BRUNSWICK — Ellsworth High had never won a state swimming and diving championship, but Coach Jim Goodman has worked to grow the program and develop athletes in his 13 years with the local Down East Family YMCA.
“I’m watching a batch of kids growing up,” said Goodman, who is also an assistant coach at the Y.
Ellsworth put in a dominating performance Tuesday, winning the Class B boys’ title at Bowdoin College.
The Eagles won six events and totaled 362 points.
Defending champion Cape Elizabeth finished second (271.5 points) – matching the girls’ runners-up trophy earned Monday.
Mount Desert Island placed third (262.5), Old Town fourth (207), and Morse fifth (197) out of 23 teams that scored.
Senior Talor Hamilton paced Ellsworth with meet records in the 50 freestyle (21.19) and 100 freestyle (46.42), and legs on record-setting 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams.
He was named performer of the meet for the second straight year.
“He’s been an awesome swimmer ever since he was in my beginners’ class 12 years ago,” Goodman said.
Freshman Liam Sullivan of MDI was the only other double winner, taking the 200 individual medley (1 minute 57.08 seconds) and the 100 breaststroke (58.77 seconds).
Two Camden Hills seniors, Kyle Crans and Julian Abaldo, won individual races for the second straight year. Crans, the 100 freestyle champ last year, won the 200 freestyle this time, in 1:47.88. Crans finished second to Hamilton in the 100 free with a 48.73.
Abaldo was the two-time defending champ in the 200 freestyle. He placed third this year but came back to win the 100 butterfly in 53.46.
Abaldo and Crans also swam the final two legs of the winning 200 freestyle relay (started by Connor O’Farrell and Cooper Russell), in 1:31.91.
Wells junior Nathaniel Hayward won the diving title with 251.55 points.
Senior Alex Mukai paced Cape Elizabeth with a second in the 500 freestyle (4:56.86) and fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:51.98).
“We just tried to do our best but Ellsworth was just a better team,” Mukai said. “We were cognizant of (MDI). Our coach told us to do what we can do and the scores will work themselves out.”
Sam Loring’s third-place finish in the 100 breast stroke kept the Capers comfortably ahead of MDI, heading into the 400 free relay – where MDI finished second and Cape Elizabeth fourth.
“Our kids came out and swam pretty much as well as they could,” Cape Coach Ben Raymond said.
“(Ellsworth) has a lot of fast swimmers and they did what they needed to do.”
Hamilton and his Ellsworth teammates set an impressive tone in the opening 200 medley relay, setting a state record of 1:38.02, breaking Brunswick’s 2015 mark of 1:38.18. Hamilton began with a 23.75 backstroke, followed by Cooper Holmes (26.44 breaststroke), Richie Matthews (25.21 butterfly) and Camden Holmes (22.62 freestyle).
The Eagles never trailed. They also got individual wins from junior Sam Alvarado in the 500 freestyle (4:53.88) and senior Cooper Holmes in the 100 backstroke (52.51).
Ellsworth finished with a meet-record time in the 400 freestyle relay (3:17.13), using Hamilton, Alvarado, Cooper Holmes and Camden Holmes.
Hamilton said that he hasn’t decided on a college but soon will pay a visit to Division II Florida Southern in Lakeland.
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