The only question for the Shenendehowa boys swim team at last weekend’s Section II, Division I meet in Niskayuna was what its margin of victory would be.
The answer was 230.5 points.
The Plainsmen placed several swimmers in the top eight of nearly every individual event and won two of the three relays on their way to the team title. Shen had 497 points, while runner-up Mohonasen/Schalmont tallied 266.5 points.
Jacob Johnson led the Plains-men with victories in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles. The junior won the 50 freestyle in a time of 21.55 seconds and took first place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 46.76 seconds.
Johnson also swam on Shen’s two winning relays. He anchored the 400 freestyle relay team, which claimed the Sectional title in a time of 3:15.90, and he teamed up with Taylor Nichols, Shayne Buckley and Michael Bidwell to win the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:38.83. Buckley, Troy Nichols and Sean Parnett were part of the 400 freestyle relay team.
Buckley contributed a victory in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:56.58. Bidwell placed second in a time of 2:02.30 to earn a berth in next month’s state meet on Long Island.
Saratoga’s Kevin Murphy and Ballston Spa’s Ian Hogan also earned Sectional titles last weekend. Murphy won the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.43 seconds, while Hogan claimed the 1-meter diving title with a score of 581.95 points.
The complete list of area swimmers qualifying for the state meet March 6 and 7 is:
200 medley relay Shen (Johnson, Buckley, Bidwell, Ta. Nichols)
200 freestyle Michael Barno (Ballston Spa), Troy Nichols (Shen), Devon Byrt (Saratoga), Parnett (Shen)
200 individual medley ` Buckley and Bidwell (Shen)
50 freestyle `Johnson (Shen)
Diving ` Hogan (Ballston Spa)
100 butterfly ` Buckley (Shen)
100 freestyle `Johnson (Shen), Barno (Ballston Spa), Byrt (Saratoga)
500 freestyle ` T. Nichols (Shen)
200 freestyle relay ` Shen (Parnett, Bidwell, T. Nichols, Travis Bueno)
100 backstroke ` Murphy (Saratoga), Ta. Nichols (Shen)
100 breaststroke ` Bidwell (Shen)
400 freestyle relay ` Johnson, Buckley, Parnett, T, Nichols
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