Record-setting day for Hawthorne in the pool
Gators set many pool records in win over Lionfish
The pool was slightly different than what Conor Vienneau was used to, as he and his Hawthorne Country Club teammates competed at Kings Landing in a Prince-Mont Swim League meet on Saturday morning, but it did nothing to hamper him.
Every time Vienneau was in the pool he came out with a pool record time on Saturday, helping the Gators (2-2 overall) to a 293-283 win over the host Lionfish in the Division B meet.
“I think I swam well,” he said after the firstplace efforts in the boys 13- to 14-year-old 50-meter freestyle (27.37 seconds), 50 backstroke (29.53) and 100 individual medley (1 minute 7 seconds) events, “especially considering that both ends of this pool are really shallow so I can’t really do the normal underwaters that I can do to be faster.”
His three pool records were but three of many that Hawthorne swimmers set on Saturday morning. Esther Dugan set new pool marks in girls 11-12 50 butterfly (35.84), 50 free (32.41) and 12-U 100 IM (1:19.69), while Liam Vienneau beat the old pool records in the boys 15-18 100 free (59.20) and 100 IM (1:09.00). Hawthorne’s Naomi Dugan also set a new pool record in the girls 9-10 50 free in 34.81, three one-hundredths of a second ahead of teammate Addy Donnick, and David Dugan had a pool record in the boys 13-14 50 breast (36.09).
“I felt really good about the races, but I really need to work on my walls,” Esther Dugan said. “I could have done better on my walls.”
Liam Vienneau, who along with his brother, Esther Dugan, Megan Schueller won three events for the Gators, set new pool marks in two events and also hit the wall first in the boys 1518 50 fly (31.16).
“I think I did well. It was good,” Liam Vienneau said. “I was happy to get the two pool records that I got in the 100 free and IM. The 50 fly I didn’t
know what the time was when I went into it, so I wasn’t really prepared to try to go out for it. I was just trying to win there.”
Schueller was a triple winner in the girls 13-14 age group, nabbing first-place finishes in the 50 fly (36.53), 50 free (32.43) and 50 breaststroke (42.50).
“I think it was very fun,” she said. “I wanted to do well and strive to do my best, even though it wasn’t a dive-in pool like i’m used to. I still tried my hardest and I thought it went well.”
Donnick, Chase McClure and Cole Rapczynski each took first in two events for the visitors. Donnick won the girls 10-and-Under 25 fly (19.09) and 9-10 25 back (19.58). McClure took the girls 15-18 50 breast (46.96) and 100 IM (1:27.14), while Rapczynski won the boys 11-12 50 fly (37.86) and 50 breast (43.57).
Also winning events for Hawthorne were Amelia Weilke (girls 8-U 25 free, 23.62), Mikel Reyes (boys 13-14 50 fly, 31.12), Michael Bowlin (boys 15-18 50 breast, 39.28-15 one-hundredths of a second ahead of King Landing’s Zachary Spain), Clinton Cupples (boys 9-10 25 back, 23.12), and Marc Landicho (boys 15-18 50 back, 34.03).
The Gators also won the boys 9-18 200 free relay with Cupples, Rapczynski, David Dugan and Landicho (2:11.21) and girls 9-18 200 free relay with Naomi Dugan, Esther Dugan, Scheuller and McClure (2:14.88), as well as the boys 18-U 200 medley relay of Conor Vienneau, David Dugan, Reyes and Liam Vienneau won in a pool record 2:05.12.
Kings Landing (2-2) received a three-win morning from Michael Trotter, who won the boys 11-12 50 free (33.53), 50 back (37.85) and 12-U 100 IM (1:21.00). Lincoln Johnson (boys 10-U fly, 19.89; 9-10 50 free, 38.13), Luke Hawit (boys 8-U 25 free, 19.81; 25 back, 23.91), Sarah Cole (girls 15-18 50 fly, 36.50; 100 free, 1:10.58), Alexia Zaidi (girls 11-12 50 breast, pool record 43.73; 50 back, 39.62) and Margaret Foulkes (girls 13-14 50 back, 38.81; 100 IM, 1:23.44) each brought home two wins for the Lionfish.
Other winners for the hosts were Alexandra Uhlmann (girls 8-U 25 breast, 29.92), Amanda Lewis (girls 15-18 50 back, 40.68), Lyla Smith (girls 9-10 25 breast, 23.92), Katherine Cuebas (girls 8-U 25 back, 27.60-21 one-hundredths of a second ahead of teammate Elizabeth Richardson), Tanner Currie (boys 8-U 25 breast, 30.52) and Jay Pawloski (boys 9-10 25 breast, 27.84). The Kings Landing girls also took the girls 18-U 200 medley relay with Olivia Cole, Foulkes, Sarah Cole and Cameryn McKenny (2:35.88) and the mixed 8-U 100 free relay with Carlson Labella, Uhlmann, Kathryn Schmidt and Hawit (1:27.82).
All in all, it was a great day for the hosts, who are scheduled to conclude the regular season with a meet at the MVP Dolphins of Washington, D.C., this weekend, according to coach Kandia Spain.
“I’m very happy with them because, this is not an excuse, but we were missing a lot of older kids,” she said. “A lot of the younger kids, we told them to go get personal bests, and they did.”
Hawthorne is scheduled to host Strathmore Bel Pre of Montgomery County in its regular season finale this coming Saturday, before moving on to the postseason portion of the summer.
“Then we have Charles County Championships which we always look forward to, trying to beat our rival Smallwood,” Liam Vienneau said. “We’re pretty excited for that.”