CENTRAL NEW YORK – With the Section III championships looming in mid-February the Cicero-North Syracuse boys swim team entered into its busiest stretch of the season.
It began last Friday with the Northstars facing Jamesville-DeWitt/Christian Brothers Academy and Syracuse City in a three-team event at Nottingham High School.
Beginning his own busy weekend, Nate Ornoski earned 273.40 points to win a close diving battle with J-D/CBA’s Cameron Corona (267.00) as Chris Koegel was third with 262.95 and Carter Canastra (228.60) was fifth.
Ryan Lasher claimed a title in the 200 freestyle going 2:05.63, also taking third in the 100 freestyle in 57.35 seconds. Leo Alexander beat the field in the 500 freestyle in 5:19 flat as seventh-grader Anthony Aloi was second in 5:31.83.
C-NS was a close second (1:57.73) to the Red Rams (1:56.36) in the 200 medley relay. Lukyn Barak earned second place in the 200 individual medley posting 2:29.57 and the 100 breaststroke with 1:19.49 as Alex Breh (1:21.13) was fourth. The Northstars were also second in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:47.90.
Bryson Duncan went 1:08.43 for second place in the 100 backstroke. Brandon Keil took third (23.80 seconds) and Leo Alexander fourth (24.35) in the 50 freestyle, Keil later going 58.99 for third place in the 100 freestyle.
Ornoski returned to Nottingham less than 24 hours later and, in the Burgos Diving Invitational, edged Corona 489.55 points to 480.8 for second place behind Baldwinsville’s Nick Pompo (533.2) as Koegel was fifth, his 440.75 just missing the 450-point state qualifying standard, and Canastra was sixth with 437.8.
A third event in four days has C-NS going to Mexico Monday night and beating the Tigers 100-83, with two wins apiece from Alexander and Keil.
In a closely-fought 200 IM Alexander’s time of 2:11.31 held off the 2:12.70 of Mexico’s Stefano Magro, with Aloi third in 2:22.91. Then, in the 100 butterfly, Alexander edged Magro 57.58 seconds to 57.75.
Keil went 23.87 seconds to beat the Tigers’ John Rice (24.53) in the 50 freestyle, with Logan Tyo third in 26.46. Completing a sprint sweep, Keil would need 52.41 to hold off the 52.65 of Mexico’s Jacob Upcraft, and in the 400 freestyle relay Keil, Lasher, Alexander and Sean Loughlin took it in 3:49.30.
Aloi went exactly 5:30 to prevail in the 500 freestyle, with Tyo again third. Lasher’s 1:02.85 in the 100 backstroke was part of a top-three sweep with Koegel (1:10.67) holding off Duncan (1:10.79) for second. Lasher also got third in the 200 freestyle in 2:05.41.
Still excelling on the diving board, Ornoski won with 265.15 points to Canastra’s 252.75 and Koegel’s 242.70. The 200 freestyle relay was close to a dead heat, C-NS going 1:40.16 one-hundredth of a second behind the Tigers’ 1:40.15, while Barak was second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:18.97.