Swimmers prepare from Prince-Mont divisionals
Several eager to do well and go to All-Stars
Saturday morning, after five weeks of competition in dual meets, numerous swimmers from the six Southern Maryland pools which compete in the Prince-Mont Swim League will look to begin putting the finishing touches on their summer season by competing in various divisional meets and perhaps earn a spot in the All-Star meet next Saturday.
Many of those were on hand Sunday morning at the Charles County Swim Championships at Hawthorne Country Club in La Plata. Following a perfect run through their Prince-Mont Division B dual meets with a 5-0 overall record, host Hawthorne captured the county title with 442 points, well clear of runner-up Smallwood (373).
Hawthorne’s Conor Vienneau has made a smooth transition from the lower age brackets into the tough 15- to 18-year-old division this summer, winning all of his events and then adding another triple to his résumé on Sunday.
Vienneau, who captured the 100-meter freestyle (56.81 seconds), 50 backstroke (29.96) and 100 individual medley (1 minute 6.31 seconds) on Sunday, the first in meet record fashion, is already looking forward to this Saturday’s Division B championships at Strathmore Bel Pre in Montgomery County.
“I’m excited about divisionals,” said Vienneau, a rising sophomore at La Plata High School. “I’m hoping to keep dropping time and keep winning. That’s really what I’m all about. I’ve been able to do really well this summer and now I want to keep it going. It’s always great having competition that can keep pushing you to get better. I’d like to win all three of my events at divisionals and then win one or two at All-Stars.”
While Vienneau has been among the stars for the Hawthorne boys, the girls have enjoyed a good blend of triumphs from Chase McClure and Megan Schueller and Esther Dugan and Addy Donnick. McClure and Schueller have been instrumental in the relays, while Dugan (13-14) and Donnick (11-12) both recorded triples Sunday and should play a major role for the Gators at divisionals.
One day earlier at Belair Swim & Racquet in Bowie, the impromptu host site for Kings Landing’s
meet against Belair Bath & Tennis, several members of the Kingfish were eager to see how well they could fare at divisionals and All-Stars. Sarah Cole and John Bubser capped their dual meet slate by winning their respective 15-18 girls and boys 100 IM events and now seek similar success in the postseason meets ahead.
“I’m really looking forward to divisionals,” said Cole, a rising senior at Huntingtown High School. “Right now our club team [Calvert Aquatic Club] has been getting us ready for the state championship meet at St. Mary’s College [of Maryland] the first weekend in August, so I would like to do well at divisionals and make it to All-Stars for a couple of events and then be ready for states. We’ve been training really hard, six times a week, so I
think I’m ready.”
Kings Landing head coach Kandia Spain was pleased to see her swimmers end the season on a high note with a victory last Saturday, finishing the regular season at 2-3. Like Hawthorne, the Kings Landing squad will also head to Strathmore Bel Pre this weekend for the Division B championships and Spain is eager to see how well her swimmers will perform there and how many of them will earn a berth at All-Stars.
“There haven’t been many meets when we’ve had a full complement of swimmers, so it was good to finish with a win,” Spain said. “We should have everyone for divisionals. I think we could see 10 to 12 different kids advance to All-Stars. We should have everyone there, so that will definitely help our relays.”
Smallwood ended the Prince-Mont dual meet slate with a 3-2 mark, but
Mya Rivenburg, a rising junior at North Point High School, is optimistic the Marlins can perform well at the Division B championships Saturday.
“This past weekend was tough because I had three meets in four days,” said Rivenburg, who runs cross country for the school in the fall, swims for the Eagles in the winter and then runs outdoor track in the spring. “But this weekend I think we can do well at divisionals. I plan on swimming in a club meet the following weekend, so I won’t be at All-Stars, but I think we will have some of my teammates make it there.”
Smallwood’s Clayton Jameson recorded a triple at the county meet in the 11-12 boys bracket, taking the 50 free (29.47) in meet record fashion and also prevailing in the 50 fly (33.21) and 100 IM (1:14.63). Marlins teammates Justin Truitt (13-14 boys) and Kiera Salazar
(8-and-Under girls) also recorded three victories apiece Sunday and will be among the favorites in their respective events at divisionals on Saturday.
Westlake’s Emily Decker, a rising senior at Westlake High School, won two events Sunday and now is eagerly looking forward to the team’s Division D championships at Belair Swim & Racquet in Prince George’s County. The Waves were 0-5 in dual meets. Decker, who also plays volleyball and softball for her high school, is hoping to peak at the remaining postseason meets.
“I swam the first meet then missed the next two meets,” said Decker, who won the 15-18 girls 50 fly (32.97) and 100 IM (1:14.65) on Sunday. “So, I will be interested to see how much those girls have improved since that meet. Then I missed the next two meets, so I didn’t have a chance to face those girls. I’m hoping
to just do well and drop time and help our team do well.”
Decker’s teammate Kerrigan McMillen, a rising junior at North Point, captured the 15-18 girls 50 backstroke (34.47) on Sunday and is now looking forward to divisionals and a possible berth in the All-Star meet.
“I’m hoping to take first place in the back,” McMillen said. “I know the competition is going to be really tough, but I’m looking forward to it. The whole summer has gone well. It would be great to keep winning and make it to All-Stars.”
Indian Head (2-3) finished the Prince-Mont slate with a 286-261 victory over Temple Hills last Saturday then finished fourth in the county championships the next day.
Indian Head, led by Lackey High School graduate Shaun Butler, will compete in the Division E championships Saturday at New Carrollton Recreation in Prince George’s County. Butler, RG Bolton, Brett Culhane and Bryan Mentzer combined to establish a team record Sunday in the 18-U boys 200 medley relay (2:07.00).
Bannister (2-3) won its final two dual meets, including a 285-46 victory over winless Oxon Hill last Saturday.
The Barracudas then finished fifth at the county championships, but the quartet of Jonathan Parham, Christopher Brown, Michael Parham and Carl Wochowski combined to place third in the 9-18 boys 200 free relay (2:22.57) and Jonathan Parham also took third in the 10-U boys 25 fly (18.54) behind two Hawthorne swimmers who he will not have to contend with this weekend in the Division F championships at Brandywine Blue Wave’s pool in Upper Marlboro.