Skaneateles, Marcellus swimmers get wins in pair of events

ONONDAGA COUNTY – Even though the Skaneateles girls swim team could not match the depth that Jamesville-DeWitt brought to Tuesday night’s meet, it still had plenty of standout efforts in a 99-75 defeat to the Red Rams.

The Lakers’ Ari Matthews won twice. In the 200-yard individual medley Matthews needed two minutes 24.32 seconds to hold off J-D’s Evelyn Jones (2:25.93), with Marcellus swimmer Molly McMaster third in 2:32.02.

Later, in the 100 butterfly it was Matthews prevailing in 1:05.86 over Maria Fisher’s 1:07.94, while McMaster earned her own title by going 1:19.37 in the 100 breaststroke to Helena Sofinski’s 1:21.31.

Once again Marcellus swimmers on hand won events starting with Vivian Pilon going 2:05.42 to pull away in the 200 freestyle, well clear of Maria Fisher (2:12.68) as Olivia Springer was third in 2:14.45, and continuing when Pilon pulled away in the 500 freestyle, her 5:37.21 the only time under six minutes, again with Springer (6:02.03) third.

Pilon, in 26.48 seconds, was right behind J-D’s Thearyn Wales (26.33) in a 50 freestyle where Ana Nichols finished in 28.80 for the Lakers to go with a second in the 100 backstroke in 1:10.04 behind Emma Paul’s 1:08.94 for the Rams.

Phoebe Bedard did well enough in diving to win most of the time, her 225.65 pushing J-D standout Kayla McQuaid to win in 237.50. Mattie Bales was fourth with 173.30. Landyn Bennett took third in the 100 freestyle in 59.55 seconds and helped the Lakers go 1:51.33 in the 200 freestyle relay.

Good as this was, what the Skaneateles and Marcellus swimmers accomplished Friday in the Salt City Athletic Conference Sprint Invitational at Nottingham was pretty special, too.

On the Lakers’ side, Bennett, Nichols, Springer and Matthews tore to victory in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:49.49, with Matthews also winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:14.60, more than three seconds ahead of the field. Nichols was fourth in the 50 backstroke and Cailynn Grady fourth in the 50 butterfly, with Bennett fifth in the 50 breaststroke.

Pilon gave the Mustangs a victory in the 100 freestyle, her 57.70 seconds edging out the 57.98 from Liverpool’s Arianna Kuznia, then also won the 50 freestyle in 25.87 to Jones’ 26.59 for J-D. McMaster swam the 100 individual medley in 1:09.24.