Even before he got to 2020, Baldwinsville boys swimmer Nick Schultz made sure that he would spend the first week of March battling for state championship honors.
Schultz earned his berth in the March 6-7 state meet at Nassau County Aquatic Center on Long Island with his superb effort in the 100-yard breaststroke during last Friday’s Gary Griffin Sprint Invitational.
Reaching the state meet required a time of one minute, 1.20 seconds, but Schultz went far past that mark, tearing to victory in 57.68 seconds. The runner-up, West Genesee’s Ryan McMahon, was more than six seconds behind in 1:03.84.
And that wasn’t the only time B’ville would emerge triumphant from the Griffin meet, named in honor of the late coach and administrator best remembered for founding and establishing the Weedsport program.
In the opening 200-yard medley relay, Schultz, paired with Bailey Ludden, John Burns and Quinn Gruppe, went a season-best 1:44.01 to beat out West Genesee’s 1:45.13 and prevail.
Schultz also contended in the 100 butterfly, where in 56.26 seconds he beat everyone except Liverpool’s Griffin Merkling, who prevailed in 55.33 seconds. Burns finished fifth in 57.93 seconds and Gruppe (1:02.17) was eighth.
Right after, in the 100 individual medley, Schultz went 56.38 seconds, and once again only Merkling proved better as he was first in 55.46 seconds.
Tristam Miranda (1:04.38) finished 11th in that IM, but also swam in the 200 freestyle relay with Trevor Kantak, Harrison German and Harrison Meyers, the Bees finishing fourth in 1:44.32.
Ludden got fourth place in the 50 freestyle in 23.12 seconds and, in the 100 freestyle, finished fourth again in 51.24 seconds. Burns was eighth in the 50 butterfly in 26.34 seconds as Trevor Kantak (27.62) got 12th place.
Miranda swam in the 50 backstroke, where he was eighth in 30.45 seconds. Smith got ninth place in the 50 breaststroke in 32.45 seconds, while Mason Isbell was 12th in the 100 backstroke in 1:08.75.
Then the Bees’ regular season resumed Thursday against Oswego, and amid a crowded schedule B’ville shuffled its top swimmers into other races and, remaining undefeated, beat the Buccaneers 52-33.
Schultz worked in the sprints, going 22.59 seconds in the 50 freestyle and 49.24 seconds in the 100 freestyle, not too far from the state qualifiying standards in either of those events.
Burns swam the 100 butterfly in 58.80 seconds and the 200 freestyle in 2:01.19, winning both races. Miranda, in 2:18.99, edged Meyers (2:20.32) in the 200 IM as Burns, Gruppe, German and Eric Smith went 1:41.85 in the 200 freestyle relay. Ludden helped Burns, German and Miranda swim the 400 freestyle relay in 3:40.37.
After appearing in Saturday’s Yeti Classic at Webster Schroeder, near Rochester, the Bees have two more league meets at home against Mexico next Tuesday and Syracuse next Friday.
