BALDWINSVILLE – As it moved into a two-week mid-season break, the Baldwinsville boys swim team did so with a perfect 4-0 record and multiple competitors already having earned state championship berths in individual events.
What was done in a landmark win over Jamesville-DeWitt/CBA on Dec. 12 was expanded upon a week later against Fayetteville-Manlius as the Bees, clinching the meet with three races to go, was tops in every single race while prevailing 47-43.
Mikey White proved the big story. Having missed the J-D/CBA meet due to illness, the Le Moyne College-bound senior put up state meet-qualifying times in two more events.
Tearing through the 50-yard freestyle, White, in 21.99 seconds, dipped under the state qualifying standard of 22.19 again and easily topped the 23.48 from F-M’s Derick Wang. Mason Stever was third in 23.56.
Right after, in the 100 butterfly, White’s 52.67 seconds bettered the state qualifying mark (53.96) by more than a full second, leaving the Hornets’ Max Vidakovic behind despite Vidakovic’s solid 57.56.
Also, White nearly helped the Bees get to the state meet standard in the 200 medley relay, joining Lucas Clay, Alex Nicita and Matt Lange to go 1:30.15 when 1:30.12 was needed.
Still, it was a relay sweep, with White, Nicita, Clay and Lange going 3:20.32 in the 400 freestyle relay after Stever, Jayden Miranda, Marco VanCour and Ian Clay started by winning the 200 medley relay in 1:54.47.
Taking his turn in the 200 freestyle, Clay won in 1:47.76 ahead of Nicita’s 1:54.71 and added a best time of 1:00.85 in the 100 breaststroke, while Lange went 57.32 seconds to beat F-M’s James Cao (1:00.84) in the 100 backstroke and went 2:06.26 in the 200 individual medley to beat VanCour’s 2:20.69.
Stever earned a title of his own in the 100 freestyle, needing 51.88 seconds as Nicita (52.05) again settled for second place. Miranda was victorious in the 500 freestyle in 5:27.56 to edge the 5:30.36 from F-M’s Ben Matthews.
It is important for B’ville to continue winning when its season resumes Jan. 4 against West Genesee since tough road meets at Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool close out the regular season.
