MAKING A SPLASH AT B CHAMPS
Local swimmers shine at Harleysville Community Center
LOWER SALFORD » Rileigh Thompson just missed the A Championships cut for the backstroke but the Fanny Chapman swimmer opted to see the situation from an optimistic point of view.
“I was point two away from qualifying for A Champs, so I’m like OK, well that’s OK I didn’t make it but I’ll be top seed at B Champs,” she said.
Thompson went even faster than her top-seeded time of 38.20 at the Bux-Mont Swim League B Championships Wednesday night at the Harleysville Community Center, besting the rest of the Girls 15 and Over 50 meter back field by finishing in 37.31.
“I was really happy. Backstroke’s not even my main stroke,” said Thompson, a rising senior at Central Bucks West. “It’s usually breaststroke and fly. So I was like backstrokes is a fun thing I like to do sometimes, like it’s not one I focus on. And then I was really happy I was able to do something with it.”
Fun was a definitely part of the meet — held under clears skies after storms passed through in the afternoon — with music playing during random heats, but putting together a fast swim was still the main goal.
“For A Champs I’m not usually
not the top heat but I like to go and compete cause it’s good energy,” she said. “But then B Champs, this is where I really like to try and win.”
Thompson added a second-place finish in the 100 free in a time 1:11.57 — getting out-touched at the wall by Harleysville’s Peyton Skoures (1:11.43), who finished second in the 50 back. Thompson, however, was still upbeat about her effort in the race.
“I was not supposed to get second. I was supposed to get like fifth,” she said of the 100 free. “And I was like ‘Oh, whatever, I’ll just see how it goes.’ And I went out real fast and I was like I might be able to win this. And so I got second, I’m happy because I didn’t think I would.”
Thompson still has two more swims left this week, competing in both the butterfly and breaststroke at the league’s A Championships Saturday at Souderton Community Pool.
“I like to do it cause I’ve been doing it since I was 11 and my friends have been doing it since they were little. So it’s just kind of a fun summer things to do with my friends,” Thompson said. “And then I like to think that it keeps me into shape even though it doesn’t really but, it’s just like at least it’s good to swim and keep up with it.”
Towamencin’s Carter Mitchell did not have a set finish in mind coming into B’s but ended the night coming in the top three in a trio of events in the Boys 15 and Older division, including a win in the 100 breast.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I went into this, but I thought I swam all right,” he said. “I was just looking to improve my time.”
Mitchell, a rising sophomore at North Penn who plays water polo, also finished second in the 100 fly (1:17.81) and third in the 100 free (1:03.43). In the breast, Mitchell put in the time to get better in the breaststroke all summer, the effort paying off Wednesday in claiming first with a time of 1:25.04.
“Breaststroke at the beginning of my season was more of a struggle,” he said. “I’m a lifeguard at Towamencin, so during break I would work on that. So I have improved a lot from where I started.”
Harleysville’s Caroline Kelly went 4-for-4 in the Girls 13-14 division, claiming first in the 50 fly (36.65), 50 breast (43.64), 50 back (38.34) and 50 free (32.22). Nor-Gwyn’s Jenna Peterson was a double winner in Girls 9-10 — earning the best times in the 25 breast (24.43) and 25 free (18:09).
In the Boys 13-14, Souderton’s Nicholas Cardona won both the 50 back (37.77) and the 100 free (1:08.51). Hunter Pierce of Fanny Chapman — which won its ninth straight BuxMont team title — picked up wins in the Boys 9-10 25 fly (19.24) and 25 free (17.44) while Pennridge’s Austin Keller was victorious in both the 25 fly (24.83) and 25 free (20.18) in the Boys 8 and Under division. Bux-Mont Swim League B Championships At Harleysville
GIRLS
8 & Under 100 Free Relay: 1. Harleysville (Laura Pannepacker, Penelope Swindells, Avery Leatherman, Megan Borro) 1:31.99; 25 Fly: 1. Yulia Ashbaugh (Fanny Chapman) 24.14; 25 Breast: 1. Eva Di-Stefano (Towamencin) 28.50; 25 Back: Evie Dalton (Towamencin) 25.97; 25 Free: 1. Sierra Martin (Towamencin) 20.78. 9-10 25 Fly: 1. Kelly Woolaver (Towamencin) 19.29; 25 Breast: 1. Jenna Peterson (Nor-Gwyn) 24.43. 25 Back: 1. Brynn Remar (Nor-Gwyn) 22.42; 25 Free: 1. Jenna Peterson (Nor-Gwyn) 18.09; 100 Medley Relay: 1. Towamencin (Abigail Flynn, Miranda Hull, Ella Pironti, Emma Strahorn) 1:25.98. 11-12 50 Fly: 1. Marin Clark (Towamencin) 37.53.50 Breast: 1. Grace Grever (Hatfield) 46.48; 50 Back: 1. Bella Leonardo (Nor-Gwyn) 41.99; 50 Free: 1. Amy Masciulli (Souderton) 34.32; 200 Medley Relay: 1. Towamencin (Catherine McGeehan, Brenna Mancini, Kayleigh Baker, Olivia Farrell) 2:45.85. 13-14 50 Fly: 1. Caroline Kelly (Harleysville) 36.65; 50 Breast: 1. Caroline Kelly (Harleysville) 43.64; 50 Back: 1. Caroline Kelly (Harleysville) 38.34; 50 Free: 1. Caroline Kelly (Harleysville) 32.22; 200 Medley Relay: 1. Souderton (Brynne Malone, Anna Tevald, Ava Vicoli, Anna Bishop) 2:42.43. 15 & Over 50 Fly: 1. Mary Grace Altomari (NorGwyn) 36.63; 50 Breast: 1. Sarah Barnum (Souderton) 43.58; 50 Back: 1. Rileigh Thompson (Fanny Chapman) 37.31; 100 Free: 1. Peyton Skoures (Harleysville) 1:11.43; 200 Medley Relay: 1. Harleysville (Kyrsten Mahoney, Maddalena Naples, Gabrielle Fortier, Peyton Skoures) 2:29.08.
BOYS
8 & Under 100 Free Relay: 1. Fanny Chapman (James Ruch, Ashton Klimes, Colin Burkholder, Anton Wingert) 1:31.25; 25 Fly: 1. Austin Keller (Pennridge) 24.83; 25 Breast: 1. Tyler Tomlinson (Fanny Chapman) 28.86; 25 Back: 1. Jackson Bollinger (Souderton) 26.73; 25 Free: 1. Austin Keller (Pennridge) 20.18. 9-10 25 Fly: 1. Hunter Pierce (Fanny Chapman) 19.24; 25 Breast: 1. Nicholas Maxwell (Towamencin) 23.54; 25 Back: 1. Noah Makarichev (Harleysville) 23.00; 25 Free: Hunter Pierce (Fanny Chapman) 17.44; 100 Medley Relay: 1. Souderton (Arthur Lettero, Kieran Tobin, Zachary Scardino, Jake Konopka) 1:34.81. 11-12 50 Fly: Jack Mislan (Fanny Chapman) 40.40; 50 Breast: 1. Daniel Chang (Nor-Gwyn) 47.20; 50 Back: JP Tomlinson (Fanny Chapman) 42.30; 50 Free: Chase Di-Mauro (Lansdale) 34.69; 200 Medley Relay: 1. Towamencin (Ian Hegge, Ryan Pritchett, Daniel Mitchell, Robert Dalton) 2:51.69. 13-14 50 Fly: 1. Brien Yaglenski (Harleysville) 35.36; 50 Breast: 1. Christian Fischer (Hatfield) 43.85; 50 Back: Nicholas Cardona (Souderton) 37.77; 100 Free: Nicholas Cardona (Souderton) 1:08.51; 200 Medley Relay: 1. Towamencin (Ryan O’Rourke, Christopher McGlynn, John Murphy, Ryan Woolaver) 2:34.63. 15 & Over 100 Fly: Beau Meingossner (Towamencin) 1:12.18; 100 Breast: 1. Carter Mitchell (Towamencin) 1:25.04; 100 Back: Ian Livengood (Pennridge) 1:16.17; 100 Free: 1. Peter Ernst (Souderton) 59.94.