Unlike some of its Salt City Athletic Conference rivals, the West Genesee girls swim team did not have a heavy slate of September matches, and still flourished for the most part.
The Wildcats went to 3-1 on the season last Tuesday night against visiting Mexico, with Maddie Zapisek, Hannah Jasinski and Anna Ivery leading the effort in a 96-87 victory over the Tigers, who were coming off a victory in the Sept. 23 Watertown Invitational.
Zapisek gave WG its first win of the meet when she swam the 200-yard individual medley in two minutes, 24.26 seconds, edging Mexico’s Jesse Faulkner (2:26.42) for that top spot. In the 100 freestyle, Zapisek, in 58.65 seconds, was the only competitor to go under a minute.
Jasinski swam with Ivery, Maggie Smith and Miki Riley was WG was second (2:05.27) to Mexico (2;05.20) in the 200 medley relay, but she helped clinch the Wildcats’ victory when she covered the 100 breaststroke in 1:15.35 and, with Zapisek, Riley and Ivery, edged the Tigers, 1:48.86 to 1:48.99, in the 200 freestyle relay.
Ivery also earned an individual title, going 27.07 seconds to hold off Mexico’s Alexa Von Holtz (27.11 seconds) in a close 50 freestyle, while WG went 1-2 in diving thanks to Claire Kitts, who won with 193.75 points, and Kathleen Draveck, who was second with 169.20 points.
Mexico’s Carolyn Zedack won the 200 freestyle (2:07.98) over the Wildcats’ Allison Putnam (2:10.28) in second place as Cassie Lenhardt was second (5;50.58) to Zedack (5:41.14) in the 500 freestyle. Smith was second in the 100 backstroke in 1:11.78 to the Tigers’ Reatha Von Holtz (1:06.57).
Just two nights later, WG swam again, this time at Baldwinsville, where it did enough to hold off the Bees 46-42 as, again, Zapisek won twice, going 27.03 seconds in the 50 freestyle and swimming the 500 freestyle in 5:45.92.
Putnam needed 2:30.51 to prevail in the 200 IM, while Jasinski was first in the 100 butterfly in 1:07.25. Riley got first place in the 100 freestyle in 1:02.73 and helped Jasinski, Ivery and Haley Hagadorn take the 200 medley relay in 2:06.17.
In the 200 freestyle relay, WG had Jasinski, Maggie Linton, Morgan Cappon and Mykenzie Oslica finish in a top time of 1:55.38. Ivery posted the fastest 100 backstroke time of 1:09.31 and Hagadorn did the same in the 100 breaststroke in 1:18.61.
Now at 4-1, WG would meet the Syracuse City team on Tuesday and go to Cazenovia College Friday night to try and keep up with SCAC Metro division leader Fayetteville-Manlius.
