'STOGA SWIM AND DIVE
Swim Meet - Conestoga v. Haverford - 1-3-20
The Conestoga swim team was back in action for the first time in 2020, and happy to be in their home pool for the first time this season. New year, old results for the dominating Stoga squad.
Kalie Whitaker and Lucy Wydeven got things started for the girls, going neck-and-neck in the backstroke leg of the 200 Medley Relay. Naomi Furman took the baton from Whitaker and built a lead that was extended by Allison Yuan and closed out by Lily Robinson. Wydeven, Lilly Shui, Delaney Burns and Alyssa Tortoro finished 3rd.
Three freshmen then hit the pool for the 200 Free flat, with Audrey Laganelli and Delaney Burns battling through a tight first 100 before Laganelli stretched to a solid win in the 2nd 100, with Burns taking 2nd and Emma Galef in 4th. In the 200 IM, Furman and Bertolotti were battling from behind the whole race after a slow start, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively riding strong back and breaststroke legs. Lily Robinson then closed out the first half in style, using a fast turn to make a close race less dramatic as she won the 50 Free.
With no diving at UMLY, we moved straight to the 100 Fly, where Allison Yuan dominated the second 50 to cruise to a win. In the 100 Free, Laganelli was stroke for stroke with her Haverford opponent for 75 yards before being overpowered late, with teammates Louise Hay and Ava Collin taking 4rd and 5th.
Proving she is not just a sprinter, Freshman Robinson was equally impressive in the 500 Free, leading coast-to-coast in a dominant 5:25.87 (a time that would have placed her 3rd in the boys 500, surpassed only by upperclassmen).
With only a short rest while the boys conquered the 500, Robinson kicked off the 200 Free relay handing a lead to Hay, who used great turns to stretch things out. That duo teamed with Laganelli and Yuan to easily take gold, with Ayala Miller, Keira Haas, Natalie McGlaughlin and Totoro taking 3rd.
It was a Stoga show in the 100 back, with Wydeven, Madi Ritzenthaler and Whitaker going stroke for stroke for much of the race before Whitaker took the win with Ritzenthaler taking 2nd and Wydeven completing the sweep. The 100 Breast was more dramatic, with Naomi Furman using a huge last 25 for a touchout win, with Bertolotti a close 3rd.
The girls’ closed out the meet by completing the relay sweep. Laganelli handed a body length lead to Collin, who extended the lead by the same margin. Haas took over and maintained the edge, before Burns fought off a late charge to secure gold.
FINAL SCORE Conestoga 97, Haverford 71.
The boys were inspired by a pre-meet kickboard pep rally, and road the momentum to a fast start. Sophomores Stephen Graver and Gary Wang were matched by Senior teammates Jack Hughes and Ishau Jiang in the first 2 legs of the 200 IM, before Raymond Welgosh built a lead for his fellow Sophs and James Hughes powered home for the win. Aidan Brown and Matthew Pawlow closed for Hughes and Yang to take 3rd.
It was a 1-2 sweep for Stoga in the 200 Free, with Stanley Kim cruising to the win. In the battle for 2nd, Christopher Ivory charged down the stretch to take the silver. James Manion made up ground with a strong breaststroke in the 200 IM, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a slow start and he finished 2nd, with Michael Orsulak taking 4th. James Hughes was fast off the blocks in the 50 Free, but was caught in a 3 way photo finish that had Stephen Graver surging late for the win, with Hughes taking 3rd and Miles Whitaker 4th.
In another battle of teammates, Welgosh and Noel Park were neck and neck for most of the 100 Butterfly before a late sprint from Welgosh secured the win by 0.4 seconds with a time of 55.85. A similar battle between Luke Nagel and Matthew Pawlow in the 100 Free was disrupted by a Haverford intruder, but Nagel was strong down the stretch to take the win with Pawlow getting touched out for 2nd.
There was no Haverford interloper in sight of the lead in the 500 Free, with Aidan Brown and Jack Semmer staying even for most of the race before Brown showed his stamina to secure a 2 second win.
The only drama in the 200 Free Relay was the battle for 2nd. Wang and Nagel each dominated their legs before Whitaker and James Hughes closed it out for gold. But Ivory, Derek Fung, and Dennis Koh could only hand a split second lead to Jiang in the battle for silver. No matter, Jiang was fast off the blocks and extended from there for 2nd.
In the closing 3 events, Jack Hughes took 2nd in 100 Back, before Manion used a powerful final 50 to win the 100 Breast with Henry Kovan taking 3rd. Closing things out in the 400 Free relay, it looked like there would be another 1-2 Stoga battle as Wang and Park built solid leads for their respective squads. But while Pawlow, Welgosh and Graver were able to extend Wang’s edge for first, Whitaker, Semmer, and Brown could not match Park’s pace and faded to 3rd.
FINAL SCORE Conestoga 100, Haverford 68.
Both squads are back in action on Thursday at Ridley.