The Section II large school division boys swimming and diving championships turned into a Shenendehowa showcase.
The Plainsmen won five individual events and two relays to cruise to the team title Saturday at Niskayuna High School. The Plainsmen finished with 479 points, 153 points ahead of runner-up Bethlehem.
Ryan Brauer and Jacob Johnson led Shen with a pair of individual wins. Brauer took first place in the 200-yard individual medley with a pool-record time of 1:56.30 and won the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:43.71, three seconds ahead of teammate Troy Nichols. Johnson claimed first place in the 50 and 100 freestyles with respective times of 21.50 and 47.17 seconds. Johnson’s 50 freestyle time was fast enough for All-American consideration.
Mike Christine also earned an individual title for the Plainsmen when he won the 100 butterfly in a time of 52.23 seconds. Christine also qualified for the state meet in the 50 freestyle by finishing second to Johnson with a time of 21.64 seconds.
Shaker had a pair of individual champions. Frankie Dyer claimed the 200 freestyle title with an All-American consideration time of 1:43.16, and Brian Maloy tied Queensbury’s Andrew Guinther for the 100 breaststroke title with a pool record time of 59.82 seconds.
Ballston Spa’s Ian Hogan and Bethlehem’s Drew Acquaviva claimed the other individual titles up for grabs. Hogan won the 1-meter diving competition with an All-American consideration total of 536.40 points, while Acquaviva edged Dyer by .02 seconds to win the 100 backstroke in an All-American consideration time of 52.99 seconds.
In the relays, Shen’s team of Christine, Johnson, Brauer and Sean Parnett won the 200 freestyle relay in a time of 1:28.16. Christine, Nichols, Johnson and Brauer teamed up to win the 400 freestyle relay in a time of 3:13.92, while Shaker’s quartet of Dyer, Maloy, Steve Maxwell and David Rowley finished first in the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:38.35.
At the small school Sectionals in Amsterdam, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake had little trouble with its competition. The Spartans claimed the team title with 472.5 points, well ahead of runner-up Gloversville.
Jamie Matthews and Bryan Shaver led BH-BL with a pair of individual titles. Matthews won the 200 individual medley in a time of 2:02.04 and the 100 butterfly in a time of 53.39 seconds, while Shaver finished first in the 50 freestyle in a time of 22.29 seconds and the 100 freestyle in a time of 49.90 seconds.
Matthews and Shaver also led the Spartans to a sweep of the relays. They teamed up with Jacob Smith and John MacDonald to win the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:43.49, and they joined Tyler Slocum and Dan Godshalk to win the 400 freestyle relay in a time of 3:22.16. Godshalk and Smith teamed up with Mike Young and Ray Amato to win the 200 freestyle relay in a time of 1:33.76.
Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk’s Kevin Burns won two individual events. The junior finished first in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:57.62 and claimed the 100 backstroke title in a time of 56.27 seconds. Burns’ teammate Jacob VanEtten placed second in the 100 backstroke with a time of 57.50 seconds.`