CENTRAL NEW YORK – For seven years, league opponents of the Fayetteville-Manlius girls swim team had tried, in vain, to keep up with the depth and talent the Hornets possessed.
At last, someone caught up.
Hosting Liverpool at Cazenovia College last Friday night, the Hornets won a majority of the events, but with a series of second and third-place finishes the Warriors prevailed 96-90, ending F-M’s 64-meet win streak.
An omen came in the opening event, the 200-yard medley relay, when F-M’s top team had a disqualification and its other side finished a close second (2:11.14) to Liverpool’s 2:10.87.
Battling back, the Hornets saw Georgia Langan take first in the 200 freestyle in 2:05.93 to Sarah Colwell’s 2:07.28 and then go 56.20 seconds to pull away and win the 100 freestyle.
Elise Wratney also won twice, taking the 200 individual medley in 2:18.73 and the 500 freestyle in 5:32.35 as Cecilia Cao, second (25.99 seconds) to Kaitlyn Thomspson (25.83) in the 50 freestyle, would edge Emerson Gellert, 1:07.49 to 1:07.51, in the 100 butterfly.
Devon Sedlack earned 196.95 points to win in diving, but Liverpool took the next three spots and scattered many other second and third-place finishes throughout the night to maintain a slim lead.
F-M did tie it, 86-86, as Lily Fowler, in 1:19.50, was just behind Julia King (1:19.32) in a tight 100 breaststroke, leading to a decisive 400 freestyle relay.
Wratney, Langan, Samantha Roddy and Kate Milson won in 3:53.97, but Liverpool grabbed the second (3:57.82) and third (4:14.61) spots ahead of the Hornets’ fourth-place 4:16.92 and finished on top.
Back on Tuesday, Jamesville-DeWitt, whom F-M beat on Sept. 16, faced Cicero-North Syracuse at Nottingham High School and took a 96-87 defeat to the Northstars.
C-NS picked up enough points to clinch the meet with two events left, though the Red Rams got individual titles from Thearyn Wales, Gwen Lister, Samantha Wheeler and Margaret Lister.
In 2:19.76, Gwen Lister claimed the 200 IM as Margaret Lister was first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:15.78 after a 100 freestyle where, in 1:00.75, she was second to Wales’ 59.77.
Wheeler needed 2:16.73 to pull away and win the 200 freestyle, with Gwen Lister second in the 100 butterfly in 1:06.38. J-D took just one of the three relays as Wheeler, Wales, Sinead McDevitt and Nora Barnello went 4:16.26 in the 400 freestyle relay.
