The Shenendehowa girls swimming team returned to the top of the Section II mountain after a four-year absence at last Saturday’s championship meet at RPI.
The Plainsmen won the Class A team title with 399.5 points, 78 points ahead of defending champion Bethlehem. Niskayuna finished third with 287 points, while Saratoga Springs (265 points) and Shaker (249 points) rounded out the top five.
I couldn’t ask anything more out of my kids, said Shen coach Pat Seligman.
Kara Zebrowski, Olivia Samson and Kelsey Barbour led the way for Shen. Each swimmer won one individual event and swam on two first-place relays to help the Plainsmen claim the Class A title and set themselves up for a potentially big performance at the state championships next weekend at Erie Community College in Buffalo.
`You have to have perfect swims at the state meet in order to get to the finals or the consolation finals, and they understand that,` said Seligman.
Other Shen swimmers sealed the team title simply by making the finals. The Plainsmen had more than one representative in five individual event finals, which guaranteed them significant points no matter how they finished.
`When the kids came into the (preliminary round) Thursday, I had some kids who were seeded 18th or 10th in their events, and they realized that they needed big swims to get to the finals,` said Seligman. `And, they did just that.`
Shen set the tone with a dominating performance in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Zebrowski, Barbour, Samson and Chloe Sosnowski finished with a time of 1:51.11, less than three seconds off All-American consideration time. Samson, Barbour and Zebrowski later teamed up with Lisa Liu to win the 400 freestyle relay title in a time of 3:41.38.
Bethlehem freshman Bethany Powhida gave Eagles fans something to chirp about when she won the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:55.95. Niskayuna’s Emily Whitaker was second in a state meet-qualifying time of 1:56.72, and Saratoga Springs’ Taylor Sloane finished third in a time of 1:57.03 to punch her ticket to Buffalo.
Powhida came back strong from her 200 freestyle victory and dominated the 500 freestyle final. Powhida swam the first 100 yards in under a minute and steadily pulled away from the competition to win with a time of 5:08.67 ` 14 seconds ahead of Saratoga Springs’ Alyssa DiFabio.
Niskayuna’s Laura Manor held off a hard-charging Zebrowski to win the 200 individual medley in a time of 2:09.44. Zebrowski made up nearly two body lengths in the final 50 yards, but she had to settle for second place in a time of 2:09.50. Barbour (third place, 2:11.85) and Powell (fourth, 2:14.01) also qualified for states.
Zebrowski made up for her disappointment in the 200 individual medley by winning the 100 backstroke. The senior finished with a time of 58.72 seconds, .09 seconds ahead of O’Donnell.
The 50 freestyle produced three state meet qualifiers. Albany’s Hanlon MacDonald won in a time of 24.64 seconds, while Samson took second place in a time of 24.72 seconds. Niskayuna’s McKenna Murphy was third in a time of 25.31 seconds.
Ballston Spa seventh grader Addison Walkowiak impressed the judges in the diving competition, as she won with a score of 505.40. Bethlehem’s Kirstie Russell was second with a score of 492.80, and Ballston Spa’s Devon Delay placed third with a score of 440.65.
The 100 freestyle final produced five sub 55-second times. Samson claimed the Class A title with a time of 53.56 seconds, while Sloane touched the wall in second place with a time of 54 seconds. O’Donnell was third in a time of 54.61 seconds, .09 seconds ahead of MacDonald and .3 seconds ahead of Whitaker.
Barbour locked up the only state meet berth in the 100 breaststroke by winning the race in a time of 1:06.52. Ballston Spa’s Jennifer Stodgell was second in a time of 1:11.32.
In Class B, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake defeated Queensbury 497-457 to repeat as Sectional champions. Scotia-Glenville was fifth with 184 points, and Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk placed 11th with 57 points.
BH-BL’s Sara Swett won an individual title in the 500 freestyle. The eighth grader finished in a time of 5:22.09, 11 seconds ahead of Glens Falls’ Allison Burhoe. Emily Hoskinson added a victory in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02.63, more than one second ahead of BH-BL teammate Erin Ludeke.
Swett and Hoskinson teamed up with Erin and Kelly Ludeke to win the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:46.74 for the Spartans, who earned their third consecutive Sectional title.“