Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Conestoga’s depth rules at Central League meet
The Conestoga High School boys and girls swimming teams, both aiming for their ninth consecutive Central League Championship titles, relied on their depth to hold a comfortable first-place lead after the first day of the league meet at Ridley High School on Friday.
The girls compiled 295 points, well ahead of secondplace Radnor (171) and thirdplace Haverford (165). The boys were in first with 259 points, ahead of Haverford (199.5) in second and Springfield (Delco) (163) in third.
“Our team depth really buoys us along in this meet,” said Conestoga girls coach Rob Kirkby. “We have some really topnotch performers, but all the way along the meet we’ve had several Conestoga girls on the (awards) podium, and they’re getting best (personal) times. This is such a good meet for us, and a real confidence-builder as we go into Districts. And it gives everyone on our team an opportunity, even the wideeyed freshmen who are new to this meet – they almost always swim their best times (here), and that’s fun to see.”
Leading the way for the girls were seniors Audrey Laganelli and Lily Robinson. Laganelli, who will be swimming for the Air Force Academy next winter, won the 200 free, breaking her own Ridley pool record set at Centrals last year (1:51.56) with a clocking of 1:51.09. Robinson, who committed to Brown University, won the 50 free (23.52).
Both Robinson and Laganelli were part of the first-place 200 free relay team, which posted a Ridley pool record 1:37.59. Seniors Keira Haas and Ayala Miller were also part of the winning quartet.
“Winning the 200 free relay with my friends was definitely the highlight of the day for me,” said Laganelli, who anchored the relay. “We were seeded second, and when we were behind the blocks for the race, we were really excited, dancing and having fun. We were losing by a little when I dove in, and I was