SYRACUSE – If nothing else, the Baldwinsville boys swim team could walk away from its 2021-22 season with the proud fact that it defeated both of its closest neighbors head-to-head.
Having ended a long drought against Liverpool on Dec. 7, the Bees met Cicero-North Syracuse exactly one month later and put together an 88-75 victory over the Northstars.
C-NS was having its home meets this winter at Nottingham High School, exactly where B’ville had competed on Dec. 28 in the Griffin Sprint Invitational and earned plenty of accolades.
Mikey White went 22.45 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, a season-best time, and won that race before going to the 100 freestyle and, in 50.22 seconds, beating Oneida’s Andrew Hicks (51.13) by nearly a full second.
In the 25-yard freestyle, White was second in 10.64 seconds to Hicks’ 10.49. White, Ben Webster, Harrison Meyers and Matt Lange were second in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:35.81, just behind Fulton’s 1:35.67
Lange took fourth in the 50 backstroke in 28.91 seconds, edging Trevor Kantak (28.95) in fifth place. Keenan Smith took sixth place in the 50 breaststroke,in 32.91 seconds, while Kantak was seventh in the 50 butterfly in 26.53. Treygan St. John was eighth in the 100 butterfly and Lange ninth in the 100 individual medley.
Now, in the head-to-head meet with C-NS, the Bees didn’t have White in the lineup, but still utilized its depth to get away from the Northstars.
Meyers, in 2:15.33, beat the field in the 200 individual medley, While Jayden Miranda took the 500 freestyle in 5:56.47 and Keenan Smith went 1:13.37 to prevail in the 100 breaststroke, with Elijah Bettinger (1:16.15) third.
Lange, in 1:05.67, finished second in the 100 backstroke, with Miranda fourth and Brennan Gruppe third to go with his second in the 100 butterfly in 1:04.56, where St. John was third and Zach Ehrig fourth. Kantak took second in the 50 freestyle in 25.22 seconds, with Lucas Clay third and Alex Nicita fourth.
Pairing up in the 200 freestyle relay, Lange, Meyers, Kantak and Gruppe posted 1:40.87 to win that race as Miranda, Lange, Meyers and Nicita went 3:54.90 in the 400 freestyle relay.
After taking on Oswego early next week, B’ville is scheduled to return to Nottingham again next Friday for the Salt City Athletic Conference championships.
