Even during the holiday break, the West Genesee boys swim team was quite busy on several fronts.
The main event, on Dec. 28, was the Gary Griffin Memorial Sprint Fundraiser, an event named in honor of the late swimming coach Gary Griffin, who passed away in December 2017.
In 1968, Griffin founded the boys swim program at Weesdport High School, and helmed it until 2003. His swimmers won 26 Section III Class B titles while he also served as that school’s athletic director.
Proceeds from the event benefited the Gary Griffin Memorial Fund, and the format included tradtitional swim events plus 50-yard versions of the butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke not normally contested.
Ryan McMahon nearly gave WG a win in the 100 breaststroke, as his time of one minute, 3.79 seconds pulled away from everyone except Baldwinsville’s Nick Schultz, who prevailed in 1:02.32. McMahon also took fourth place in the 50-yard breaststroke in 29.69 seconds, not far from Schultz’s winning 28.57.
McMahon also helped Scharoun, Cameron Chao and Alex Shuron get fourth place in the 200 medley relay in 1:46.16. Chao gained seventh place in the 50 butterfly in 27.91 seconds and McMahon was eighth in the 100-yard individual medley in 1:02.29.
Keegan Scharoun rose to third place in the 50 backstroke, posting a time of 27.49 seconds as Jamesville-DeWitt/CBA’s Chris Bushnell won in 25.75 seconds in addition to his state meet-qualifying 54.65 in the 100 backstroke. Scharoun, paired with Shuron, McMahon and Tiernan Guy, got fifth place in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:38.72.
A day earlier, on Dec. 27, five WG divers took part in the Mexico Diving Invitational, with David Puma and Justin Byrne each recording top-five finishes.
Puma was fourth, with 370.60 points, just ahead of Byrne (357.70 points) in fifth place as Jamesville-DeWitt/CBA’s Lucas Dekaney won with a state meet-qualifying total of 479.35 points.
Parker McIlroy made his way to eighth place for the Wildcats with 325.60 points. Bryan Reichart, with 295.85 points, was 14th, two spots ahead of Kyle Collins, who had 249.35 points.
WG would have its next head-to-head meet on Tuesday, hosting Oswego on Senior Night before a Thursday-night showdown with undefeated Liverpool.
