WESTBROOK – From behind the starting blocks, Greely senior Dan Spencer watched the opening event unfold in less-than-perfect fashion.
Through two legs of the 200-yard medley relay, Greely trailed its biggest rival, Cheverus, by more than three full seconds.
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Then sophomore Jonathan Dunnett hit the water for the butterfly leg, and Spencer’s eyes grew wider as the gap didn’t simply shrink. It disappeared entirely.
“To see him come back like that, we all got excited,” Spencer said. “That just sends me into the water with so much more energy than I would have had otherwise.”
Spencer’s anchor leg was his fastest 50 freestyle of the season, giving the Rangers their only victory Friday night at Davan Pool in what turned out to be a thrilling seven-point decision over Cheverus, 291-284.
It marked the second straight North Division title of the Southwesterns Swimming and Diving Championships for the Greely boys, and their fourth in five years.
Cape Elizabeth finished third with 253 points, followed by Falmouth (140), Scarborough (134), Deering (133), South Portland (98) and Westbrook (44).
“That was the best Southwesterns I have ever seen,” said Kevin Haley, in his 24th year as head coach of Cheverus. “It was a lot of fun, and a lot of respect on the deck.”
Cheverus junior Trebor Lawton was one of three swimmers to win two individual events — the 200 free and the 100 butterfly. He was the only swimmer to break a meet record, lowering the butterfly mark set two years ago by Scarborough’s Robbie Gravel to 52.15 seconds.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” said Lawton, who only learned of Gravel’s time (52.43) moments before the race when an official told him.
“I set it as a goal, but I never expected it.”
Deering sophomore Eric Delmonte (200 individual medley, 500 freestyle) and Cape Elizabeth senior Marcus Cloutier (50 free, 100 backstroke) also won two events.
Falmouth senior Ryan Conley (diving), Cape Elizabeth junior Evan Long (100 freestyle) and Cheverus senior Lars Murphy (100 breast stroke) were the other individual winner.
Teamwise, the lead changed hands five times, with Cheverus, Greely and Cape Elizabeth all leading.
Cheverus took a two-point lead after winning the 200 free relay (Spencer Amberson, Connor Pothier, Jacob Smith and Lukas Temple) and having the fastest ‘B’ relay as well.
Greely grabbed it back with a 2-4-11 finish in the backstroke, thanks to Evan Campbell, Jack Benoit and Mike Geissler.
Murphy’s breast stroke victory led a 1-4-8 finish that sent the Stags into the final 400 free relay trailing by only three points. A victory in the race would mean victory in the meet.
Of course, with Cloutier anchoring Cape Elizabeth’s loaded relay, that wasn’t likely. Although he hit the water in third place, Cloutier surged to the front to win for the Capers.
“We haven’t lost a relay all year, so I wanted to keep that going for states, keep that momentum,” Cloutier said. “I knew Evan (Long) and Thomas Robinson and Jacob Brady, my three other teammates in the relay, I knew they were going to step up also.”
Greely wound up ahead of Cheverus in both the A and B relays — with freshman Ryan Plante anchoring an A relay that held off Cheverus by .17 seconds.
“He really brought it home,” said Spencer.
Staff Writer Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or at:
gjordan@pressherald.com
Twitter: GlennJordanPPH
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