BRUNSIWCK

This past weekend, the Long Reach Swim Club out of the Bath Area Family YMCA swept all three meets at the Maine Swimming Inc. Junior Olympics at Bowdoin College. The three and a half day event featured the best age group, YMCA, high school, and U.S. swimmers from 23 teams across Maine.

LRSC totaled 4,288.50 points over the boys, girls and team meets, besting second-place Porpoise Swim Club (2,600) and third-place Mount Desert Island YMCA (1,908.50) by over 1,600 points.

“This meet result was personally impressive and inspiring,” said LRSC coach Jay Morissette. “Our kids came to race and most peaked at the right time. After a tight contest at YMCA states a couple of weeks ago, we let loose and dominated every level of this meet.”

Boys

Evan Willertz headlined the 11-12 boys group, setting team records in the 100 backstroke (1:01.02), 200 back (2:12.25) and 400 individual medley (5:05.13). Erik Linseisen, who finished ten points ahead of Willertz for the individual scoring title, set a team record in the 200 butterfly, finishing in 2:20.71.

Willertz and Linseisen also teamed up with Nicholas Holland and Caleb Williams to break two relay state records. The group finished in 1:46.84 in the 200 free relay, and 3:57.82 (team and state record) in the 400 free relay. In the 200 medley relay, Willertz, Linseisen, and Holland set another team record (1:59.22) with Devin Lamb.

Matthew Yost led the way in the 13-14 slot, setting a team record in the 100 free (50.78) and also setting three more LRSC records in relay races. Yost, Robby Hyde, Nicco Bartone, and Dominic Marco set team marks in the 400 medley relay (4:01.15) and 400 free relay (3:31.65), while Yost, Hyde, Marco, and Brandon Johnson broke the team record in the 200 free relay (1:36.00).

Nate Sanson broke two team records in the senior boys group, finishing in 57.25 in the 100 breaststroke and 1:51.71 in the 200 IM. Samson finished nine points ahead of Portland Porpoise Swim Club’s Michael O’Donovan (111) for the individual title.

Girls

LRSC set 10 more records in the senior girls slot. Leading the way was Caitlin Tycz, whose 200 free time of 1:50.37 was both a team and state record. Her 100 fly time of 53.92 set a new pool mark, and her 200 fly finish of 1:59.62 was a pool, team, and state record. Sonia Lin also set a team mark in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.20).

Tycz, Lin, Emma Blair, and Ann Tolan (3:30.83) set a team and state record in the 400 free relay, and Tycz, Lin, Tolan, and Lynsie Russell set an LRSC record in the 400 medley relay (3:54.37).

“Our parents group was outstanding in support and working the meet,” Morissette said. “There were kids doing things I wouldn’t have guessed earlier in the season. We had kids doing times that were faster than most college swimmers. It was a very satisfying way to end the season.”

The YMCA National Championships will take place April 4-8 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Lin, Tycz, Russell, Tolan, Blair, Samson, Brian Hess, Bradford Tibbets and Tucker Banger will represent the Bath YMCA and LRSC.