Swimmers finish strong on Senior Day, look to sectionals

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The Martha’s Vineyard High School (MVRHS) swim team finished its regular season on Wednesday by sweeping Coyle and Cassidy. For the first time, both the boys and girls finished the season with winning dual-meet records (6-4). The girls won 95-64, and the boys won 80-66.

It was Senior Day, and the last dual meet for graduating seniors, who included Enrique Contreras, Caleb Majewski, and captain Ryan Laslovich from the boys team, and Charlotte Rooney, Jillian Pyden, Raven McCormack, Grace Carroll, Gabby Wilbur, Jennyfer Balbino, and Jasselle Wildanger from the girls team. MVRHS gave flowers to Coyle and Cassidy seniors as well, taking inspiration from an away Senior Day they went to recently where they too received flowers for the ceremony.

The girls were led by double winner Wildanger, a graduating senior, who won the 200 free (2:27.36) and 100 freestyle (1:06.18). Single winners were Lola Northrop, 50 freestyle (30.89), Gabby Carr, 100 fly (1:30.61), Annabelle Brothers, 100 backstroke (1:12.09), and captain Abigail Hammarlund, 100 breast (1:30.61).

Senior Balbino had two third-place finishes, in the 200 free and 500 free. Indigo Giambattista got second in the 50 free, and Olympia Hall got second in the 100 fly and 100 breast. Delilah Hammarlund placed third in the 100 freestyle.

The girls relay team consisting of Brothers, Abigail Hammarlund, Carr, and Yayla DeChiara swept three relays, winning the 200 medley in 2:13.01, the 200 freestyle relay in 1:57.27, and the 400 free relay in 4:18.68. The girls also placed second in the 200 freestyle relay (Abigail Hammarlund, Delilah Hammarlund, Northrop, and Wildanger), and third in the 400 free relay (Kathryn Cuthbert, Giambattista, Balbino, and Delilah Hammarlund).

Northrop won the 50 freestyle (30.89), and also got third place in the 100 fly. Carr won the fly, an event she will swim in the sectionals on Saturday at MIT (1:07.90). Brothers won the 100 backstroke (1:12.09), and Abigail Hammarlund won the 100 breaststroke (1:30.61).

For the boys, Ruairi Mullin and Oliver Dorr were double winners, the only individual winners. Mullin set a personal record in the 100 free, winning in 54.87. He also won the 200 freestyle in 2:06.64. Dorr won the 200 individual medley in 2:22.64 and the 100 fly in 1:04.32. Nathan Cuthbert placed second in the 100 freestyle, and third in the 200 freestyle. Andrue Carr placed third in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke. Greg Clark placed second in the 50 free, and Simon Hammarlund placed third in the 50 freestyle. Nicholas Lytle placed third in the 100 freestyle, and Jack Crawford placed second in the 100 breast.

The boys took the freestyle relays, winning the 200 (Clark, Mullin, Lytle, and Dorr) in 1:50.77 and the 400 (Cuthbert, Mullin, Clark and Dorr) in 4:14.38. The 200 medley relay (Andrue Carr, Crawford, Lytle, and Clark) and 200 freestyle relay (Andrue Carr, Contreras, Simon Hammarlund, and Cuthbert) both finished second.

Five Vineyard girls will travel to MIT on Saturday, Feb. 9, for the South Sectional Championships. Gabby Carr will swim the 200 freestyle and 100 fly. The girls have two relays qualified: the 200 free (Yayla DeChiara, Annabelle Brothers, Eleanor Hyland, and Gabby Carr) and the 400 free (Yayla DeChiara, Annabelle Brothers, Jasselle Wildanger, and Gabby Carr).