Notre Dame’s Abruzzo, Fords relays set marks
Two of the stronger records on the Delaware County leaderboard survived stern tests in the first day at the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships. Another fell thanks to a new face.
Haverford School’s relays and freshman sensation Mia Abruzzo of Notre Dame torched the Delco record in the 200 individual medley, winning in 2 minutes, 0.49 seconds. The freshman overturned the two-year-old standard of 2:01.24 set by Episcopal Academy’s Alex Sumner, who didn’t contest the event Friday at Franklin & Marshall. Agnes Irwin’s Maddie Aguirre was third in 2:04.43.
On the boys side, Haverford School summarily trounced the two relay marks in its warpath. The 200 medley relay of Alex Boratto, Antonio Octaviano, JR Leitz and TJ Brooks finished third in 1:32.12, .58 faster than the record-setting pace of last year and an automatic All-American cut.
The 200 freestyle relay destruction was even more devastating, as Brian Brennan, Brooks, Octaviano and John Nelligan went 1:23.16, a staggering 1.8 seconds quicker than last year’s squad. The time earned second place, and the Fords stand third in the team standings with 290 points, narrow margins behind Phillips Andover (298) and Peddie School (305).
Boratto won the 100 butterfly in 49.20 seconds, a stellar time that landed the two-time reigning Daily Times Boys Swimmer of the Year 0.07 shy of Shane Ryan’s county mark. Episcopal Academy’s Ivan Puskovitch again scared Brendan Hansen’s county record in the 200 IM in 1:50.39, but the junior was .24 seconds shy of the 18-year-old mark. The national record offered no such resistance to Penn Charter’s Reece Whitley, who went 1:43.55 to break the national prep record by 1.35 seconds.
Reigning girls team champ Episcopal Academy sits a distant fifth with 224 points, with Penn Charter (322) out front. The medley relay of Sumner, Alina Klaehn, Chelsey Liu and Isabel Handal took third, the 200 free relay sixth.
Hadley DeBruyn finished third in the 200 free in 1:52.54 by trimming three seconds from prelims. Liu was third in the 50 free in 24.03 with Handal 11th.
Reilly Brennan took fifth in the 100 fly for Agnes Irwin, Myka Thomas was eighth in the 50 free, Emma Boratto (200 free) and India Jackson (100 fly) added 10th-place results. The Owls are seventh in the team standings.
Haverford School’s title chase was buoyed by Brian Brennan (20.54) and Brooks (21.49) going third and sixth in the 50. Nelligan touched fifth in the 200 free, with Jack Deppen 11th. Octaviano (eighth) and Leitz (13th) backed Boratto in the 100 fly.
Episcopal Academy’s boys are seventh in the team standings thanks to a pair of A final relays, with the medley (Jack Christian, Ben Wesley, Cole Whitsett and Sam Wesley) fourth and the 200 free eighth. Whitsett finished fourth in the 100 fly in 50.50. Sam Wesley was sixth in the 200 IM.
