As it has continued to build its reputation and earned Section III championships, some goals have still eluded the Skaneateles girls swim team.
But one of them was cast aside last Friday night when the Lakers, for the first time in program history, defeated New Hartford, needing every single point to edge past the Spartans 92-91.
In the opening race, the 200-yard medley relay, Skaneateles earned first place as Lily Buchholz, Grace King, Rory Comer and Alice Spaulding finished in two minutes, 2.53 seconds to New Hartford’s 2:05.88.
From there, Buchholz went on to take the 50 freestyle, going 26.56 seconds as part of a 1-2 effort in the 50 freestyle with Elizabeth Springer, who was second in 27.24 seconds.
Buchholz (58.72 seconds) and Springer (59.71) were second and third, respectively, behind the Spartans’ Kim MacDonald (58.41) in the 100 freestyle, but in the 200 freestyle relay that pair, along with Rory and Caitlin Comer, won in 1:50.79, edging New Hartford’s 1:51.38 for crucial points.
King twice finished second, going 2:12.56 in the 200 freestyle and 5:55.77 in the 500 freestyle as Lili Winkelman finished third. Spaulding got runner-up finishes in the 200 individual medley in 2:29.39 and the 100 backstroke in 1:12.91. Carlee Pitman finished third in diving with 164.25 points.
After Amelia Musso got second place in the 100 butterfly in 1:13.27 to the 1:12.52 from the Spartans’ Riley Brennan, the Lakers earned a big win in the 100 breaststroke when Rory Comer posted 1:16.29 to the 1:18.20 from New Hartford’s Natalie D’Amore.
With the score 88-81 and one race left, the Lakers merely needed to finish second in the closing 400 freestyle relay. New Hartford won in 4:02.65, but Spaulding, King, Springer and Winkelman got second place in 4:03.02 and Skaneateles clinched the win.
Skaneateles (4-4) is at home on Wednesday night to face West Genesee and closes the regular season Oct. 23 against Auburn.
