Deep Dragons back on top
Duxbury claims third state swimming championship in four years
A year removed from falling shy of another Div. 2 state title by less than 10 points, the Duxbury girls swimming and diving team is champion once again.
Behind a deep effort that saw just one win in the nine individual events on the day, the Dragons used relays and a late boost in points from a dominant showing in the one-meter dive to pull ahead of Cohasset in an ultra-tight meet at Boston University on Saturday. Duxbury finished with 239 points to claim its third state title in four years, followed by Cohasset (198) and Wayland (180).
Ava DeAngelis perhaps set herself above the rest from an individual standpoint by winning the 200-yard individual medley (2:06.75) and taking second in the 100yard breaststroke (1:04.23). But yet another win in the 200-yard medley relay (1:49.34), senior Julia Ali’s second-place and thirdplace finishes in the 100-yard freestyle (53.44 seconds) and 100-yard backstroke (57.75), and three top-five finishes in the one-meter dive helped back up head coach Elizabeth Walsh’s constant message to the team that every finish matters to win it all.
“It goes with the theme of what I tell them all the time, that it literally takes every single person,” she said. “It doesn’t matter (to have just one individual event winner). That’s what they all know, that’s what they all feel and they all share each other’s accomplishments.”
Ali and DeAngelis helped the 200-yard medley relay team win the event for a fourth straight year, only for Weston to take second (1:49.69). Ainsley Nalen and Katheryn Milligan did their damage in a handful of events to keep Weston up for much of the meet afterward, only for the team to disqualify in the 200-yard freestyle relay and run out of gas to finish fourth overall with 169 points.
As Weston slowed down, though, Cohasset sped up with Emily Appleton taking the 100-yard freestyle (1:51.65) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:56.99) as just one of two individual double winners on the day. Leigh Spicer took second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:00.51) and fourth in the 200 free (1:54.98) to help Appleton pull the Skippers into a 158all tie with Duxbury with the diving and the 400-yard freestyle relay remaining.
But Olivia Templeton finished second (476.65) in the one-meter dive for Duxbury, followed by Erin Murphy in fourth (454.25) and Tierney Regan in fifth (444.25) to seal the victory. Danielle Koelbel, Julia Leedom, Mya Cusson and Ruby Venturelli also scored points in the win.
“It took everybody,” Walsh said. “We were confident in what our divers were going to do, so we felt good about it. But we always want to pull our weight on the swimming end, too, so we were worried. We’ve been in this position before where it’s come down to the last relay.”
The other double winner on the day was sophomore sensation Ava Yablonski, making her mark for Dover-Sherborn. Her 54.44 in the 100-yard backstroke was an All-American automatic qualifier, complementing the 23.54 time she posted to win the 50-yard freestyle earlier in the meet.
“It’s crazy, I’ve just worked so hard this season,” she said. “Working hard, it pays off.”
Gracie O’Connell also stood out for Matignon by taking the 100-yard butterfly and finishing second in the 200-yard IM, as did Arlington Catholic’s Ava Wirtanen with a win in the 100-yard freestyle and a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle.
Div. 1 State Championship — The Westford Academy girls swimming and diving team captured their fifth straight
MIAA Division 1 state title and eighth in the last nine years on Saturday at Boston University.
Westford totaled 456 points, outdistancing Dual County League rival Concord-Carlisle, which finished second, scoring 205.
“When you’re younger, you see the team win states,” said junior Halle Moore. “You want to come and add to that.”
Westford had the title clinched well before the final event, winning all three relays and three individual events.
Michaela Martin, Halle Moore, Madison Leong and Kate Edison closed the show in the 400-yard freestyle relay, winning in 3 minutes, 34.20 seconds.
“We’ve always had that depth,” said Westford coach Kaitlin Klick-McHugh. “Getting that 1-2 punch in two events was big. We’ve never had that before. Winning the relays was also huge.”
The Grey Ghosts went 1-2 in the 100-yard butterfly, with junior Michaela Martin in first (56.50 seconds) and Madison Leong in second (58.50).
Martin also led a 1-2 sweep for Westford in the 100 backstroke. She finished in 57.84 seconds, while Moore was second in 58.12.
“I’ve been working with Halle on my backstroke,” Martin said. “I try to keep up with her.”
Said Moore, “We tried to go 1-2. It really helps with the team.”
They also won the 200 medley relay, with Moore, Emily Blatt, Martin and Ella Krikorian finishing in 1 minute, 52.02 seconds. In the 200 freestyle relay, Edison, Blatt, Julia Tracanna and Krikorian won in 1:38.90.
Sophomore Elizabeth Durgin won the diving for Westford, scoring 488.55 points.
University of Richmond-bound senior Alex Connors of Silver Lake repeated as state champion in the 200 and 500 freestyle. She won the 200 in 1:50.74 and the 500 in 4:53.64, which was good for All-America consideration.
“It was a good race,” Connors said. “It motivates me for college, where I hope to make the Olympic Trials in my senior year.”
Megan Kramer, a junior from Bridgewater-Raynham, won the 200 individual medley (2:02.16) and the 100 freestyle (51.39). Her IM time was good for All-America consideration, as was the runner-up, Ella Smith of Chicopee Comprehensive (2:02.57).
Ella Smith, a sophomore from Chicopee Comprehensive, set a meet record while winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.98.