BALDWINSVILLE – For many different reasons, the Baldwinsville boys swim team’s 49-45 victory over Jamesville-DeWitt/Christian Brothers Academy Tuesday night was a special one.
It was the home opener at Baker High School pool, always a big occasion. Also, the Red Rams carried a two-season unbeaten streak, having gone 9-0 in the 2022-23 campaign.
Most of all, though, the Bees had to win this without one of its top swimmers, Mikey White, out due to illness – and it did so in large measure due to the trio of Lucas Clay, Matt Lange and Alex Nicita.
Clay, in particular, dazzled, starting in the 200-yard individual medley where, in one minute, 58.97 seconds, he set the pool record beat the standard for the state qualifying meet of 2:00.63 by nearly two full seconds to beat Lesha Kabunov’s strong 2:03.96.
Later in the meet, in the 100 breaststroke, Clay had a sensational race, his 58.20 seconds another pool mark and a full three seconds quicker than the 1:01.20 needed for the state meet and more than 11 seconds ahead of the 1:09.62 from the Rams’ Daniel Luo.
Lange would also win twice in individual events, including a tense 100 butterfly where, in 54.96 seconds, he held off Lesha Kabunov’s 55.22. Then, in the 100 backstroke, Lange’s 55.61 inched closer to the state qualifying standard of 54.82.
Nicita stepped up in the sprints, swimming the 50 freestyle in 23.71 seconds to go 1-2 with Mason Stever’s 23.86. The 100 freestyle saw Nicita and Stever again sweep the top spots, Nicita winning in 52.70 and Stever second in 53.50.
All of this led to decisive relay performances. In the 200 freestyle relay, Stever, Nicita, Lange and Clay would tear to a time of 1:31.22, pulling away from J-D/CBA’s 1:36.82.
Still, the Bees and Rams were tied going to the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, where the same quartet that won the 200 freestyle relay returned and, in 3:20.74, set a fifth pool mark for the meet ahead of the Rams’ 3:27.32 and also took third in 3:47.53 for clinching points.
All of this came in a meet where J-D/CBA standout Misha Kabunov qualified for the state meet in two other events, tearing to 1:44.20 in the 200 freestyle and 4:44.17 in the 500 freestyle, both of them also pool records.
Now the Bees hope to get White back in the lineup for its last meet of 2023 next Tuesday when it hosts Fayetteville-Manlius.
