BRUNSWICK — Defending champion Morse High could not have had a better swim meet Monday night at Bowdoin College. But in the Class A girls’ swimming and diving championship, the Shipbuilders had no divers.

Bangor High, on the strength of 33 points from its divers, won the state championship — by 33 points — over Morse.

Additional Photos

Genevieve Worthely, a sophomore at Deering High School, got plenty of encouragement from teammates during the 200-yard individual medley at the Class A state meet Monday at Bowdoin College. Worthely dropped an amazing eight seconds from her seed time to win the event. The Bangor girls won the team title while Greely High’s boys won in Class B in Orono. It was a big day for high school swimming, track and basketball. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Samantha Couillard of Scarborough swims during the trials of the 200-yard individual medley at the Class A state meet Monday at Bowdoin College. Couillard advanced to the finals and placed fourth with a time of 1:43.35. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Emily Buczkowski of Morse swims the backstroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay during the trials of the Class A girls’ swimming meet Monday at Bowdoin College’s Greason Pool in Brunswick. Morse posted the fastest time in the trials and also won the final. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Elaine Miller of Windham swam well in the trials of the 200-yard freestyle at the Class A girls’ meet and went on to finish third in the finals. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Kathryn Violette of Westbrook posted a time of 2:14.12 in the finals of the 200-yard individual medley for a third-place finish in the Class A state meet. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Bangor totaled 305 points, Morse 272 and third-place Cheverus 204.

Morse senior Emily Buczkowski was named performer of the meet with gold medals in the 50 and 100 freestyle, and both the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

“She has a lot of heart,” Morse Coach Todd Marco said of Buczkowski. “And she knows what she has to do in the big meets.”

Marco said Morse “had final best swims all the way around. We couldn’t have done much better, swimming-wise.

“But diving makes a difference.”

The Rams got two victories from sophomore Jamie Hunsaker (200-yard and 500 freestyle), and one from freshman Emma Waddell (100 butterfly).

Deering sophomore Genevieve Worthely was also a double-winner, defending her 100 breaststroke with a state-record time of 1:05.08. Earlier, Worthley won the 200 individual medley in 2:09.8.

In the breaststroke, Worthely broke Gina Mancini of Falmouth’s record of 1:05.67 in 2006.

“It’s my stroke and I love it,” Worthely said. “I hit the water and told myself I just got to do it.”

Westbrook senior Kathryn Violette won the 100 backstroke in 1:01.03.

Senior Kristi Snipe of Mt. Ararat won the diving with 330.35 points.

Bangor came in as the favorite, but Morse swam a strong preliminary Monday afternoon, placing 14 swimmers in the finals, and three in the consolations.

Bangor put 11 swimmers in the finals and 11 in the consolations — plus three divers in the finals.

The lead flip-flopped early in the meet.

Morse started strong with a win in the 200 medley relay. Buczkowski’s strong backstroke gave the Shipbuilders the lead, and Catie Luedee, Caitlin Foster and Guerin Morissette never surrendered it, finishing in 1:53.76.

Bangor stayed close (1:54.47) in second, with Cheverus (Sarah Nappo, Samantha Savaun, Nicole Chambers and Tessa Lindsley) right behind (1:54.69).

The Rams took the lead after the next race when Hunsaker, who qualified fourth in the 200 freestyle, dropped her time over three seconds to win the final in 2:00.21.

Morse jumped back in first after the fourth race, when Buczkowski took the 50 free (24.65), ahead of Mt. Ararat’s Celia Ouellette (24.69) and Cheverus’ Lindsley (25.00).

After the diving, Bangor predictably regained the lead (142 to Morse’s 116), with three places, led by Julie Clifford’s second.

Brunswick’s Kayla Purington finished third, followed by Kennebunk’s Tori Leonard and Mt. Ararat’s Kendra Shelton.

The Rams stayed ahead the rest of the meet.

Waddell cruised in the 100 butterfly (58.25), ahead of runner-up Emma Pontius (1:01.34) of Deering, to bolster Bangor’s lead.

Morse senior Kelsey White, who was seeded 19th before the meet, finished fourth in 1:05.18.

Buczkowski won the 100 freestyle (54.38) and teammate Morgan McDonough was 11th, but Bangor’s depth showed. The Rams got one more point in the race by placing four swimmers eighth through 15th.

Morse won the 200 free relay (Morissette, McDonough, Foster and Buczkowski) in 1:43.32.

The Shipbuilders inched closer.

In the second-to-last race — the 100 breast stroke won by Worthley, over Scarborough’s Samantha Couillard (1:07.21) — Morse’s Luedee placed fifth. Morse trailed Bangor, 265-250.

But the Rams had stocked its 400 freestyle relay and bolted from the start, winning in 3:50.98. Cony placed second and Scarborough third. Morse was eighth.

The sportsmanship award was presented to Cheverus for the third straight year.

 Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at: kthomas@pressherald.com

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