Smallwood wins again in Prince-Mont Swim League

Swim team moves to 2-0 with victory

Saturday counted as a pretty good day in the pool for the Mallory Thompson of the Smallwood Marlins.

Thompson won each of the freestyle and backstroke in the girls 11- to 12-year-old age category and the individual medley event in the girls 12-and-Under age category before finishing the Prince-Mont Swim League Division B meet against visiting Montpelier Community by competing on Smallwood’s girls 9-18 freestyle relay team, placing second in the event.

Ultimately, though, Thompson wasn’t necessarily concerned with how she placed in any of the events.

“I think I did pretty well. It doesn’t really matter that we got second in the relay. We dropped seven seconds,” she said, “and I dropped time in all my events.”

Smallwood’s team enjoyed a solid day, in general, in winning its second meet in as many weeks with a 310-264 triumph over its guests. The hosts won 27 of the 49 events, but again, for Marlins coach Jeff Rivenburg the improvement shown by some of his swimmers from week-to-week was the more significant development.

“We’ve started off the summer 2-0, so that’s always good. I’m more excited about the idea that we improved some things that we got DQ’d for last week,” he said. “We have a lot of young kids, girls and guys 9 and 10 and 8-and-unders, and they improved dramatically in a week’s time. That’s really good. We had some great swims across the board. Montpelier’s been tough. We swam against them when we were in [Division] D. They have some really good swimmers.”

Smallwood (2-0 overall) was particularly successful in the boys races on Saturday, winning 17 or 24 events.

Nicholas and Lawrence Sapp combined to win six races, with Nicholas claiming the 1112 50-meter butterfly (40.31 seconds), 50 free (33.64) and 50 breaststroke (45.46) races, while Lawrence took the top

spot in the 50 fly (27.90), 100 free (58.92) and 100 IM (1:05.69) in the 1518 competition. Booker Brown (9-10 50 free, 9-10 25 breast 25.41) and Clayton Jameson (13-14 50 free 29.15, 13-14 50 back 32.73) each won two races for Smallwood.

“I felt like I did pretty good. I dropped time in all my events and am close to the pool record [in the 50 free],” Jameson said. “The team did really well. It was close the whole meet, but I think our relays is what pushed us over.”

Smallwood’s boys won the 18-and-Under 200 medley relay (2:06.75) and 9-18 200 free relay (2:11.62), while Pierce Mussante (12-U 100 IM 1:33.49), Garrison Nabors (9-10 25 breast 23.81), Cyrus Salazar (11-12 50 back 50.30), Michael Thompson (10-U 25 fly 20.25) and Justin Truitt (15-18 50 back 31.56) also brought home first-place efforts.

Jair Jackson was a triple winner for visiting Montpelier (0-2), nabbing the top spot in the 13-14 50 fly (30.40), 50 breast (35.35) and 100 IM (1:11.09). Noah Rutherford also won three races for the visitors, reaching the wall first in the 25 free (21.00), 25 breast (26.59) and 25 back (28.63) races in the 8-U division. Frankie Spitza added a win in the 1518 50 breast (34.66).

Paced by triple winner Sarah Mima on the girls side, Montpelier took 14 events. Mima won the 50 fly (33.82), 50 free (31.81) and 100 IM (1:17.37) in the 13-14 races, while Suzannah Mills (15-18 100 free 1:02.45, 15-18 100 IM 1:11.68), Cecilia Saarinen (8-U 25 free 20.47, 8-U 25 breast 28.08) and Faith Saarinen (10-U 25 fly 19.57, 9-10 25 breast 22.84) each won twice for the visiting squad.

Smallwood’s guests also won the girls 9-18 200 free relay (2:11.47) and the mixed 8-U 100 free relay (1:38.28), while Amanda Hong (15-18 50 back 39.37), Lina Islam (9-10 25 back 25.04), Audrey Mima (11-12 50 fly 37.72) and Isabel Tenney (13-14 50 breast 44.84) also claimed individual wins.

In addition to Thompson’s three wins (11-12 50 free 32.92, 11-12 50 back 40.75, 12-U 100 IM 1:26.28), Smallwood’s girls received wins courtesy of Cora Jameson (13-14 50 back 36.29), Natalie LaFontant (15-18 50 breast 38.32), Rylin Mussante (9-10 50 free 37.63), Olivia Patrylo (8-U 25 back 25.36), Teagan Rohrbaugh (15-18 50 fly 34.57) and Ryann Tompkins (1112 50 breast 44.25). The hosts also won the girls 18-U 200 medley relay (2:20.84).

“I’m just happy the kids had fun and looked happy,” Rivenburg said. “That’s what summer swimming is about.”

Smallwood is scheduled to host the MVP Dolphins of Washington, D.C., this coming Saturday.

STAFF PHOTO BY ANDY STATES Smallwood’s Mallory Thompson swims in the girls 12-and-Under 100-meter individual medley during the Marlins’ meet with visiting Montpelier Community on Saturday. Thompson won three events to help Smallwood to a 310-264 win.

Smallwood’s Natalie LaFontant, top, swims against Montpelier Community’s Suzannah Mills during the girls 15- to 18-year-old 100-meter individual medley in Saturday morning’s Prince-Mont Swim League meet at Smallwood. LaFontant finished second in the event and won the girls 15-18 50 breaststroke in helping Smallwood to the 310-264 win.

Smallwood’s Cora Jameson competes in the girls 13- to 14-year-old 100-meter individual medley during the Marlins’ meet with visiting Montpelier Community on Saturday. Jameson won one event, the 13-14 50 backstroke, in Smallwood’s 310-264 win.

STAFF PHOTOS BY ANDY STATES Smallwood’s Pierce Mussante swims towards the finish of the boys 12-and-Under 100 individual medley during Saturday morning’s meet with visiting Montpelier Community. Mussante won the event, while Smallwood defeated its guests 310-264.