CENTRAL NEW YORK – Two close meets decided by two points apiece for the Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool boys swim teams ultimately led to contrasting results.
The Northstars were successful at Fulton last Tuesday night defeating the Red Dragons 92-90, while Liverpool was not as successful at Auburn a night later falling to the Maroons 86-84.
For C-NS, defeating Fulton required keeping up in points but not taking the lead for good until the final event. Trailing 86-82, it won the 400-yard freestyle relay in three minutes 46.76 seconds and also got third place for the clinching points.
It also helped to sweep all 13 points in diving. Nate Ornoski, who earned a berth in March’s state championship meet at Ithaca College with his second-place finish at the Dec. 27 Mexico Dive Meet, got 258.50 points to win here, Chris Koegel (224.00 points) edging Carter Canastra (223.15) by less than a point for second place.
Brandon Keil got going when, in the 200 freestyle, he posted 1:55.60 and finished 1-2 with Anthony Aloi’s 2:04.42. In the 500 freestyle, Aloi got to the top in 5:35.16, more than 15 seconds ahead of the field.
Ryan Lasher, in 1:03.29, took the 100 backstroke beating Koegel’s second-place 1:09.80. Keil finished second in the 100 freestyle in 51.35 seconds, with Sean Lo ughlin third and Bryson Duncan fourth.
Leo Alexander beat the field in the 100 butterfly going 58.68 seconds and was second in the 200 individual medley in 2:14 flat, with Lukan Burak third (25.99) and Lasher fourth (26.25) in the 50 freestyle. Logan Tyo was third in the 100 breaststroke.
In the Liverpool meet with Auburn it trailed 80-76 with one race to go, and while it won the closing 400 freestyle relay in 3:36.61 for eight points the Maroons got the next two spots and six points, enough to hang on.
Prior to that, Jack Cavallerano tore to a time of 50.30 seconds to win the 100 freestyle and went 1:01.68 for another victory in the 100 backstroke. There was a 1-2 finish in the 100 butterfly, Leo Encarnacion going 1:02.72 to top Sean O’Neil’s 1:03.74.
James Hayden went 1:57.20 to edge Auburn’s Caleb McMillan (1:58.42) in the 200 freestyle, then added a second title in the 500 freestyle in 5:30.15 holding off the Maroons’ Drew Herrling (5:32.16).
Bryce Shutts was victorious in the 200 IM in 2:14.15 and O’Neil beat the field in the 50 freestyle in 23.56 seconds, Shutts adding a second in the 100 breaststroke as his 1:11.70 just trailed the 1:11.56 of the Maroons’ Quin Didio. In the 200 medley relay Liverpool prevailed in 1:50.67, but was second in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:43.22 to Auburn’s 1:41.89.