Even as sweltering summer heat lingered into the first week of school, the West Genesee girls swim team was indoors, commencing a new season and breaking into the win column.
The Wildcats visited Auburn Wednesday night, and it trailed by two with three races left before sweeping the top spots in those events and defeating the Maroons 91-79.
Senior Maddie Zapisek twice won in the early stages, having gone two minutes, 2.67 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle and then dominating the 500 freestyle, her time of 5:31.89 ahead of the Maroons’ Claire Alexander (5:42.10).
Despite this, Auburn led, 63-61, after it won a close 200 freestyle relay, 1:47.39 to WG’s 1:47.78, so some big performances were needed late, and the Wildcats provided them.
Maggie Smith needed 1:09.44 to beat the Maroons’ Izabella Diallo (1:17.70) in the 100 backstroke, this following her early victory in the 200 individual medley, holding off Auburn’s Sydney Murinka, 2:32.60 to 2:35.84.
Moving to the penultimate race, the 100 breaststroke, WG prevailed again as Haley Hagadorn posted a time of 1:16.47, just ahead of Murinka’s 1:17.70.
Still, the Wildcats needed to win the closing 400 freestyle relay, and did so with ease as Zapisek and Smith, joined by Anna Ivery and Hannah Murdoch, finished in 4:05.08, well clear of Auburn’s 4:24.11.
Ivery was second in two different races, runner-up in 26.15 seconds to Maura Moochler’s 26 seconds flat in the 50 freestyle and also second in the 100 butterfly in 1:08.77 as Alexander (1:03.10) prevailed.
Murdoch went 58.84 seconds in the 100 freestyle, getting second place behind Moochler (57.24) as Smith, Hagadorn, Miki Riley and Juliana Lisi went 2:03.14 in the 200 medley relay, with Auburn winning in 1:59.79.
WG has its home opener next Tuesday against Oswego, two days before a trip to New Hartford.
