BALDWINSVILLE – After four consecutive victories in December, the West Genesee boys swim team would have its most challenging stretch of the regular season in the first two meets of 2024.
It began Thursday night, with the Wildcats at Baker High School to take on Baldwinsville. Proving that its own 4-0 start was legitimate, the Bees would prevail by a 50-42 margin.
Here was where WG’s lack of home meets would hurt, because it would have earned points from diving and had no chance to do so at B’ville, where that would prove a factor.
Still, the Wildcats won the opening race on the card. Ryan Goshow, David Martin, Brady Lee and Matt Keiling worked together to swim the 200-yard medley relay in one minute, 51.17 seconds, topping the Bees’ 1:54.53.
Later in the meet, Keiling would prevail in the 100 butterfly, going 1:04.02 to top the 1:06.81 from B’ville’s Treygan St. John, to go with a third in the 50 freestyle in 25.81 seconds.
Martin got his own victory in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in a season-best 1:06.06, more than eight seconds ahead of the field. He also was second in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:17.98.
Gavin Flanagan got under two minutes in the 200 freestyle, finishing second in 1:59.14, and added a second in the 500 freestyle in 5:19.79. Goshow went 1:00.07 in the 100 backstroke to finish second and was third in the 100 freestyle in 53.13 seconds.
B’ville had several standouts posting state-qualifying times, from the 200 freestyle relay’s 1:29.49 to Lucas Clay going 4:43.78 in the 500 freestyle and Mikey White putting up 1:44.13 in the 200 freestyle and 48.24 seconds in the 100 freestyle.
From here, WG turns to another undefeated opponent, Liverpool, and travels to face the Warriors next Tuesday night.
