BALDWINSVILLE – Baldwinsville’s girls swim team had to wait more than six months for a season that typically takes place during the fall.
Most of the other high school girls swim teams in Section III did the same, as concerns over COVID-19 last summer and the risk of indoor sporting events remained largely unknown at the time.
But the successful completion of a boys swimming season in the winter eased those concerns and the girls Bees began practice at the start of March, looking forward to 11 meets in the ensuing two months.
In the first of those meets, B’ville hosted Oswego and took a 49-43 defeat to the Buccaneers, despite a pair of indivdual victories from both Ashley Konz and Eva Smith.
Konz struck first in the 200-yard individual medley, where in two minutes, 31.15 seconds she outlasted Oswego’s Mallory Upcraft, who was second in 2:38.62.
Later, in the 100 backstroke, Konz put up a time of 1:03.05, just ahead of the Bucs’ Sydney DeLapp, who went 1:05.32.
As for Smith, she pulled away from Oswego’s Grace Wing in the 50 freestyle by two full seconds, 26.13 to 28.13, and then went to the longest race, the 500 freestyle, where she tore to victory in 5:28.46.
In the 200 freestyle relay, Smith, Konz , Erin Gruppe and Sauro went 1:59.52, just behind the Bucs’ 1:59.38. Makenna Williams was second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:38.09 and helped Smith, Sauro and Konz swim the 200 medley relay in 2:10.59, just behind Oswego’s 2:08.87.
To lead Oswego, Upcraft took the 100 butterfly in 1:14.15, with DeLapp going 2:02.43 in the 200 freestyle as Wing was victorious in the 100 freestyle in 1:03.24.
B’ville would practice for another week until it met Mexico on Tuesday, two days before a trip to Liverpool.
