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Triple swimming winners step to podium
(by Tony Lange - July 28, 2011)
Triple swimming winners step to podium
By TONY LANGE
As the 22nd annual Bainbridge Invitational got under way at the Lake in the Woods pool off of Haskins Road last Saturday, it didn't take long for two new names to be added to the record book. However, they were the only two individuals to set new marks this year.
Sofija Raudins, 10, of the host Lake in the Woods team, set a new record in the girls' 9-and-10 25-yard butterfly in 15.22 seconds, besting Lindsey Meier's 1993 record of 15.39. It was the oldest record of the meet.
Billy Glime, 10, of Wembley Country Club, set a new record in the boys' 9-and-10 25-yard butterfly in 15.40 seconds, besting Drew Hoffman's 1996 record of 15.91.
Raudins' and Glime's record-breaking swims were the fifth and sixth events of the 54-event meet, which included 200-plus swimmers from five area teams: Lake in the Woods, Bainbrook-Laurel Springs, Lake Lucerne, Wembley Country Club and Chagrin Valley Athletic Club.
The six-hour meet features awards ceremonies when swimmers from five age groups, male and female, are recognized with medals and ribbons atop an old-time high-rise winners' podium.
Those who are familiar with the meet know that individual records are hard to come by as many names in the record book are stamped in there more than once. For instance, Chris Medhurst and Elijah Spiro hold five records each out of the 48 individual events. Only 10 past and current swimmers hold just one record. For Raudins and Glime, they are now two of those single-event record holders.
In a repeat of last year, Wembley dominated the gold-medal count, winning 18 of the 48 individual events and one of the six relay events.
Leading Wembley's podium extravaganza was Skylar Schambs, 15, who went undefeated in her first BI meet in the 15-to-18 age group. Schambs won the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 32.62, the 100-yard individual medley with a 1:08.90 and the 50-yard freestyle with a 27.63.
Wembley also was paced by five double-event winners. Besides his record-breaking butterfly race, Glime also stood atop the podium in the 10-and-under 100-yard individual medley with a 1:22.99. Cara Joyce led the girls' 9-and-10 age group with first-place finishes in the 25-yard breaststroke at 18.44 and 25-yard freestyle at 14.24, which was less than a tenth of a second off the 1995 record held by Lauren Preyss, who was a multiple state gold medalist in the freestyle sprints for Chagrin Falls High School.
Double-event winner in the girls' 11-and-12 age group for Wembley was Mira Grcevich, who took the 50-yard breaststroke at 39.79 and 50-yard freestyle at 31.36. In the 13-and-14 age-group, Ryan Gleske won the boys' 100-yard individual medley at 1:05.30 and the 50-yard breaststroke at 33.27. In the 15-to-18 age-group, Chris Hutchison won the 100-yard individual medley at 1:02.45 and 50-yard breaststroke at 31.46.
Wembley also had five single-event winners. Mandy Glime won the girls' 8-and-under 25-yard breaststroke at 24.58. Josh Rooney won the boys' 8-and-under 25-yard backstroke at 21.31. Elizabeth Badertscher won the girls' 11-and-12 100-yard individual medley at 1:20.93. Luke Binder won the boys' 11-and-12 50-yard backstroke at 43.57. And Tucker Harvey won the boys' 13-and-14 50-yard butterfly at 31.27.
The sole triumphant relay team for Wembley came in the boys' with ages adding up to 54 200-yard freestyle relay. John Reagan joined Gleske, Glime, and Harvey for the winning time of 1:58.53.
Second in the gold-medal count for 2011 was the Bainbrook-Laurel Springs team, which stood atop the podium in 15 individual events and three relays, two of which were record breakers. The Bainbrook 8-and-under swimmers were dominant as they took gold in six of the eight events for that age group.
Pacing the way for Bainbrook were two of the meet's three triple-event winners. Carter McAbier was triumphant in all his 8-and-under events, including the boys' 25-yard butterfly at 22.15, 25-yard breaststroke at 23.44 and 25-yard freestyle at 19.05. In the 13-and-14 age group, Kayla Korenowski won the girls' 50-yard backstroke at 32.70, 100-yard individual medley at 1:10.08 and 50-yard freestyle at 27.47.
Julia Sell, 7, and Nicky Bester, 18, of Bainbrook-Laurel Springs, were the youngest and oldest double-event winners of the day. Sell was triumphant in the girls' 8-and-under 25-yard back at 21.15 and 25-yard freestyle at 17.22. Her freestyle race was the closest one-two finish of the day, as she beat the runner-up by 0.02 second. Bester was triumphant in the boys' 15-to-18 50-yard butterfly at 26.61 and 50-yard freestyle at 25.09.
Bainbrook had five single-event winners. Leilah Shafer won the girls' 8-and-under 25-yard butterfly at 19.41. Kyle McAbier won the boys' 9-and-10 25-yard breaststroke at 18.47. George Sell won the boys' 9-and-10 25-yard freestyle at 14.35. He was 0.06 second off Medhurst's 1997 record in that event. Gracie Adams won the girls' 11-and-12 50-yard backstroke at 37.49. And Brandon Wenger won the boys' 11-and-12 50-yard freestyle at 32.84.
Bainbrook-Laurel Springs' three triumphant relays and two meet records came at the end of the day. In the girls' ages adding up to 34 100-yard freestyle relay, Makena Maurer and Haleigh Shafer joined Leilah Shafer and Sell to set a new meet record at 1:08.55, besting the 2005 record of 1:11.78, also held by Bainbrook. In the boys' ages adding up to 34 100-yard freestyle relay, Anthony Yohman joined the McAbier brothers and Sell to set a new meet record at 1:11.14, which bested a 2008 record of 1:18.06, also held by Bainbrook. In the girls' ages adding up to 54 200-yard freestyle relay, Alyssa Kassouf and Anna Huff teamed with Adams and Korenowski in a triumphant effort at 2:05.23.
Host Lake in the Woods posted wins in eight individual events and one relay, including Raudins' record-breaking performance. Raudins also took home gold in the 10-and-under 100-yard individual medley at 1:20.91, which was faster than the winning time for the girls' 11-and-12 age group.
Lake in the Woods had two other double-event winners. In the 11-and-12 age group, Harrison Bhanoo won the boys' 50-yard butterfly at 46.66 and the 100-yard individual medley at 1:29.06. In the 15-to-18 age group for her first year, Emily Polk won the girls' 50-yard butterfly at 28.79 and the 50-yard breaststroke at 35.36.
Lake in the Woods also had two single-event winners. Morgan Uvegas won the girls' 11-and-12 50-yard butterfly at 37.07, and Bill Fleming won the boys' 11-and-12 50 yard breaststroke at 43.39.
Lake in the Woods' sole relay triumph came in the first event of the day, the girls' ages adding up to 54 200-yard medley relay, when Beth Wiberg and Alexis Fleming teamed with Polk and Raudins to take home the gold with a time of 2:17.48.
Chagrin Valley Athletic Club finished the day with six individual gold medals and one relay triumph. CVAC was paced by double-event winner Michael Jeromin, who won the boys' 13-and-14 50-yard backstroke at 29.71 and the 50-yard freestyle at 25.89. Also in the 13-and-14 age group, Erica Abbarno won the girls' 50-yard breaststroke at 37.94, and Alyssa Mahle won the girls' 50-yard butterfly at 32.49. In the 9-and-10 age group, Min Bamford won the girls' 25-yard backstroke at 17.97, while Will Toth won the boys' 25-yard backstroke at 16.94, winning his race by 0.06 second.
Chagrin Valley Athletic Club's sole relay triumph came in the boys' ages adding up to 54 200-yard medley relay, when Danny O'Sickey and Bradley Toth teamed with Will Toth and Jeromin to take home gold with a time of 2:17.80.
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