BALDWINSVILLE – Aiming to climb back to the top of the area large-school ranks after a solid 5-2 record in 2023, the Liverpool girls swim team found success in its season opener Wednesday night at Baldwinsville.
Despite the Bees winning the majority of the events, Liverpool’s depth led to eight runner-up finishes to the hosts’ three and, with a meet-closing relay title, a 49-45 victory.
Everything was still in doubt going to that last race, the 400-yard freestyle relay. Then Isabelle Akley, Brielle Bryant, Elizabeth Manley and Arianna Kuznia pulled away in four minutes, 6.11 seconds, well clear of B’ville’s 4:27.56.
Most of Liverpool’s success came in sprint races. Going 1-2 in the 50 freestyle, the visitors had Kuznia get the victory in 26.85 seconds and Manley earn second place in 27.95.
Later, in the 100 freestyle, it was Manley’s turn on top, getting the title in 1:01.69 over the 1:02.49 from Allison Kyle, a Cato-Meridian swimmer.
Bryant had the other win, going 2:28.52 to beat Olivia McManus (2:33.58) in the 200 individual medley to go with her second in the 100 butterfly in 1:11.86 as Mary Hayden (1:16.96) was third.
Natalie Thompson, in 2:13.22, was just behind Addie Atherton (2:12.13) in the 200 freestyle, with Akley second in the 500 freestyle in 6:22.50, Kuznia second in the 100 backstroke in 1:08.29 to Ella Mekker’s 1:07.32 and Victoria Erardi second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:22.63 as Ruby Brown (1:23.79) was third.
To open the meet, Liverpool’s 200 medley relay team of Bryant, Akley, Brown and Abbigail Lane was second (2:08.12) to the Bees’ 2:05.35, while in the 200 freestyle relay Kuznia, Brown, Thompson and Manley went 1:52.90 to trail B’ville’s 1:51.47.
Liverpool’s home opener is next Thursday night against Cicero-North Syracuse, which comes just two days after the Northstars open its own season facing Fayetteville-Manlius at Nottingham High School, still C-NS’s home venue.
