With stars like Summer Schmitt and Ruthie Speidel at the forefront, the Christian Brothers Academy girls swim team again rolled to the top spot at the Section III championships, held last week at Nottingham High School.
Already with the Class A title in hand, the Brothers then earned the overall sectional crown on Saturday, earning 348 points as Fayetteville-Manlius finished second with 253 points. Jamesville-DeWitt was ninth with 102 points.
Summer Schmitt earned the Most Outstanding Swimmer prize at the sectional meet. All she did was claim first place in the 200 individual medley in 2:13.26, tear through the 100 backstroke in 59.33 seconds and help CBA win two different relays as she’ll lead the sectional swimmers into the Nov. 19-20 state meet at Buffalo’s Erie Community College.
In the 200 medley, Schmitt, along with Kathryn Coughlin, Lexy McCauley and Maggie Fletcher, won in a time of 1:49.83 as F-M’s quartet of Melissa James, Delaney Pfohl, Hadley Cameron-Carter and Melissa James took second in 1:54.27.
And in the closing 400 freestyle relay, Schmitt, Fletcher, Ruthie Speidel and Zoe McCauley won in 3:39.94, more than six seconds ahead of runner-up Liverpool as the Hornets finished fifth.
On her own, Speidel knocked off a winning time of 5:08.76 in the 500 freestyle and took second in the 200 freestyle (1:56.10), while Fletcher was second in both the 50 freestyle (24.67 seconds) and 100 freestyle (53.21 seconds), advancing to the state meet in both events.
Coughlin emerged victorious in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.96, where James (1:08.32) was second.
James did help Cameron-Carter, Katie Pechacek and Stephanie Wilcoxen win the 200 freestyle relay as the Hornets finished in 1:41.71. And in the 100 butterfly, J-D’s Kalie Coyne emerged with the victory, her time of 1:00.40 beating Zoe McCauley (1:00.69) and Lexi McCauley (1:02.71), who were second and third, respectively.
In the Class A portion of the sectional meet, CBA won with 381 points, with Fayetteville-Manlius claiming second place with 313 points. Each side would produce a fair share of winning efforts.
Schmitt, on her own, blasted through the 100 backstroke in 59.13 seconds and also won the 200 IM in 2:13.78. As if that wasn’t enough, she helped Coughlin, Fletcher and Lexy McCauley take the 200 medley relay (1:50.98) and, with Speidel, Fletcher and Zoe McCauley, dominated the 400 freestyle relay, winning in 3:45.69.
Meanwhile, Speidel won big in the 500 freestyle in 5:08.89, adding a second in the 200 freestyle (1:57.03), while Zoe McCauley held off Lexi McCauley, 1:00.93 to 1:03.29, in the 100 butterfly. Fletcher got third in the 50 freestyle (25.02 seconds) and 100 freestyle (53.06 seconds), while Coughlin was second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.44.
James beat Coughlin in the 100 breaststroke, prevailing in 1:07.61, and she also helped the Hornets’ 200 freestyle relay quartet of Cameron-Carter, Pechacek and Wilcoxen beat CBA, 1:41.25 to 1:43.68, for the top spot.
Cameron-Carter, on her own, claimed second in the 100 backstroke (1:00.58) behind Schmitt and added a fourth in the 100 freestyle (53.74 seconds). Pechacek got third place in the 500 freestyle in 5:30.74 and fifth in the 200 IM, with Wilcoxen seventh in the 50 freestyle.
In the 200 medley relay, James, Cameron-Carter, Wilcoxen and Delaney Pfohl were second in 1:53.32. Amy Bright took second in diving with 395.30 points and Kenzie Langkammerer was fourth with 305.80 points. Pfohl was sixth in the 100 butterfly and Sam Paige got sixth in the 500 freestyle.
Jamesvile-DeWitt battled for Class B honors with New Hartford, but had to settle for second place with 364 points as the Spartans won with 442 points.
Coyne twice earned victories for the Red Rams, taking the 200 IM in 2:17.15 and adding a victory in the 100 butterfly in 1:00.22. Coyne also helped Moly Hair, Caitlin Cariseo and Morgan Pusey win the 200 medley relay in 1:56.34.
Hair, for her part, won the 100 breaststroke in 1:10.72, where Katie Comanici was sixth. Hair also was second in the 100 freestyle (57.32 seconds), with Pusey third in the 50 freestyle (26.73 seconds) and fourth in the 100 backstroke in 1:07.21.
Danielle Doss was second in diving with 350.40 points and Meghan Engstrom took sixth place. Amanda Behan was sixth in the 100 butterfly and helped Coyne, Pusey and Hair finish second (3:58.90) to New Hartford (3:50 flat) in the 400 freestyle relay.