HS SWIMMING: Eagles, Tide record sweeps

Leroy Boyer, Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.
·9 min read

Jan. 19—ORWIGSBURG — Blue Mountain took a major step toward its ninth straight Schuylkill League girls' swimming championship with a 129.5-55.5 victory over North Schuylkill on Thursday night at the Glen Belmont Natatorium.

Victoria Ellex (200 free, 100 free), Hannah Magdeburg (50 free, 100 fly) and Paige Bensinger (200 IM, 100 breast) each won two events and swam on two winning relays as the Eagles won all 12 events. Kamryn Moran (diving), Sarah Magdeburg (500 free) and Sage Kaplafka (100 back) added individual wins for Blue Mountain.

The victory gives the Eagles (9-1, 6-0 SL) their 86th straight Schuylkill League dual-meet win and a two-game lead over both North Schuylkill (4-2, 4-2) and Pottsville (6-3, 4-2) with four meets remaining.

Blue Mountain 129.5, North Schuylkill 55.5

200 medley relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Kaplafka, Bensinger, S. Magdeburg, Sarnes) 2:03.30, 2. North Schuylkill A, 3. North Schuylkill B; 200 freestyle — 1. Ellex (BM) 2:02.18, 2. Zeplin (BM), 3. Salefski (NS); 200 IM — 1. Bensinger (BM) 2:23.51, 2. Sarnes (BM), 3. Wonsock (NS); 50 freestyle — 1. H. Magdeburg (BM) 25.33, 2. Kaplafka (BM), 3. Welna (NS); Diving — 1. Moran (BM) 171.50, 2. White (BM), 3. Love (NS); 100 butterfly — 1. H. Magdeburg (BM) 1:00.83, 2. S. Magdeburg (BM), 3. Crossen (BM); 100 freestyle — 1. Ellex (BM) 55.76, 2. Welna (NS), 3. Wonsock (NS); 500 freestyle — 1. S. Magdeburg (BM) 6:14.19, 2. Lutz (BM), 3. Malafarina (NS); 200 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Ellex, Bensinger, Kaplafka, H. Magdeburg) 1:42.14, 2. North Schuylkill A, 3. Blue Mountain B; 100 backstroke — 1. Kaplafka (BM) 1:07.88, 2. Zeplin (BM), 3. Wolfe (NS); 100 breaststroke — 1. Bensinger (BM) 1:11.83, 2. Sarnes (BM), 3. Zulli (BM); 400 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Ellex, S. Magdeburg, Zeplin, H. Magdeburg) 4:09.86, 2. North Schuylkill A, 3. Blue Mountain B.

Pottsville 90, Tamaqua 85

TAMAQUA — Adalia LaSelva (100 fly, 100 back) won a pair of individual events and swam on two winning relays as the Crimson Tide edged the Blue Raiders.

Pottsville (6-3, 4-2) won the final four events to capture the victory, with the foursome of Chloe Heintz, Emma Seiger, Madison Wright and Elizabeth Martinko winning the 200 freestyle relay by .13 seconds in a key race that swung the meet in the Tide's favor. LaSelva then won the 100 back, Martinko took the 100 breaststroke and the foursome of LaSelva, Seiger, Wright and Carly Mohl won the 400 freestyle relay to ice it.

Savannah Wilson (200 IM, 100 free) won two events for Tamaqua (5-5, 1-5), while Lexi Buchala (200 free), Mia Jones (diving) and Gabby Blasko (500 free) added individual wins.

200 medley relay — 1. Pottsville A (LaSelva, Martinko, Mohl, Biddle) 2:12.74, 2. Tamaqua A, 3. Tamaqua B; 200 freestyle — 1. Buchala (T) 2:12.85, 2. Wright (P), 3. Kohlmeir (T); 200 IM — 1. Wilson (T) 2:34.30, 2. Martinko (P), 3. I. Jones (T); 50 freestyle — 1. Mohl (P) 28.09, 2. M. Jones (T), 3. Heintz (P); Diving — 1. M. Jones (T) 165.22; 100 butterfly — 1. LaSelva (P) 1:07.33, 2. Mohl (P), 3. Buchala (T); 100 freestyle — 1. Wilson (T) 1:04.44, 2. Wright (P), 3. A. Jones (T); 500 freestyle — 1. Blasko (T) 6:21.57, 2. I. Jones (T), 3. Krall (T); 200 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville (Heintz, Seiger, Wright, Martinko) 1:57.13, 2. Tamaqua A, 3. Pottsville B; 100 backstroke — 1. LaSelva (P) 1:13.96, 2. Blasko (T), 3. Kohlmeir (T); 100 breaststroke — 1. Martinko (P) 1:18.52, 2. McNutt (T), 3. Horvath (P); 400 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville A (LaSelva, Seiger, Wright, Mohl) 4:15.59, 2. Tamaqua A, 3. Pottsville B.

Independents: 200 freestyle — Zoe Katona (Marian) 2:12.83, Jada Gudinas (Minersville) 2:25.96; 50 freestyle — Makenzie Moyer (Marian) 32.74; 100 butterfly — Isabella Horvat (Marian) 1:17.91; 100 freestyle — Gudinas (Min) 1:05.28, Delaney Erickson (Marian) 1:12.41, Moyer (Marian) 1:17.95; 100 breaststroke — Katona (Marian) 1:18.16, Horvat (Marian) 1:32.28, Erickson (Marian) 1:38.53.

Mahanoy Area 103, Schuylkill Haven 52

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Samantha Ritsko (200 free, 100 fly), Kaylee Senglar (200 IM, 100 back) and Abby Dudash (50 free, 100 free) each won two individual events as the Golden Bears downed the Hurricanes.

Izabel Lynn (500 free) and Tabbatha Ward (100 breast) added victories for Mahanoy Area (3-3, 3-3). The 200 freestyle relay team of Cali Stauffer, Teagan Wehr, Cali Stank and Nicole Domermuth gained the only win for Schuylkill Haven (2-7, 0-6).

200 medley relay — 1. Mahanoy Area A (Dudash, Ward, Chilinskas, Senglar) 2:00.35, 2. Mahanoy Area B; 200 freestyle — 1. Ritsko (MA) 2:24.16, 2. Lynn (MA), 3. Honus (MA); 200 IM — 1. Senglar (MA) 2:33.93, 2. Chilinskas (MA), 3. Domermuth (SH); 50 freestyle — 1. Dudash (MA) 28.03, 2. Stank (SH), 3. O'Boyle (MA); Diving — No event; 100 butterfly — 1. Ritsko (MA) 1:14.73, 2. O'Boyle (MA); 100 freestyle — 1. Dudash (MA) 1:01.50, 2. Stauffer (SH), 3. Ward (MA); 500 freestyle — 1. Lynn (MA) 6:33.28, 2. Book (SH), 3. Brown (SH); 200 freestyle relay — 1. Schuylkill Haven A (Stauffer, Wehr, Stank, Domermuth) 1:56.90, 2. Mahanoy Area A, 3. Schuylkill Haven B; 100 backstroke — 1. Senglar (MA) 1:08.56, 2. Chilinskas (MA), 3. Stank (SH); 100 breaststroke — 1. Ward (MA) 1:13.41, 2. Honus (MA), 3. Staufer (SH); 400 freestyle relay — 1. Mahanoy Area A (Senglar, O'Boyle, Lynn, Dudash) 4:27.91, 2. Schuylkill Haven A, 3. Schuylkill Haven B.

Independents: 100 backstroke — Zofia Fegley (Pine Grove) 2:40.56; 100 backstroke — Fegley (Pine Grove) 1:24.31

Boys' Swimming

Schuylkill Haven 58, Mahanoy Area 28

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Reese Felty took top honors in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly and swam on two winning relays as the Hurricanes beat the Golden Bears.

Sean Coyle (100 free) added a victory for Schuylkill Haven (3-6, 3-3). Jake Hillibush (200 IM, 100 breast) won twice for Mahanoy Area (0-6, 0-6), while Bohdan Van Horn captured the 50 freestyle.

200 medley relay — No event; 200 freestyle — 1. Felty (SH) 2:06.01, 2. Stine (SH); 200 IM — 1. Hillibush (MA) 2:23.15, 2. McKee (SH); 50 freestyle — 1. Van Horn (MA) 25.39, 2. Naranjo (SH), 3. Coyle (SH); Diving — No event; 100 butterfly — 1. Felty (SH) 1:02.07, 2. Van Horn (MA); 100 freestyle — 1. Coyle (SH) 1:02.48, 2. Steibler (MA), 3. Naranjo (SH); 500 freestyle — No event; 200 freestyle relay — 1. Schuylkill Haven A (Naranjo, McKee, Coyle, Felty) 1:47.78; 100 backstroke — No event; 100 breaststroke — 1. Hillibush (MA) 1:05.15, 2. McKee (SH); 400 freestyle relay — 1. Schuylkill Haven A (Naranjo, McKee, Coyle, Felty) 4:21.58.

Pottsville 91, Tamaqua 87

TAMAQUA — Zach Ott (200 IM, 100 fly) won a pair of individual events as the Crimson Tide used a late rally to upend the Blue Raiders.

Stephen Behun (50 free, 100 free) won two events and Alex Zehner captured the 500 free for Tamaqua (5-5, 3-3), which led 70-62 after Jacob Hehn, Jathan Krall, Jack Tharp and Behun finished first in the 200 freestyle relay.

Pottsville (7-2, 5-1) grabbed the victory by winning the final three events. Noah Bevan won the 100 backstroke, Vincent Prestileo paced a 1-2-4 finish in the 100 breaststroke and Ott, Caden Wright, Killian Bressler and Xander Hirsch took top honors in the 400 freestyle relay to clinch the victory.

200 medley relay — 1. Pottsville A (Bevan, V. Prestileo, Ott, Davis) 1:51.83, 2. Tamaqua A, 3. Tamaqua B; 200 freestyle — 1. Hirsch (P) 2:04.56, 2. Krall (T), 3. Wright (P); 200 IM — 1. Ott (P) 2:21.01, 2. Tharp (T), 3. V. Valentine (T); 50 freestyle — 1. S. Behun (T) 24.07, 2. V. Prestileo (P), 3. Hehn (T); Diving — 1. Klinger (P) 147.90, 2. V. Valentine (T); 100 butterfly — 1. Ott (P) 1:00.13, 2. Bevan (P), 3. Krall (T); 100 freestyle — 1. S. Behun (T) 54.38, 2. Hirsch (P), 3. Tharp (T); 500 freestyle — 1. Zehner (T) 6:07.68, 2. Wright (P), 3. Gormley (T); 200 freestyle relay — 1. Tamaqua A (Hehn, Krall, Tharp, S. Behun) 1:38.19, 2. Pottsville A, 3. Tamaqua B; 100 backstroke — 1. Bevan (P) 1:03.48, 2. Long (T), 3. Chescavage (P); 100 breaststroke — 1. V. Prestileo (P) 1:11.62, 2. Bressler (P), 3. DiBonafazio (T); 400 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville (Ott, Wright, Bressler, Hirsch) 3:49.39, 2. Tamaqua A, 3. Tamaqua B.

Independents: 100 freestyle — Michael Williams (Panther Valley) 1:02.12; 100 backstroke — Williams (PV) 1:10.70.

Blue Mountain 133, North Schuylkill 25

ORWIGSBURG — Noah Powers set a season-best time of 48.04 seconds in the 100 freestyle as the Eagles rolled past the Spartans to stay unbeaten.

Matheson Bair (200 IM, 100 fly) and Powers (100 free, 100 back) each won two events for Blue Mountain (10-0, 6-0), while Kyan Mitchell (50 free), Axton Kelly (diving), Francesco Carr (500 free) and Christian Fisher (100 breast) added victories.

Gavin Mentzer took first in the 200 freestyle for North Schuylkill (1-5, 1-5).

200 medley relay — No event; 200 freestyle — 1. Mentzer (NS) 2:05.46, 2. Fisher (BM), 3. Magdeburg (BM); 200 IM — 1. Bair (BM) 2:18.08, 2. Caliendo (BM), 3. Hart (BM); 50 freestyle — 1. Mitchell (BM) 25.19, 2. Kelly (BM), 3. Meyers (NS); Diving — 1. Kelly (BM) 108.70; 100 butterfly — 1. Bair (BM) 56.63, 2. Kamarousky (BM), 3. Carr (BM); 100 freestyle — 1. Powers (BM) 48.04, 2. Mitchell (BM), 3. Magdeburg (BM); 500 freestyle — 1. Carr (BM) 6:01.13, 2. Hart (BM), 3. Moyer (BM); 200 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain B (Caliendo, Magdeburg, Kelly, Powers) 1:45.63, 2. Blue Mountain A, 3. North Schuylkill A; 100 backstroke — 1. Powers (BM) 1:00.74, 2. Mentzer (NS), 3. Frey (BM); 100 breaststroke — 1. Fisher (BM) 1:14.39, 2. Caliendo (BM), 3. Kamarousky (BM); 400 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Bair, Magdeburg, Fisher, Kamarousky) 3:59.45, 2. Blue Mountain B, 3. North Schuylkill A.

Independents: 50 freestyle — Tegan Crowley (Hamburg) 26.77; 500 freestyle — Crowley (Hamburg) 6:28.64

Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter