Soph Sumner stars for Episcopal Academy at Easterns
When Alex Sumner jumped in for warmup at Kirk Natatorium Thursday afternoon, she had a feeling that a swift weekend might be ahead.
Some 48 hours later, when the Episcopal Academy sophomore ascended starting block No. 1 at La Salle University to accept her trophy as the Most Outstanding Female Swimmer at the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships, that prediction proved spot-on.
No swimmer ambled up that block for more award ceremonies than Sumner at the two-day meet. Four times she dove in for finals. Each time, she emerged victorious, the margin never particularly close.
She won the 200 individual medley Friday in 2 minutes, 1.24 seconds, then followed up to win the 100 backstroke in 53.37, both Delaware County records. The latter dashed a meet mark set by Germantown Academy’s Teresa Crippen in 2008 by eight tenths of a second.
The meet ended with a flourish, Sumner teaming with Emma Seiberlich (who set a Delco record in the 100 freestyle leading off in 51.67), Hadley DeBruyn and Sarah Baturka to win the 400 free relay, doubling up on gold from the 200 medley relay Friday. (Seiberlich won the 200 free and 100 fly Friday.)
That win whittled away more than half of the Churchwomen’s deficit to team leader Mercersburg Academy, but it wasn’t enough, Mercersburg hanging on for victory with 471 points to EA’s 467.
Either way, the weekend was an unqualified success for Sumner. The Swarthmore native, who attended but didn’t swim for Strath Haven last year, has swum at meets all over the country. But something about Easterns atmosphere struck her as uniquely exhilarating.
“It was really different for me because when I go to meets (for Suburban Swim Club), it’s usually just me or a couple of people on the team,” she said. “Since we’re a small team, we’re not really fighting for points or trying to win. The atmosphere was much different, everyone trying to win and super excited and really loud. … When they say your name, everybody on the team cheers for you, and I would cheer for them before they got onto blocks. Our team is really loud, and it got me really excited.”
Sumner wasn’t the only sophomore Alex to turn heads from the Delco contingent. While the male Most Outstanding Swimmer award was almost predestined to go to Penn Charter phenom Reece Whitley and his incessant assault on the national junior record books, Haverford School’s Alex Boratto wouldn’t have been a bad second choice. He won the 100 butterfly in 50.11 seconds Friday, distancing himself from a tight field.
The 100 back was not nearly as dramatic. Boratto was the only swimmer under 50 seconds in Saturday morning’s prelims, then went quicker in an All-American time of 49.62 in the final, besting EA’s Ben Baturka by a second.
“He’s a gamer,” Haverford School Sean Hansen said. “He’s the kind of kid where in any race, you don’t have to say much to him before he goes up to blocks. He’s been in big-time meets, he knows the deal and he knows what to do.”
The Fords also produced a second-place team finish, matching their 2015 placement — though this time, Haverford School tallied nearly 100 more points (383 vs. 294) and bested its nearest rival, four-time reigning Inter-Ac Malvern Prep, by 100.5 points. Peddie School’s uncheckable depth claimed the title with 517 points.
Matt Haigh won the 500 free and finished third in the 200, while Charlie Ryan finished in the top four twice behind Boratto. Some performances were bellwethers for the team’s hopes — like eighth-grader Brian Brennan going from a 1:58.46 seed to a finals result of 1:54.19 to take third in the 200 IM, then going fourth in the 500, all on limited rest.
But Hansen identifies the big swims as coming from the second echelon, the grueling battle for points that separate a top-six team from a top-three aspirant. David Mitchell grabbing a bonus point for winning the C final in the 200 free to finish 13th, and JR Leitz and TJ Brooks jumping into the C final of the 100 fly represented crucial point swings.
“Those guys seeded 15 through 25, to get up and go, that’s our m.o.,” Hansen said. “We’ve been doing that for 15 years. Those guys were always there.”
High finishes were in the offing for most of the Delco contingent in a slightly thinner field than past years. EA’s boys finished fourth overall, narrowly edged by Malvern, while Agnes Irwin and Notre Dame finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
Sumner, meanwhile, managed to surprise herself in the back, dropping over a second from the morning to the evening to earn a slice of history.
“I was feeling tight before I swam (in the morning), but I was happy with how I did,” she said. “I knew that when I came back at night, the atmosphere would be electric and I’d be able to go faster, with everyone cheering, really excited. I felt like I was ready to drop time.”
As one of EA’s heralded underclassmen, the runner-up finish feels emboldening to achieve the ultimate aim of an Easterns title.
“We were a little disappointed, but I think we were really excited that we did our best,” Sumner said. “I think that if we keep working like that, next year, we will be able to beat them. We’re excited that we did place that high, and happy with the effort we put in.”
