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Hawken girls win 12th staright swim title
(by Steve Novak - March 03, 2010)
Hawken girls win 12th staright swim title
By STEVE NOVAK
When one of the swimmers from this year's Hawken girls team was asked if there was pressure at the 2010 state meet because of the school's string of 11 straight state titles, her answer showed equal amounts of poise and confidence.
"We like to look at the accomplishments of each individual year, not at the history of the past wins," Hawken's Carrie Bencic said. "We're extremely proud of what we've done."
Hawken team came home from C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton Saturday with its 12th consecutive Division II swimming championship and 20th overall state title. The Lady Hawks finished with 333 points, easily outdisatcning second-place finisher Columbus Bishop Hartley which had 157 points. Chagrin Falls was tied for seventh with 88 points and Orange was tied for 37th with 14 points.
"This was a really young team, but they really came together as a complete team in the end," Hawken coach Jerry Holtrey said. "They worked well, because they were a team. We only had one individual champion and one win in the relays, but we picked up a lot of points in second, third places and even the consolations."
The individual winner for Hawken was Sarah Koucheki in the 100-yard butterfly in 56.60 seconds. She was also fourth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 52.39 seconds. Teammate Mackenzie Harris was seventh in the 100 freestyle in 53.29 seconds.
Koucheki said she was confident she had enough speed in the second half of the 100 butterfly to make up for lost distance. "I just went out and wanted to swim my own race," she said. "I get out a little bit slower than most swimmers, but I just came back in the second 50 yards and went faster than anyone else."
Hawken won the 400 freestyle relay with a clocking of 3:31.28. The four members of the relay were Carrie Bencic, Koucheki, Jordan Bitterman and Morgan Cohara.
In the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Koucheki, Mackenzie Harris, Marissa Cominelli and Cohara finished second with a time of 1:37.22.
In the 200 medley relay, Hawken had another second-place finish. The team of Marissa Cominelli, Bencic, Harris and Liz Aronoff touched the wall in 1:48.11.
Bencic also had a pair of second-place finishes in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:00.47 and the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:06.30. Bitterman was fifth in the 500 freestyle in 5:03.63 and Kaitlyn Cerne was seventh in 5:07.14.
In the 100 backstroke, Cominelli was second in 56.65 and Cohara was third in 57.57. Chagrin Falls' Meghan Shroyer was fifth in this race, clocking in at 58.04.
Cohara had a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:53.13. Bitterman was sixth at 1:54.49.
Hawken's Cerne was fourth in the 100 butterfly in 58.30 seconds.
Chagrin Falls finished in eighth place in the 400 freestyle relay. The team of Susannah Shelley, Lindsey Quinn, Meghan Shroyer and Jackie Shroyer completed the race in 3:40.30.
Shelley also had a fifth-place finish in the 50 freestyle in 24.41 seconds. Megan Shroyer was seventh in the 200 individual medley with a clocking on 2:09.23.
Chagrin Falls also had an eighth-place finish in the 200 medley relay. Shelley, Quinn and both Shroyers had a 1:51.51.
Solon resident and Walsh Jesuit student Danielle Margheret had an eighth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.75.
Division I
Solon placed ninth with 104 points. Upper Arlington was the winner with 295 points.
In the 200 medley relay, the Solon team of Maryn Bieganski, Katherine Taylor, Ann Marquiss and Briana Sciara placed fourth in 1:48.78.
In the 100 butterfly, Bieganski had a fourth-place finish in 57.10.
In the 200 freestyle relay, the Comets were fifth. The foursome of Marquiss, Katherine Mitchell, Kelsey McRill and Emily Schwartz completed the course in 1:38.37.
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