Downingtown East swim teams sweep Coatesville

UWCHLAN >> Both Downingtown East swimming teams improved their respective records to 5-0 with convincing wins against Coatesville Wednesday afternoon at the Lionville YMCA.

The Cougar girls earned a 110-69 victory against a visiting Red Raider team that came into the meet with a 3-0 record. The D-East boys won by a score of 120.50-52.50.

The D-East girls featured plenty of grace under pressure Wednesday as it got multiple first-place individual finishes from both Grace Bousum and Grace Noble (this team has four Graces on its roster) as well as Lindsay Blake and freshman Alexa Fulton.

The Downingtown East girls lost state medalists Heather MacCausland (the 2019 Daily Local News Swimmer of the Year) and Caroline Maki to graduation last spring, after the Cougars placed sixth at the 2019 PIAA Class 3A state championships. But the Cougars haven’t missed a beat so far this season.

Last month (Dec. 17), the Cougars defeated Downingtown West for the first time in 13 years; then, showing no rust after the holiday layoff, began 2020 with a convincing win against Bishop Shanahan before defeating Coatesville.

“I think we’ve got a good team dynamic, and I think that’s helped everyone on the team to really push themselves and cheer each other on,” said Bousum, a James Madison University commit who finished 12th in the 200 free at States last winter. “Everyone’s been working really hard this season.”

Downingtown East girls’ first-year head coach Alli Stern, who swam for Downingtown West a decade ago, said, “Our team has definitely come together. The girls are always surrounding the pool, cheering in each other’s faces, building each other up.”

D-East opened the meet strongly with a convincing win in the 200 medley relay, consisting of Blake, Noble, Bousum and Fulton (1:55.11). In second place was the Coatesville quartet of Lauren Wolstenholme, Melanie Bohm, Jordyn DiCamillo and Kayla Bock (1:59.99)

Bousum finished first in the 200 free (1:59.87), with Coatesville’s Mackenzie Yosko second (2:07.79); then Noble won the 200 IM with a clocking of 2:24.27, ahead of second-place finisher and teammate Grace McElroy (2:30.73)

Fulton further fired up the Cougars with a first-place finish in the 50 free (24.29), and Coatesville Kayla Bock was second (25.78). Coatesville’s Sarah McManamon earned the top spot in 1-meter diving, with a score of 165.30, and D-East’s Erinne Bresler was second (163.95).

Noble reached the finish line first in the 100 fly with a clocking of 1:01.93, ahead of Coatesville’s Jordyn DiCamillo (1:03.45).

Fulton finished first in the 100 free (53.12), with Coatesville’s Kayla Bock earning another second-place finish (57.36).

Blake took first place in the 500 free (5:38.08), ahead of second-place finisher Mackenzie Yosko (5:42.05).

The Cougar quartet of Cady Kiebort, McElroy, Victoria Maki and Noble finished first in the 200 free relay (1:46.11), with the Red Raider foursome of DiCamillo, Olivia Hillman, Francesca Sciarretta and Bock second (1:48.11).

Blake earned another individual win in the 100 back (1:04.06), with teammate Victoria Maki placing second (1:05.33).

Two of D-East’s Graces graced the top two spots in the 100 breast, as Bousum was first (1:11.95) and McElroy second (1:16.76).

Coatesville captured first place in the meet’s final event, the 400 free relay, with the quartet of DiCamillo, Sciarretta, Yosko and Wolstenholme (4:05.10).

Red Raider head coach Dave Morris said, “We gave it a good run today – the kids are working hard. We only have 13 girls on the team, and seven on the boys’ team.”

The Coatesville girls have attained a 3-1 record so far, led by the efforts of Bock, a senior, and the junior trio of DiCamillo, Yosko and Wolstenholme.

The Downingtown East boys cruised to a 120.50-52.50 victory against Coatesville (1-3), and started off the meet by capturing the top two spots in the 200 medley relay. The quartet of junior DJ Fechtman, junior Owen Wright, senior Ben Doyle and senior Jack Inman finished first (1:43.58) and the foursome of Luke Sperling, Leon Dang, Eashan Paranjpe and George Liu placed second (1:56.51).

The Cougar boys took the top three spots in the 200 free, with Fechtman finishing first (2:02.06) and junior Will Thompson placing second (2:08.65).

“Our depth is much better this year,” said D-East boys’ head coach Gigi Graesser, whose Cougar squad posted a 9-0 record last winter. “We have 22 freshmen (boys and girls) this year, and our team effort has been really good.”

That depth particularly came in handy for the Cougars in a 92-91 win against Kennett Dec. 20 that preserved D-East’s undefeated record.

The Cougar boys (5-0) have been receiving contributions this season from a deep lineup that includes senior Ben Doyle (who has committed to Penn State), senior Jack Inman (who competed in two relays at States last winter), junior DJ Fechtman (who finished in the top 15 in the 100 back at States last winter), junior Owen Wright (100 breast, medley relay), junior Will Thompson (relays) and junior Aiden Carroll (relays)

In Wednesday’s meet, Doyle finished first in the 200 IM (2:04.91), ahead of Wright and Coatesville’s Jacob Vannoy, who both were clocked at 2:09.16.

Coatesville senior Ethan Moore was first in the 50 free (22.23), one of several first-place finishes by the Red Raider captain Wednesday. Inman was second at 22.36.

“Ethan’s been a real standout for us this season, has made several district cuts in the free and fly,” said Morris.

Downingtown East took the top three spots in diving, with Mitchell Goldman first (190.35) and Jack Hackett second (182.85).

Doyle, who posted his second-best time ever in the 100 fly (51.8) in the 92-91 win against Kennett Dec. 17, finished first Wednesday in the 100 fly with a clocking of 54.32. Vannoy was second at 57.82.

Inman finished first in the 100 free (53.20), with teammate Aiden Carroll placing second (53.59).

Moore captured first place in the 500 free (5:07.31), with Sperling finishing second (5:43.21).

Coatesville also captured the top spot in the 200 free relay, with the quartet of Vannoy, Philip Clinton, Noah Krebs and Moore (1:37.02). The D-East foursome of Inman, Paranjpe, Liu and Wright was second at 1:38.03.

Fechtman finished first in the 100 back (1:05.43), with teammate Colin Drummond second (1:10.10).

Wright had the right stuff in the 100 breast, finishing first with a clocking of 1:06.77, ahead of second-place finisher Akash Krishan of Coatesville (1:17.90).

The Red Raiders took first in the day’s final event, the 400 free relay, with a quartet of Clinton, Julian Hernandez, James Layden and Joey Wayne (4:23.17).

NOTES >> A couple of key meets are on the horizon for the undefeated Downingtown East squads. The Cougar girls will travel to West Chester Henderson Jan. 23, and the D-East boys will host West Chester East Feb. 4.

Boys

Downingtown East 120.50, Coatesville 52.50

200 medley relay – 1. D-East (Fechtman, Wright, Doyle, Inman) 1:43.58; 200 freestyle – 1. Fechtman (DE) 2:02.06; 200 IM – 1. Doyle (DE) 2:04.91; 50 freestyle – 1. Moore (CO) 22.23; Diving – 1. Goldman (DE) 190.35; 100 butterfly – 1. Doyle (DE) 54.32; 100 freestyle 1. Inman (DE) 53.20; 500 freestyle – 1. Moore (CO) 5:07.31; 200 freestyle relay – 1. Coatesville (Vannoy, Clinton, Krebs, Moore) 1:37.02; 100 backstroke – 1. Fechtman (DE) 1:05.43; 100 breaststroke – 1. Wright (DE) 1:06.77; 400 freestyle relay – 1. Coatesville (Clinton, Hernandez, Layden, Wayne) 4:23.17.

Girls

Downingtown East 110, Coatesville 69

200 medley relay – 1. D-East (Blake, Noble, Bousum, Fulton) 1:55.11; 200 freestyle – 1. Bousum (DE) 1:59.87; 200 IM – 1. Noble (DE) 2:24.27; 50 freestyle – 1. Fulton (DE) 24.29; Diving – 1. McManamon (CO) 165.30; 100 butterfly – 1. Noble (DE) 1:01.93; 100 freestyle 1. Fulton (DE) 53.12; 500 freestyle – 1. Blake (DE) 5:38.08; 200 freestyle relay – 1. D-East (Kiebort, McElroy, Maki, Noble) 1:46.11; 100 backstroke – 1. Blake (DE) 1:04.06; 100 breaststroke – 1. Bousum (DE) 1:11.95; 400 freestyle relay – 1. Coatesville (DiCamillo, Sciarretta, Yosko, Wolstenhome) 4:05.10.