Going into 2020, the Liverpool boys swim team was primed to roll through all of its opposition again, and already had some serious accomplishments in the books.
When the Warriors took part in last Friday’s Gary Griffin Sprint Invitaitonal, it twice won with times good enough to qualify for the March 6-7 state championship meet on Long Island.
One came from Griffin Merkling in the 100-yard backstroke. Merkling’s top time of 53.95 seconds easily soared past the state qualifying standard of 54.82 and beat Syracuse’s Halal Bemad (57.51) by nearly four seconds.
Then, in the closing 200 freestyle relay, Merkling, joined by Curtis Merrick, Brandon Nguyen and Julien Brownlow, prevailed in 1:29.48 to top the 1:30.12 needed for the state meet. Fayetteville-Manlius was second in 1:36.51.
But that wasn’t all, as Merkling, swimming in the 100 butterfly, fought his way to a victory in 55.33 seconds over Baldwinsville’s Nick Schultz (56.26), and then beat Schultz, 55.46 seconds to 56.38, in the 100 individual medley as Merrick was fifth in 1:02.29.
Brownlow, in 22.37 seconds, won the 50 freestyle, with Cicero-North Syracuse’s Seaver Schultz getting second place in 22.74 seconds. In the 100 freestyle, Schultz finished third in 51.02 seconds.
Brownlow also finished fourth in the 50 butterfly in 26.01 seconds, where Merrick emerged victorious in 24.72 seconds. In the 50 backstroke, Merrick, in 26.13 seconds, went 1-2 with Jack Andrejko (27.32) as Tima Vasylevskyi gained fourth place in 27.44 seconds.
Nguyen finished fourth in the 50 breaststroke in 31.33 seconds, with Ryan Wilhelm 10th as Nguyen was ninth in the 50 butterfly.
Nate Knapp was eighth in the 50 freestyle and Alex Wagner was eighth in the 100 backstroke as the Warriors took seventh place in the 200 individual medley and Josh Foley was ninth in the 100 freestyle.
