It was a big day for The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) girls varsity swim team Thursday as they clinched their first dual meet victory in three years over a tough Sandwich High School team by a score of 83-82 before a crowd that filled the bleachers.
The meet was so close that at the end of the competition most did not know who had won. Last season, the girls competed against the same Sandwich team and lost 66-81.
The boys swam hard but lost 47-105. The girls’ record is now 1-1 and the boys’ record is 0-2. Both MVRHS and Sandwich High School swim in the Bay Colony conference.
In comments prior to the meet, MVRHS head coach Jonathan Chatinover correctly predicted that the girls meet “could be really close.”
Four different girls won events. Co-captain and senior Kate Hansen led a 1,2,3 Vineyard sweep in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:31.93. Charlotte Rooney and Salyn Yancey finished second and third. Renee Goodale won the 200 Individual Medley (IM) and qualified for the state meet with a time of 2:25.28. Lia Potter won the 50 freestyle in 28.89 seconds and freshman Charlotte Rooney won the 100 freestyle in 1:06.97.
In the 100 breaststroke, Renee Goodale beat her own school record with a time of 1:15.10, earning second place and finishing just 0.33 seconds away from qualifying for the state meet. The team of Renee Goodale, Jessica Sonia, Charlotte Rooney, and Lia Potter won the 200 freestyle relay in a time of 1:56.96.
With the meet coming down to the last event, the girls took first and third to give them their one point victory. Kate Hansen, Charlotte Rooney, Salyn Yancey, and Lia Potter finished first in a time of 4:34.09 while co-captain Jessica Sonia, Lucy Thompson, co-captain Julia Sauter, and Alyssa Ramirez finished third in a time of 5:31.22. The two points for third place earned the Vineyard its first win since defeating Coyle & Cassidy three years ago.
The MVRHS boys were led by sophomore Harrison Dorr, who won two events; the 200 freestyle in 2:11.71 and the 100 freestyle in a personal best time of 58.08. Junior Patrick Best is currently injured.
Sophomore Evan Sauter won the 200 Individual Medley (IM) just 0.14 seconds off the school record at 2:21.00 and it was a real nail-biter with a photo finish.
“This is Michael Phelps’ specialty,” MVRHS assistant coach Leslie Craven told The Times. “It’s really more of a sprint.”
The Vineyard’s other victory was a 1:44.77 time in the 200 freestyle relay with Evan Sauter, Paulo Pereira, Harrison Dorr, and Tucker Cosgrove.
The Sandwich Blue Knights are led by longtime coach Tony Compton, who is in his 25th year of coaching this swim team. The Sandwich boys have a 3-1 record and the girls have a 1-3 record.
“We were surprised at the strength of the Vineyard girls, they have gotten much better,” Mr. Compton told The Times. “There are a lot more good swimmers here, the boys as well. We lost today by one point – that is a significant win for you guys. It hurts. I’d almost rather get skunked than to lose by one point. Now I’m thinking, what could I have done better?”
MVRHS athletic director Mark McCarthy expects the program to continue to strengthen. “I talked to Jonathan,” Mr. McCarthy told The Times. “He likes the progress the kids are making and we are starting to put some things together to get things rolling in the right direction in terms of progressing the program.”
The Vineyarders stay busy with the Cape Cod Classic this Saturday at Sandwich. The Vineyard will be joined by Nantucket, Barnstable, Nauset, Sandwich and St. John Paul high schools. On Monday, they swim against Coyle & Cassidy in Taunton and then return home against Barnstable Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 3pm at the YMCA indoor swimming complex.