Barracudas Beat Wahoos to Tie for Top Spot in Colonial Swim League White Division
By Marisha Goldhamer
ASHBURN, VA-Alexandria’s Chinquapin Wahoos won 14 individual races and four relays but fell to the Ashburn Farm Barracudas in week three of Colonial Swim League action on June 29.
The Wahoos – the only public team in the league – put up 36 personal best times, but the Barracudas shut out Alexandria’s swimmers in four events and won seven relays for a final point total of 282 to 162. Ashburn is now tied for the lead in the White Division with Armfield Farm.
Despite the overall loss, the Wahoos 9-10 boys continue to look dominate, locking the Barracudas out of first and second place in all four strokes. Bennett Sherry won the 50-meter freestyle (35.93 seconds), the 50-meter backstroke (41.98 seconds) and the 50-meter breaststroke (45.96 seconds).
Max Kessler-Gowell won the 25-meter butterfly in 17.81 seconds with Chase Conjura second (19.84 seconds). Conjura was also second in breaststroke (47.62 seconds).
Kessler-Gowell touched second in freestyle (36.38 seconds) and backstroke (44.17 seconds) before teaming up with Sherry, Conjura and Maxim Postow to win the 100-meter medley relay with a time of 1 minute 20.74 seconds.
Wahoos head coach Dennis Bursten said the “9-10 boys and senior girls did very well.
The 15-18 girls were led by Elisabeth Carroll with a win in the 50-meter free (29.81 seconds) and backstroke (34.72 seconds).
The Wahoos took all the first place ribbons in the age group with Maria McLemore beating Carroll by .09 seconds in breaststroke (40.19 seconds) and Bella McLemore out touching Maria in the butterfly by .12 seconds for a time of 34.21 seconds.
The McLemore sisters teamed with Carroll and Catherine Cox to capture first place in the 200-meter medley relay (2 minutes 26.63 seconds).
Karon Moten scored a double win for the Wahoos in the 11-12 boys 50-meter backstroke (33.43 seconds) and 50-meter butterfly (32.68 seconds) while also placing second in the 50-meter freestyle (30.09 seconds). He swam up an age group in the medley relay, joining Alex Guevara, Rodney Gardner and Javier Kent to win the 13-14 boys 200-meter medley relay in 2 minutes 22.53 seconds.
Guevara also had a strong meet, finishing first in the 13-14 boys backstroke (33.67 seconds), first in the breastroke (38.48 seconds) and second in the freestyle (29.79) seconds. Gardner grabbed second place in the butterfly (37.09 seconds) and third in the freestyle with a time of 32.08 seconds.
There were two Wahoo wins in the 11-12 girls division. Micaela Zuniga won the 50-meter butterfly in 37.03 seconds, while Freya Montes de Oca captured the breaststroke in 45.15 seconds with Isabel Martorana third (49.08 seconds). Zuniga also took second in backstroke (41.27 seconds) and third in freestyle (36.19 seconds).
Bursten called the 11-12 girls realy “most exciting” of the day as Eloise Sumner, Montes de Oca, Zuniga, and Martorana came from behind to win the 200-meter medley relay with a time of 2 minutes 44.39 seconds. Martorana turned on another gear as she came off the wall in the final 25 meters of the freestyle leg to just out touch Barracuda Ruby Doyle. It was a “great finish,” Bursten said.
The Barracudas’ youngest swimmers put up a dominant performance, shutting out the Wahoos in the girls 8 and under 25-meter freestyle, backstroke and butterfly with Alex Pierouchakos winning two races. Wahoo Nora Forde came second in breaststroke (34.15 seconds) and Mary Ellis Jones took third in backstroke (29.75 seconds).
For the boys, Barracuda Rhodes Hetman won the 25-meter freestyle (23.28 seconds) and backstroke (26.83 seconds) with Wahoo Dean Hutter grabbing a point for third in freestyle (23.67 seconds).
Barracuda Dylan Clark dominated the 9-10 girls division with three wins as the Wahoos scooped up a trio of third place ribbons. Madison Forde in was third in the 50-meter backstroke (53.95 seconds), Charlotte Reyna in the breaststroke by .01 seconds with a time of 59.59 and Winnie Cloninger in the 25-meter butterfly (24.06 seconds).
The 13-14 girls faced triple winner Vivi Marshall of the Barracudas. Julia Davis led the Wahoos with a second place in breaststroke (41.61 seconds) and third place in freestyle (34.17 seconds) and backstroke (41.61 seconds). Wahoo Ellie Medina took third place in the 50-meter butterfly with a time of 40.84 seconds.
The oldest Wahoos boys were up against triple winner Gavin Harrison who set a Barracudas pool record of 27.50 seconds in the 50-meter backstroke.
Wahoo Bodie Lauinger came second behind Harrison in the 50-meter freestyle (26.43 seconds) while Jonathan Ramsdell put up two personal bests as he contributed a second place in the breaststroke (32.31 seconds) and two third place points in the backstroke (30.70 seconds) and butterfly (29.21 seconds).
The Wahoos aim to take their first win of the season as they face Chantilly Highlands on July 5 at the Old Town Pool.
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