing that its sudden rise through the ranks in 2016 was not a one-time fluke.
Meeting Liverpool in last Friday’s season opener at the Cazenovia College pool, the Hornets utilized its depth to build an insurmountable lead, eventually prevailing 97-81 over the Warriors.
Addie Antshel, Katie Ottaviano, Emma Reed and Cara Campell provided the proper introduction, dipping under the two-minute mark as their time of one minute, 59.97 seconds brought a victory in the opening 200-yard medley relay.
Hannah Kellogg needed 2:06.69 to prevail in the 200 freestyle, edging out Lindsay Mathews, who was second in 2:06.81. Another 1-2 finish came in the 50 freestyle courtesy of Campell, who edged Sasha Brown, 26.36 seconds to Campell’s 26.56.
In the diving competition, F-M’s Riley Miller dazzled, amassing 270.70 points, with Francesca Femia second thanks to a total of 246.60 points. Antshel returned in the 100 butterfly to prevail in 1:06.36 as Campell again beat Brown, 57.22 seconds to 58.51, in the 100 freestyle.
Mathews returned in the 500 freestyle, where her clocking of 5:39.77 was enough to win as Kellogg took second place in 5:47.67. To clinch it, Brown, Mathews, Campell and Kellogg roared to first place in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:46.23.
Later in the meet, Ottaviano swam the 100 breaststroke in 1:16.45 and Saya Hrosar swam the 100 backstroke in 1:08.75. In the closing 400 freestyle relay, Mathews, Brown, Kellogg and Michelle Sipple finished in 3:56.93.
Jamesville-DeWitt and Christian Brothers Academy got off to winning starts, too. J-D prevailed, 100-78, over the combined Syracuse City team in last Thursday’s season opener at Nottingham High School, the same venue which will again host the Section III championships later this fall.
To start with, Alexis Phillips, Mackenzie Moore, Chryssa Tzetzis and Morgan Binsack claimed victory in the 200-yard medley relay in two minutes, 8.92 seconds. Then Phillips, in 1:06 flat, beat out Moore (1:07.37) as they went 1-2 in the 100 butterfly, while Binsack (1:06.93) edged Lucy Falso (1:06.83) in the 100 freestyle.
A close diving competition saw Lauren Saletsky earn 209.75 points to hold off Allin Lieber-Bendix (205.65 points) for top honors. Amelia Hesler swam the 200 individual medley in 2:16.65.
Going 1-2-3 in the 100 backstroke, the Red Rams saw Emily Ninestein prevail in 1:08.73 over Jade Stephenson (1:09.73) and Sloane Leach (1:13.85), with Claire Leo winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:18.66 and Grace McGuire second in 1:21.12.
Phillips returned in the 200 freestyle relay, pairing with Caitlin McMahon, Julia Antoine and Isabella Rubino to win in 1:48.01 before a 400 freestyle relay where Moore, Ninestein, Aleksandra Patalita and Alice Yi won in 4;16.94.
As for CBA, it had a closer meet against Mexico, but beat the Tigers 94-85 with some quick times from the outset as Darien Tompkins, Lauren Kelly, Julia Torell and Kaitlyn Bushnell tore through the 200 medley relay in 1:56.10. Kelly went 26.32 seconds to go 1-2 with Bushnell (26.96 seconds) in the 50 freestyle.
Torell would win twice more, going 1:02.31 in the 100 butterfly and then prevailing in the 100 backstroke in 1:06.73. Tompkins, in 57.56 seconds, led a 1-2-3 sweep in the 100 freestyle as Katelyn Wendt was second in 1:00.23 and Bushnell was third in 1:02.24.
Wendt did win, though, in the 200 IM in 2:10.85 over Katie Toole (2:12.85) in second place, with Toole also third in the 500 freestyle. Sam Lanzafame amassed 236.6 points on the diving board, with Bella Timmons (144.55 points) second. Alyssa Nicata was third in the 100 backstroke and Grace O’Connor third in the 100 butterfly.
