[ back ]
Records add up for five swimmers
(by Tony Lange - July 29, 2009)
Records add up for five swimmers
By TONY LANGE
Some extra spark was added last Saturday for the 20th annual Bainbridge Invitational swim meet.
Kicking off the morning, four 8-and-under swimmers, Gavin Scocos, Morgan Owen, Katie Gretter and Gage Gretter, swam from the shallow end of the four-lane pool towing miniature inner tubes with miniature American flags attached and white smoke spewing from them, while Olivia Vadnais, 17, sang the national anthem. All are from Lake in the Woods, which hosts the local competition each year.
In another anniversary feature, 19 past Bainbridge Invitational T-shirts were draped from a rope stretching across the center of the pool.
Also, seasoned swimmers who competed in previous invitational meets but are now older than the 18-year age limit, once again strapped on their suits, goggles and caps for individual alumni races, swum following the conclusion of each stroke.
Beyond the extra celebration, the 220-plus entered swimmers, door prizes and gloried award ceremonies on the old high-rise winners' podium also had their places.
The big talk of the day was Wembley Country Club's domination with 17 individual gold medals and three record-breaking swims by 12-year-old Elijah Spiro.
Spiro bettered Chad Kusa's 2003 mark of 30.22 seconds in the boys 11- and-12 50-yard butterfly, at 29.64, Brian O'Rourke's 1997 mark of 1:15.3 in the 100-yard individual medley, at 1:07.19, and teammate Christian Watson's 2006 mark of 37.03 in the 50-yard breastroke at 33.55. Spiro's IM finish was 7.89 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, Wembley Club teammate Ryan Gleske, who also had a time faster than the old 1997 record.
Also breaking one record each were Emily Polk, 13, and Molly Wiberg, 17, for Lake in the Woods, and Jillian Herbst, 17, who swam unattached. And tying a record was Sophie Kocheff, 12, for the Chagrin Valley Athletic Club.
CVAC's 10 gold-medal victories were paced by Kocheff, who won the girls 11-and-12 50 fly, 100 IM and 50 freestyle, in which she tied Herbst's 2004 mark at 28.24.
Polk, also a triple event winner, led the way for Lake in the Woods, which captured eight individual events. Polk's came in the girls 13-and-14 50 fly, 100 IM and 50 breaststroke, where she bettered her teammate Wiberg's 2006 mark of 34.54 with a new mark at 33.58.
Wiberg picked up a new record in the girls 15-to-18 breast at 33.63, beating Amanda Hampton's 2007 mark of 33.78.
Herbst broke Lindsey Meier's 2000 record of 28.87 in the girls 15-to-18 50 fly with a time of 28.58. She had two other victories in the girls 15-to-18 competition, taking the 50 backstroke and 100 IM.
The fifth triple event winner was Brady Pearlstein for Wembley. He won the boys 9-and-10 25-yard back and free and the 10-and-under 100 IM.
Wembley had four of the seven double event winners, including 8-year-olds Ben Pearlstein and Cara Joyce, Skylar Schambs, 13, and Greg Watson, 16. Pearlstein won individual events in the boys 8-and-under 25 fly and free and added a third victory in the boys 200-yard freestyle relay with ages adding up to 52. Schambs won the girls 13-and-14 50 back and free and added a victory in the girls 200 medley relay. Joyce won the girls 8-and-under 25 back and breast. Watson won the boys 15-to-18 50 fly and back.
CVAC's Nick Gentile won the boys 13-and-14 50 fly and back. He added a victory in the boys 200 medley relay. Lake in the Woods' Morgan Uvegas took home a pair of golds in the girls 9-and-10 25 fly and the 10-and-under 100 IM. And Lake Lucerne's Joe Rudmann won the boys 13-and-14 50 back and breast.
One other swimmer from Lake Lucerne took home gold. John Rudmann, Joe's older brother, won the boys 15-to-18 50 free.
Three other swimmers for Wembley won individual events: Mira Grcevich, girls 9-and-10 25 free; Andy Badertscher, boys 11-and-12 50 free; and Ellie O'Neil, girls 11-and-12 50 back. O'Neil added a victory in the girls 200 medley relay.
Other CVAC winners were: Johnny Cashy, 7, the youngest gold medalist of the day, taking the boys 8-and-under 25 back; Kaitlin McGrath, girls 9-and-10, 25 breast; Patrick Emery, boys 9-and-10, 25 fly; Ben Poe, boys 11-and-12, 50 back; and Michael Jeromin, boys 11-and-12, 50 free. Jeromin added a victory in the boys 200 medley relay.
Joining Wiberg as single event winners for Lake in the Woods were Sophia Raudins in the girls 8-and-under 25 fly and Bill Fleming in the boys 9-and-10 25 breast.
Winning single events for Bainbrook-Laurel Springs were: Kyle McAbier, boys 8-and-under 25 breast; Lucy Biermann, girls 8-and-under 25 free; Gracie Adams, girls 9-and-10 25 back; Sydney Braverman, girls 11-and-12 50 breast; Amanda Layman, girls 15-to-18 50 free; Nicky Bester, boys 15-to-18 100 IM; and Kyle Ford, boys 15-to-18 50 breast. McAbier and Laymann added a relay victory each.
Bainbrook won three of the six relay events: girls ages up to 34, 100 free, Abby Rathbun, Haleigh Shafer, Makena Maurer and Macie Biermann; boys ages up to 34, 100 free, Bennett Wenger, K. McAbier, Nathan McKnight and Andrew Dempsey; and girls 200 free, Abby Witt, S. Braverman, Kayla Korenowski and A. Laymann.
CVAC won the boys 200 medley relay with Eric Poe, Charles Manocchio, N. Gentile and M. Jeromin.
Wembley won the first and last events of the day: girls 200 medley relay, S. Schambs, Leah Grcevich, MaryKate Reagan and E. O'Neil; and boys 200 free relay, C. Watson, R Gleske, Ben Pearlstein and Chris Hitchinson.
[ back ]
