Morse’s Evan Willertz races in the boys 200 IM at the Class B KVAC Championships at the Bath Area Family YMCA. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
BRUNSWICK — Swimmers from area high schools will be competing this weekend and early next week for both team and individual titles at state swim meets held at Bowdoin College and at the University of Maine at Orono.
The Class B boys jump in on Saturday at UMaine, while the girls will swim on Monday.
Bowdoin College will host the Class A boys on Monday and the girls on Tuesday at Greason Pool.
Both Mt. Ararat and Brunswick will once again be chasing perennial powerhouse Cony in Class A.
The Dragons had a strong showing at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference meet last weekend. The girls finished seventh, while the boys placed third in the tough field.
“We certainly exceeded expectations at the KVAC meet,” Brunswick coach David Bright said. “Hopefully that momentum will continue. There will be a lot of excitement at states and more close races. Our kids have shown they can rise to the occasion.”
On the boys side, the 200-yard freestyle relay team of Nicco Bartone, Chris Tucker, Matt Yost and Cam Ashby finished first, and the same quartet placed second in the 200 medley relay.
Bartone looks to continue his success in the freestyle and breaststroke events. The junior is seeded first in the 100 breaststroke and second in the 50 free. Yost has ranked in the top eight in both the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly this season.
Seniors Ashby, Tucker and Yost all bring leadership and experience to Bright’s team, and their maturity has helped the Dragons peak at the right time, while their actions carry over to the underclassmen.
“Most of the athletes who are recording high finishes have quite a bit of experience with championship format meets and know how to put in a peak performance when it’s needed,” Bright said. “They have been through high school league and state meets, USA swimming state meets, YMCA states and even national competitions. This experience helps not only their individual performances, but also sets an example for the newer swimmers.”
In Tuesday’s girls meet, the team will benefit from the return of Alex Morse, who missed the KVAC Championship to play in a concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall, as she will be near the top in the distance races like she has been throughout the year. She will also be competitive in the butterfly, according to Bright.
Additionally, Ella Tycz, Mallory Palmer, Laura Chavoustie, Margaret Chingos and Gwen Thom will fill in relay slots and look to score points by placing in the top 16 in their events.
Mt. Ararat boasts strong swimmers on both the boys and girls teams heading into the season’s final meet. Experience is good, but Coach Steven Butts states nothing beats preparation.
“Like anything else, having experience is something that helps you know what to expect and can calm some nerves,” Butts said. “But it is not a substitute for preparation. The swimmers and divers who have consistently been to, and challenged themselves in practice throughout the season are the ones who are most likely to perform to the best of their abilities.”
Cora Spelke finished second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 200 IM. The sophomore also swims on the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams that finished eighth and fifth, respectively, at the KVAC Championships.
“Cora has had a special season and I think it will continue,” Butts said. “She is reaping the rewards of all of the effort she has put into the sport. It has been a pleasure to witness what she has accomplished this year.”
Spelke is joined by Isabelle Gardiner, Grace Trebilcock and Trinity Versey on the 200 medley team, and Cecelia Greenleaf, Trebilcock and Riley Robertson join her on the 400 freestyle squad.
Morse’s Ella Martin, left, and Olivia Harper pose with their KVAC Outstanding Female Swimmer plaques at the Class B KVAC Championships at the Bath Area Family YMCA. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
For the boys, a pair of divers will dive into the pool for the Eagles. Anibal Berry-Gaviria and Nathaniel Smith each dive for Mt. Ararat and will provide valuable team points for the Eagles.
“Both boy divers have accomplished so much already this year,” Butts said. “It is hard to believe that this is both of their first season of competitive diving. I’m excited to see how they perform.”
In the 400 freestyle relay, the team of Robert Hyde, Caleb Williams, Max Bickford and Nic Holland finished second to Cony at the KVAC meet and hope to catch the Rams on Monday.
Holland and Sam Wright both figure to place high in the 500 freestyle race and Williams will join Hyde in the 100 butterfly.
“Senior Max Bickford will be competing in his last state meet. He has been an outstanding swimmer for Mt. Ararat for four years,” Butts said. “He along with teammates Robby (Hyde), Caleb and Nic, they have a chance to set a new school record in the 200 freestyle relay. If that happens Max and Robby will both be members of all three school record relay teams (200 medley, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle).”
Class B
Both the boys and girls swim teams from Morse finished second in last week’s KVAC Class B Championships, and both Shipbuilder squads have increased their expectations for the upcoming meets.
“We had really good meets at the KVAC’s,” Morse coach Todd Marco said. “We’ve seen most of this competition before. We know we can just plan for the best and hope for the best.”
Marco figures Ellsworth will be the team to beat for the boys, while a strong, deep girls team from Cape Elizabeth will likely be the team to chase in the girls.
Senior Dominic Marco is the top seed in the 200 freestyle, while teammates Evan Willertz is tops in the 100 backstroke and Brandon Johnson is second in the 50 freestyle.
The 200 freestyle relay team of Alex Gurney, Willertz, Dominic Marco and Johnson placed first at the KVAC event, and are hoping to do the same at the states.
For the girls, the Harper sisters (Olivia, Hailey) along with senior Ella Martin qualified as the top seeds in their events. Hailey Harper is seeded first in both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. Olivia Harper is seeded in the top spot in the 100 butterfly, where she set a school record, and is second in the 200 freestyle. Martin, who won girls Co-Swimmer of the KVAC Meet with Olivia Harper, is the top seed in the 50 freestyle in Monday’s meet.
With 16 individual wins in last week’s KVAC’s, Coach Marco expects a lot of the same.
Mt. Ararat’s Sterling Kloberdans swims 100 yard backstroke during the KVAC Class A swim meet at the Bath Area Family YMCA. (Joe Phelan / Kennebec Journal)
“We put up some good individual times last week, getting some wins,” the coach said. “Where we place is where we place as far as the team goes.”
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