Lions, Avengers meet for D-II crown Monday
LINCOLN – Tom DiIorio labels it one of his career highlights as Lincoln High’s head coach.
Fifty-one weeks ago, his Lion swimmers outdueled East Greenwich to claim the Girls R.I. Division II Interscholastic Championships crown at the Roger Williams University’s natatorium, and they did so in dramatic fashion.
“We won it by less than 20 points; I’m surprised we did because I thought EG had us,’ DiIorio stated. “But the last three events, we swam great and pulled it out.
“I have to say, I’ve never seen the girls so elated,” he added. “I know it was something they had been looking forward to accomplishing for many years, and – I have to say – I felt the same way. I coached a lot of these girls when they were younger, and I knew then they were going to be very good.
“They showed up at school that day to take the bus down to Bristol, and they seemed primed and ready. It was just a great meet for all of them.”
Lincoln will attempt to repeat as the D-II titleists next Sunday at the same RWU site, but, this time, it will come with a twist. Unlike last winter, the Lions will prepare for the championship meet with their final dual meet against the Avengers at the MacColl Field YMCA at 3:30 p.m., Monday.
Both teams will enter the showdown with 7-0 league marks, and the victor will create for itself a wave of confidence entering the title clash.
“If we win the dual meet, it would be a huge confidence boost for us, but I’ve already told the girls, ‘No pressure. I don’t care if we win or lose this meet,’’” he noted. “I’ve said that it’s all about the divisional meet, so if they want to put a bit more pressure on themselves, they can. I still want them as relaxed as possible on Monday.
“They’ve got to have confidence anyway, because we’re the defending D-II champs. They’re undefeated, we’re undefeated, so something’s got to give.”
Some of that confidence will come, as it has the last three seasons, from senior quad-captain Mollie Westrick, who will be a favorite in her two individual events, nearly regardless of her foe. While DiIorio isn’t sure in which races he will place his phenom in Monday’s more standard affair – he’s got to keep that a secret so as not to tip off East Greenwich, he believes Westrick will compete for the 50-yard and 100yard freestyle crowns.
She will do with approximate seed times of 23.30 in the former and 51.10 in the latter. Those two clockings, by the way, should be the best ones when the state meet begins on Saturday, Feb. 6 at Brown University.
Still, points are hard to come by at any championship meet. Nobody knows that better than DiIorio.
“I don’t think we can beat EG in all three relays; I think they can get wins in two out of three, but that’s why you swim the races,” he said. “They’re very strong in the 200 medley relay, not to mention the 400 freestyle relay. I still think we have a shot in the 200 freestyle relay, though.”
Here’s why: At the Bay View Invitational in late January, the Avengers went 2:02 in the 200 medley relay, and Lincoln clocked a 2:04. In the 400 freestyle relay, EG finished in 3:55 while the Lions produced a time of 4:04. The good news: In the 200 freestyle relay, LHS outstroked the Avengers by four ticks, closing in 1:51.
EG has at least two girls who will battle for supremacy in their respective events, including Audrey Brecher in the 200 freestyle (seed time of 1:55) and 500 freestyle (5:14, “but now she’s down to about 5:00,” DiIorio said); and Lauren Salvadore in the 50 freestyle (25.0) and 100 breaststroke (1:10).
“I’m expecting Mollie to win both of her events; she’s tough as nails,” he indicated. “But I still think we’re going to have to win at least one relay, and I’d also like to see (sophomore) Natalie Westrick place high in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle. She’s gone 1:02 or 1:03 in the fly and 2:06 in the 200, so she should.
“We’re also going to need a lot of placements in the individual events,” he continued. “I’ve got four breaststrokers who have the potential of scoring, and – hopefully – they’ll earn doubledigit points. We’re going to have to manage more than just 15th or 16th place finishes (which earn only two points or one, respectively). We’re going to need 10ths or better.”
Among them to swim the 100 breaststroke: Freshman Lily Jacobson, senior Kaelyn Zak, frosh Katie Nolan and junior Allie Banks. Jacobson will have the best-ranked time for the Lions at 1:18.
Junior Angie Gagne (PR of 1:10 so far this season) and Zak (1:13) will be DiIorio’s top candidates in the 100 backstroke, with the younger Westrick, senior quad-captain Emily Jacobson and freshman Natalie Jorge in the 100 butterfly.
Then again, Nolan may also compete in that race, and has managed a campaign-low 1:08 like the elder Jacobson.
In the distance freestyles, he will count on senior quad-captain Danielle Jorge, not to mention fellow captain Marisa Brown. Jorge has posted PRs of 2:23 in the 200 and 6:30 in the 500, and she’d truly like to better them at the D-II states.
“Hopefully, she’ll place top five in those two events,” DiIorio stated. “She’s been working hard the last couple of weeks on her endurance and her turns. For the seniors, this is sort their last hurrah before states, so they all want to do well in the division.”
As for the LHS boys, DiIorio knows they don’t stand a prayer of competing for a state team championship, not with a 1-6 overall dualmeet record (0-6) league), but he is expecting three or four aquamen to make their presence known. Talented frosh Jack Charbonneau will swim the 100 breaststroke (seed time of 1:11), and senior co-captain Ben Chiacchia the 100 butterfly.
“Ben’s dropped his time in the fly in each of his past three meets, and now he’s down to a 1:03,” DiIorio said. “I know he’s told me he’s looking to break a minute, but I just told him, ‘Be realistic. Try to go sub-1:02, and work from there.’
“Another kid who’s been swimming really well is sophomore Ryan Fleming; he’s come down a ton in the 200 freestyle (PR of 2:17) and 500 freestyle (6:17), so he’s a had a tremendous season already. We have (junior) Garrett Scahill in the same races, so we’ll see if those guys can continue to lower their PRs.”