West Genesee girls swimmers roll to win over Syracuse in season opener

ONONDAGA COUNTY- Success came quickly to the

girls swim team at the outset of the 2024 season as it went to Nottingham High School Wednesday night and prevailed 97-73 over Syracuse City.

At the same pool that annually hosts the Section III championships in November, the Wildcats utilized its depth as five different swimmers picked up first-place finishes in individual races.

Only Kiley Johnson won twice, swimming the 200-yard individual medley in two minutes, 41.59 seconds and then, in the 100 backstroke, taking first place in 1:14.80 to Taylor Sampson’s 1:15.84.

Josie Owczarzak, second in the 200 freestyle (2:22.47), tookthe 50 freestyle in 27.12 second, with Lena Kent finishing first in the 100 butterfly in 1:17.90. Maddie Owczarzak would swim the 500 freestyle in 6:04.16 for a victory, while Makayla Dunham earned a 100 breaststroke victory in 1:21.61.

Dunham, Rachel Hann, Maddie Owczarzak and Julianna Sagneri swam the 200 medley relay in 2:11.98. Sagneri and Clara Hann joined Allie Ivery and Josie Owczarzak to go 1:56.91 in the 200 freestyle relay, with both Hann sisters part of the 400 freestyle relay (4:26.42) with Johnson and Josie Owczarzak.

Earlier that same night, Skaneateles debuted against visiting Christian Brothers Academy and, while finding some first-place finishes in individual races and relays, ultimately fell to the Brothers 96-76.

Ariana Matthews claimed first place in the 500 freestyle with a strong time of 5:38.74 as no one else in the field broke the six-minute mark. Later, in the 100 breaststroke, Matthews won in 1:16.29.

Marcellus is competing in meets with Skaneateles this fall and had one of its swimmers, Pilon Vivian, beat the field in the 200 IM with a time of 2:26.78 as the Lakers’ Landyn Bennett (2:34.35) was third. Vivian was a close second (1:17.54) to Matthews in the 100 breaststroke.

Also winning for the Mustangs, Molly McMaster claimed an exciting 100 butterfly, hitting the wall in 1:06.38 to just edge out the 1:06.53 from the Brothers’ Madison Cecilia.

Olivia Springer twice finished second, her 1:01.67 in the 100 freestyle behind CBA’s Zoe Thayer (59.60) and her 2:17.34 in the 200 freestyle second again to Thayer, who posted 2:11.30. In the 200 freestyle relay, Matthews, Springer, Caylynn Grady and Sophia Nichols raced to victory, their time of 1:54.22 beating out CBA’s 1:55.71.