Though the Skaneateles girls swim team finished second to Christian Brothers Academy at last Saturday’s Onondaga High School League championship meet, few individuals could match the effort of Lily Buchholz.
On the way to earning 417 points to edge Mexico (416 points) for the runner-up spot behind CBA (527 points), the Lakers saw Buchholz win two events and also had Marcellus swimmers who compete with Skaneateles win, too.
In the 50-yard freestyle, Buchholz blazed to victory in 25.13 seconds, well clear of CBA’s Kaitlyn Bushnell (25.81) and the field. Then, in the 100 backstroke, Buchholz went 1:02.50 to beat the Brothers’ Darien Tompkins (1:03.63).
One of those Marcellus swimmers, Grace Femano, prevailed in the 100 freestyle, going 57.54 seconds to edge CBA’s Kaitlyn Bushnell (57.84) as the Mustangs’ Emily Comer finished fifth in 1:01.28 and Allison Comer was third in the 500 freestyle in 5:59.68 and Femano was fourth (1:06.25) in the 100 backstroke.
Skaneateles had its best relay effort in the 200 freestyle relay, where Buchholz, paired with Rory Comer, Gabriella Capozza and Alice Spaulding, finished in 1:52.04, beaten only by CBA’s 1:50.58.
In the 200 medley relay, Buchholz, Grace King, Ava Prochna and Gabriella Capozza finished third in 2:02.93 as CBA won in a meet-record time of 1:52.74. King and Prochna joined Comer and Spaulding for third place in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:23.90.
Prochna got third place in the 100 breaststroke in 1:18.12, with Rory Comer fourth in 1:19.64 and Spaulding (1:20.30) in fifth place. Also, Prochna made it to fourth place in the 200 freestyle in 2:31.67, with Allison Cirincione, Emily Parks, Marcella Buchholz, Hope Azzam and Mary Vernak all in the top 10.
King also was fourth in the 100 butterfly in 1:09.20 and fourth in the 500 freestyle in 6:04.19. Capozza took fifth place in the 50 freestyle and ninth in the 100 freestyle, with Lexis Cottrill seventh in the 50 freestyle and Rory Comer 10th in the 100 freestyle.
Spaulding finished fifth in the 200 individual medley in 2:35.95, with Ivy Carter seventh and Lili Winkelman 10th. Carter added a ninth-place finish in the 100 butterfly, while Winkelman was seventh and Hope Azzam ninth in the 500 freestyle. Kyra Cottrill was ninth in the 100 backstroke, with Lexie Cottrill eighth and Carlee Pitman ninth in the 100 breaststroke.
After all this, the Lakers had a meet against its Route 20 neighbors from Auburn last Wednesday night, and held up well, though it took an 88-78 defeat to the Maroons.
Buchholz, in 1:05.32, edged Auburn’s Maura Moochler (1:05.85) in a tight 100 backstroke duel, while King won the 200 IM in 2:37.31 and was second in the 100 freestyle. Rory Comer had the top time of 6:18.66 in the 500 freestyle.
Spaulding was second in the 200 freestyle in 2:18.04, while Prochna got second place in the 100 breaststroke in 1:18.31 ahead of Spaulding (1:19.62). Kennedy Wilson led Auburn, winning the 100 freestyle in 57.80 seconds and the 50 freestyle in 26.01 seconds.
Skaneateles would end its regular season Monday at West Genesee, knowing that it will host the Section III Class C championship races on Nov. 3.
