Last weekend may not have marked the official start of summer, but for those swimmers from Charles County who compete in the annual Prince-Mont Swim League last Saturday’s season opener was a genuine reminder the season was close at hand.
In a Division A meet that it hosted, Hawthorne Country Club (1-0) downed Whitehall Pool & Tennis 324-261 as the Gators got ample superb efforts in individual events and relays from proven commodities and new ones. In all, Hawthorne swimmers won 27 of the 49 events, including four of the five relays. Several Gators enjoyed first-place efforts in both individual events and relays.
On the boys’ side, Gavin Abelende, Landon Abelende, Clinton Cupples and Jaytee Brown combined to take the 200-meter medley relay (1:57.56). Cupples also won the 15-18 boys’ 50 butterfly (26.52), 50 back (30.77) and the 100 IM (1:06.22). Gavin Abelende won the 15-18 boys’ 50 freestyle (54.25), while Landon Abelende took the 15-18 boys’ 50 breaststroke (33.93).
Hawthorne’s Mason Wetzel took both the 9-10 boys’ 25 butterfly (18.03) and the 50 free (38.83), while teammate Gabe Moyer won the boys’ 8-under 25 free (20.97) and the 25 back (27.59). Moyer, Luke Posey, Sophia Sandoval and Zoey Munn later combined to capture the mixed 8-under 100 free relay (1:41.84).
On the girls’ side, Hawthorne’s Addy Donnick, Bella Rothmann, Addie Baldus and Elle Dennison combined to take the girls’ 18-under 200 medley relay (2:22.50) to open the meet and much later Birdie Hill, Audrey Payne, Evey Holt and Sarah Owens combined to take the 9-18 girls’ 200 free relay (2:12.71) to conclude the season opener.
Donnick, a recent La Plata High School graduate who is heading to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington later this summer to continue her athletic prowess in the pool and major in early childhood education, also captured the 15-18 girls’ 50 fly (31.46), the 100 free (1:03.94) and the 50 back (33.10). From a competitive standpoint this was the beginning of a very light summer.
“I’m not going to Futures this year and I am not competing in any long course events,” Donnick said. “There’s really no point. I’m just going to focus on swimming here and competing in All-Stars.”
Payne also recorded a triple in the season opener last Saturday by taking the 11-12 girls’ 50 free (30.44), the 50 breast (40.63) and the 50 back (36.39). Kenzie Desrosiers took the 13-14 girls’ 50 fly (36.22) and 100 IM (1:22.94). Isla Carbone won the 11-12 girls’ 50 fly (35.95) and the 100 IM (1:23.64), while Holt took the 13-14 girls’ 50 free (32.02) and Hill won the 9-10 girls’ 25 breast (21.21).
Throughout the previous decade, Whitehall owed its success in the Prince-Mont league to a pair of stellar swimming families. Wahoos coach Teri [Messenger] Hayburn, a standout swimmer in the 1990s, watched her daughter Annie Hayburn and sons Jimmy Hayburn, Patrick Hayburn and Joseph Hayburn dominate their individual events with Whitehall en route to competing at the Division I level for Loyola University.
Virtually all of the Hayburns are part of the Whitehall coaching staff now, although Joseph Hayburn was idle last Saturday morning while in Indianapolis preparing for the United States Olympic Swim Trials in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke. Hayburn finished tied for 20th in the 100 back (54.96) on Sunday, just missing a berth in the semifinals that evening.
In other Prince-Mont action last weekend, Indian Head defeated Accoceek 316-242, Westlake Village edged Northridge 284-261, Smallwood Village fell to Greenbelt Municipal 299-263 and Bannister was upended by Takoma Park 284-152.
Most Popular
Comments / 0