ONONDAGA COUNTY – During the first week of October, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse girls swim teams both earned comfortable victories against league competition.
In the Warriors’ case, it meant taking on Oswego/Mexico and, bouncing back from its Sept. 27 defeat to Fayetteville-Manlius, prevailing 111-75 on Senior Night Wednesday at the LHS pool.
To lead the way, Kaitlyn Thompson went 26.58 seconds to beat out Oswego/Mexico’s Joscein Coniski (26.97) in the 50-yard freestyle, right before she went to the 100 butterfly and pulled away to post 1:05.88 for first place.
Again, the quartet of Thompson, Arianna Kuznia, Sarah Colwell and Elizabeth Manley won two relays, going 1:48.91 to hold off Oswego/Mexico (1:49.78) in the 200 freestyle relay before a time of 4:01.30 in the 400 freestyle relay.
Kuznia, second in the 100 backstroke in 1:10.82, was victorious in the 100 freestyle, her 58.27 seconds edging the 58.47 from Oswego/Mexico’s Ciarrah Tynan as Colwell went 5:53.54 in the 500 freestyle for a 1-2-3 finish with Isabelle Akley and Alannah Murphy, Akley having already beaten Manley, 2:31.92 to 2:37.49, in the 200 individual medley.
Back at the start of the meet, Ruby Brown, Chloe Jaquin, Mary Hayden and Carly Ross paired to win the 200 medley relay in 2:12.55. Brown would tack on a victory in the 100 backstroke in 1:19 flat.
A day earlier, at Nottingham High School, C-NS hosted Baldwinsville and, with a balanced and talented lineup, was able to secure a 95-77 victory over the Bees.
At the outset, a tough 200 medley relay saw Kate Gucciardi, Molly Gucciardi, Leah Benedict and Rose Coleman get first place in 2:01.73 to B’ville’s 2:04.76.
Benedict would beat the field in the 100 butterfly in a quick 1:03.66, with Molly Gucciardi taking the 100 breaststroke in 1:20.97 and Kate Gucciardi winning the 100 freestyle in 1:00.29 to Coleman’s 1:01.06.
Sophia Sugrue amassed an impressive 239.1 points in diving, as Katelyn Stewart (6:21.18) edged Abigail Bouziden (6:21.42) in the 500 freestyle.
Molly Gucciardi was a close second (2:30.61) to the Bees’ Olivia McManus (2:30.07) in the 200 individual medley, while Kate Gucciardi, helped by Coleman, Benedict and Cassidy Payrot, tore to 1:50.83 in the 200 freestyle relay. B’ville was led by Eva Smith taking the 50 freestyle in 25.51 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 1:01.39.
Prior to all this, C-NS and Liverpool divers took part in the Sept. 30 Burgos Dive Invitational at Nottingham, where Sugrue nearly went to the top.
With 390.45 points, Sugrue was just ahead of Liverpool’s June Pioreski (389.3) in third place. Molly Murphy, Pioroeski’s teammate, was fourth with 366.15 points.
The Northstars’ Isabella Moya was seventh with 319.6 and Liverpool’s Sofia Valente (299.8) was ninth. Jamesville-DeWitt’s Kayla McQuaid won with a total of 456.55 that qualified her for November’s state championship meet.
A tough meet next Tuesday sees Liverpool challenged by Christian Brothers Academy as C-NS takes on Syracuse City.
