Owen J. Roberts and Governor Mifflin split dual meet
SHILLINGTON >> After facing Owen J. Roberts junior Morgan Hansen a number of times throughout their YMCA swimming careers, Governor Mifflin freshman Ava Enriquez had never been able to gain an edge over her opponent.
That was all put into the past Thursday afternoon at Gov. Mifflin Intermediate School’s Natatorium.
Enriquez swam a 59.09 in the 100 butterfly, bettering Hansen (59.20) by just .11.
Laurel Fink makes the 500 free look easy! Finished first at 5:23.67 pic.twitter.com/VbNsX87GYZ
— Thomas Nash (@Thomas_Nash10) January 21, 2016
“When I saw the heat sheets before the meet, I saw her name in the 100 fly,” said Enriquez, “and it was really motivating for me. It definitely helped to have her right next to me. I also swim a lot better when I have someone to pace myself with.”
Enriquez’s small victory over Hansen only added to a huge victory for the Mustangs, as they sunk Owen J. Roberts, 120-66.
Matt Dinnocenti highlighted the Owen J. Roberts boys’ 107-63 sweep of Gov. Mifflin.
Dinnocenti set a school record in diving, posting a career-best 279.75 to shatter the previous mark set by Ben Schwartz at 263.65 in 2006.
Girls 200 medley relay Saige Yoder of Governor Mifflin.
“Today was a great way of bringing my career to a close,” said Dinnocenti of setting the school’s mark. “It wouldn’t have been possible without the support from my team, coaches and family.”
On the girls side, Enriquez captured three first place finishes on the day along with teammate Rebecca Brown as the Mustangs improved to 9-0 overall with a 5-0 record in the Berks Conference.
The loss drops the Owen J. girls to 4-2 overall with their 3-1 PAC-10 record.
In addition to her top time in the 100 fly, Enriquez finished first in the 200 free (1:59.80) and swam the third leg of the 200 free relay, which finished up at 1:41.73. Brown anchored the 200 free relay, topped the charts in the 50 free (25.32) and touched first in the 100 free (55.26).
“We had 16 personal best times, which is all these girls have been working for,” said Gov. Mifflin head coach Brady Stauffer. “We’ve been working hard as a team all season, and they’ve never lost sight of how important each meet can be.”
For Enriquez, the meet was of the most major importance.
“She’s a really strong swimmer,” she said of Hansen. “So to be able to finally beat her is a huge accomplishment for me personally. I’ve been trying to get my 100 fly time under a minute for a long time, and I finally got that. So that race turned out to be huge for me.”
Swimming in middle school just a year before, Enriquez seems to have made an easy transition to the high school level.
Boys 200 IM Simon Crew of Owen J. Roberts High.
“It’s been challenging,” she said, “but there are a lot of things that have helped me to get to this point. My main focus has always been to better my times, and I’m proud that I was able to do that again today.”
Laurel Fink captured the Wildcats’ lone individual win with a 5:23.67 in the 500 free in just her second try of the season.
“That was my event last season,” she said of the 500 free, which she swam at states. “It was exciting to get back out there and swim it again today.”
She also anchored both the 200 medley relay (1:53.07) and the 400 free relay (3:42.28).
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On the boys’ side, Owen J. Roberts Colin Bauer, Alec Schneider, Ryan Bowker and Simon Crew each captured three first-place finishes. The win keeps OJR undefeated with a 6-0 overall record in addition to a 4-0 record in the PAC-10. The loss drops the Mifflin boys to 3-6 overall with a 3-2 Berks Conference record.
Bauer swam the third leg of the 200 medley relay (1:43.97) and touched first in the 50 free (22.19) and the 500 free (4:53.96). Schneider swam the anchor on the 200 medley relay, finished atop the 100 free (50.21) and the 100 back (1:02.29). Bowker touched first in the 200 free (1:51.82) while Crew was first in the 200 IM (2:05.28). The two were also a part of the 200 free relay (1:32.25) and the 400 free relay (3:50.87).
After four seasons of diving with the Wildcats, Dinnocenti says it will be an unforgettable feeling to read his name on the school’s leader board.
“It will be truly fulfilling since I’ve worked so hard to get here,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to inspire the younger divers to do their best as well.”
NOTES >> The Owen J. Roberts boys went into time-only following the 100 back. … Jordan Roach captured two wins for OJR, topping the sheets in the 100 fly (57.11) and leading off the 200 medley relay.
