CAPE ELIZABETH — As the final results blared over the public address system inside Donald Richards Community Pool early Saturday afternoon, Jaehee Park’s eyes welled with tears.
A junior at Greely High in Cumberland, Park recognized the poignancy of the moment, a North Southwesterns Swimming & Diving Championship for a Rangers senior class that had seen the Cape Elizabeth girls carry off the big trophy each of the previous three years.
“There are so many seniors that I love on this team,” said Park, whose victory in the 200-yard freestyle was Greely’s only individual title Saturday. “I think the biggest part of why it’s so emotional is that club swimming is so much more individualized. But (Saturday), every single girl on this team (earned) that trophy. It was a group effort. I’m just so happy that these seniors have a great goodbye.”
Seven seniors contributed to Greely’s total of 345 points (to 309 for runner-up Cape Elizabeth), and only one of them, Kyla Moroney, scored individually, placing fourth in the 100 free and fifth in the 50 free. Abby Civiello, Molly Hale, Ellie Holt, Hannah Johnston and Eliza McAuley and Lauren Lamberson pitched in on relays.
Greely won all three “B” relays in addition to taking the 200 free relay and placing second in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.
“We had state qualifiers who didn’t swim in this meet,” Greely Coach Rob Hale said. “We’re just a deep team. We don’t have a front line, but we have a deep team.”
Cape Elizabeth senior Caroline Mahoney was named Performer of the Meet after breaking meet, pool and school records in the 50 freestyle (23.68 seconds) and 100 backstroke (55.32). She also led off Cape’s victorious 200 medley relay to open the meet.
“I wanted to make a mark my senior year,” Mahoney said. “Out of all the meets I’ve ever gone to, in club or high school, this meet is my favorite.”
The Capers took a 25-point lead after diving (in which there were three Capers and nobody from Greely), but the Rangers assumed control by placing three among the top six in both the 100 butterfly (Park, freshman Holly Moss and sophomore Mia Raley went 3-5-6) and 100 freestyle (freshman Emma Cyr, Moroney and freshman Emma Richard went 2-4-5).
The butterfly featured the closest finish of any race, with South Portland senior Margie Jones edging Falmouth senior Mae Causey and Park. All three broke a minute, Jones in 59.57, Causey in 59.78 and Park in 59.85.
“I didn’t know until I looked up at the board,” Jones said of her victory, which also set a school record. “I was really excited because I’ve never won anything like that.”
Mahoney’s Cape Elizabeth teammate, sophomore Ali Bragg, was the only other double winner. Bragg took the 200 individual medley in 2:12.19 and the 100 breast stroke in 1:07.52. Other individual winners were Falmouth senior diver Lilly Smith (337.00 points), South Portland junior Kiley Matthews (100 free in 55.41 seconds) and Scarborough junior Morgan Porter (500 free in 5:22.87).
Jones and Matthews rallied South Portland’s 400 free relay to victory (from behind, in 3:51.14) to help the Red Riots finish third overall with 182 points, followed by Falmouth (164), Cheverus (151), Scarborough (132), Westbrook (72) and Deering (34).
A half-hour delay early in the meet was prompted by the collapse of a swim official, who was wheeled out on a stretcher but appeared coherent and in good spirits on his way out of the building.
Lamberson, Holt, Moroney and freshman Abby Hollis led Greely to victory in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:47.78. Hollis, who was runner-up in the 500 free and third in the 200 free, was one of six ninth-graders who contributed to the Rangers’ total. Besides Park, five other juniors (Camden Dean, Blake Wescott, Elizabeth Domingo, Hannah Kropp and Bella Stewart) joined in the scoring.
“Just a wonderful, wonderful team effort right across the board,” Hale said. “Jaehee is our heart and soul. She’s very emotional and we feed off that.”
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