ONONDAGA COUNTY – One of the big meets of the 2024-25 season for the Liverpool boys swim team would involve challenging its neighbors from Baldwinsville, the reigning Section III Class A champions.
Yet even with another standout effort from Jack Cavallerano with wins in four different events, it was the Bees prevailing 50-44.
Starting out in the 200-yard medley relay Liverpool’s time of one minute 49.30 seconds won over B’ville’s 1:57.78 and Cavallerano, part of that event, also helped the 200 freestyle relay side get first place in 1:37.65.
In the 200 freestyle Cavallerano’s 1:54.14 was more than five seconds clear of the 1:59.21 of the Bees’ Marco VanCour, who beat out Ryan Vann (1:59.39) in third place. He then rolled to first in the 100 butterfly in 52.61 seconds beating the field by more than seven seconds.
Sean O’Neil, who specializes in the sprints, won the 50 freestyle in 23.69 well clear of the 25.21 of B’ville’s Owen Nizar, but in the 100 freestyle O’Neil’s 52.22 trailed the Bees’ Alex Nicita going 49.81.
James Hayden went 59.01 seconds to win the 100 backstroke and was second in the 200 individual medley in 2:07.48 to the 2:04.78 of he Bees’ Alex Nicita as Bryce Shutts was third in 2:15.52. Vann added a third in the 500 freestyle in 5:35.43 and Shutts a second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.32.
Liverpool tuned up for this meet with an impressive effort in its Jan. 17 meet at West Genesee where Cavallerano, O’Neil and Shutts both won two individual events with quick times.
Cavallerano tore through the 100 butterfly in 51.83 seconds after he had gone 1:49.72 in the 200 freestyle to beat the 1:53.66 from the Wildcats’ Gavin Flanagan, who later won the 500 freestyle.
O’Neil swept the sprints, his 23.65 seconds in the 50 freestyle nearly two seconds ahead of WG’s Jacob Skardinski (25.46) before he claimed the 100 freestyle in 51.58 beating the field by more than five seconds.
Early in the meet Shutts posted 2:12.79 to hold off Hayden (2:15.70) in the 200 IM,following this up in the 100 breaststroke with a victory in 1:10.35 as Jake Knapp (1:15.58) was just behind Skardinski (1:13.51).
Hayden would nearly match his season mark winning the 100 backstroke in 58.67 seconds as Ryan Vann’s 5:38.26 put him second in the 500 freestyle as Flanagan won in 5:08.48.
A tight 200 freestyle relay had Liverpool, in 1:38.72, hold off WG (1:38.80) by eight-hundredths of a second as it won the 200 medley relay in 1:50.05 comfortably clear of the Wildcats’ 1:57.35.
Cicero-North Syracuse diver Nate Ornoski would duel again with B’ville’s Nick Pompo last Saturday in the Burgos Diving Invitational. Earning 489.55 points, Ornoski beat everyone except Pompo, who continued his season-long win streak earning 533.20 points.
More important for the Northstars was Chris Koegel taking fifth earning 440.75 points and Carter Canastra (437.80 points) in sixth place, each of them just missing the state qualifying standard of 450.00 points.
