Blue Demons, others excel at invitational named in honor of fallen former coach
WEST GOSHEN – The Scott Elliott Ches-Mont Invitational on Saturday at West Chester’s Graham Natatorium produces no team results. For most it’s simply an effective way to propel as many local qualifiers into the upcoming District 1 Meet, and ultimately to states.
But to swimmers like Liam Simmons and Ronan Gorman and a bunch of others, the competition means so much more. Staged at the end of the regular season, the event is a memorial to Elliott, who touched the lives of so many participants.
“For me and a bunch of other swimmers, there is a kind of pressure to do well in memory of him,” said Gorman, a senior at Kennett.
The head coach of Green Woods Swim Club in Chadds Ford and WCU’s Golden Rams Aquatics, Elliott passed away on July 16, 2017 following a valiant fight with cancer. He was also an assistant coach at West Chester under legendary former head coach Jamie Rudisill for 20 years.
The Ches-Mont Invitational is now a fundraiser in Elliott’s name, engaged in the fight against esophageal cancer.
“It’s personal to guys like Liam and Ronon, but it’s personal for all of the kids who swam for Golden Rams Aquatics and Green Woods,” said Kennett head coach Cindy Milson. “Scott was quite a role model and mentor. He was all about taking a young swimmer and developing them into the best human being that they can be, not just an athlete. He made a very big impact on a lot of people in the community.
“They idolized him – he was like a second father to those boys. When he died, they took it really hard.”
With a lot of work under their belts, and thoughts of Elliott in their heart, Simmons and Gorham helped propel the Blue Devils to new heights, winning five of 11 events on Saturday.
“We crushed it today,” acknowledged Kennett senior Nathan Ober. “We did a lot better than we anticipated. Pretty much everybody dropped their high school best times and we are not even rested right now.”
Simmons, Gorham, Ober and Ryan Berish teamed up to win both the 200 freestyle relay (1:30.27) and the 200 medley relay (1:38.19). And three of the four also came away with individual titles.
“I’ve been with these boys the last two years and we are really tight,” said Simmons, a sophomore. “It’s been so much fun. I wish I could to another two years with them.”
Ober added: “A lot of us were under the 22-second barrier for the freestyle, and everybody had their best 50s in the medley.”
Ober added a win in the 100 breaststroke (59.16), Simmons won the 100 backstroke (52.54) and Barish grabbed a first in the 200 freestyle (1:48.52). Barish and Simmons also reached automatic district qualifying times in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle, respectively.
“I know we still have a lot left because none of the boys were tapering,” Milson said. “I’m really looking forward to districts. This will probably be the first time Kennett has had a relay going to the state meet. I think we have a shot.”
For Simmons and Gorham, the entire 2019-20 swimming season has been a tribute to Elliott, who was their age-group coach as youngsters.
“He was my coach for a long time, and was such an inspiration,” Simmons explained. “His death sent shockwaves throughout the area. He was young, he was healthy, and when I heard about it, I got chills down my spine.
“Not just, me but everybody on this team, we did it for (Elliott). We talked about it before this season as a team. We said that we can’t let his death hold us back and it inspired us to keep working harder than ever before.”
Now a senior, Gorham began swimming under Elliott at the tender age of five. He later coached for him during one summer at Green Woods.
“We’ve kind of used his memory as a way to pull the team closer together at Green Woods and Kennett,” Gorham said. “He always said, ‘find a way.’ So that no matter what is going on in your life, find a way to make things better and strive for the best that you can.
“That’s what we are thinking.”
On the boys’ side, there was a pair of two-time individual winners: Coatesville’s Ethan Moore and Downingtown East’s D.J. Fechtman. A senior, Moore hails from East Fallowfield and was the winner in the 50 freestyle (21.7) and 100 freestyle (47.41). A junior, Fechtman grabbed firsts in the 100 butterfly (52.74) and the 200 IM (1:58.36).
“My butterfly wasn’t exactly what I wanted because I had a rough start. But I was pretty happy with the rest of my butterfly, and the swim in the IM,” Fechtman said.
“My times are right around where I expected them to be. I will probably be swimming the 100 backstroke at districts in addition to the butterfly.”
The other individual winner was Great Valley’s Tommy Boerger in the 500 freestyle (4:55.33). The senior also registered a district qualifying effort in the 200 freestyle.
The only other winners were West Chester East’s 400 freestyle relay team of A.J. Avagliano, Kyle Puchalla, Matt Sivo and J.P Perucki (3:18.72). The same foursome also had a district qualifying time in the 200 freestyle relay, and Perucki added a district qualifying run in the 50 freestyle.
In addition, a trio of swimmers reached multiple district qualifying times: Unionville’s Thomas Smiddy (200 IM and 100 backstroke), West Chester Henderson’s Tie Manuel (50 freestyle and 100 freestyle) and Downingtown West’s Brandon Ye (100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke).
Downingtown East’s Ben Doyle (100 freestyle), Henderson’s Dylan Smolders (200 IM) and P.J. Cronauer (500 freestyle), Downingtown East’s Will Thompson (100 breaststroke) and Downingtown West’s Steven West (50 freestyle) were also individual district qualifiers.
SULLIVAN, McCRACKEN ARE TWO-TIME CHAMPS
Great Valley’s Mac Sullivan and Kennett’s Sydney McCracken were the only two-time individual girls’ winners at the Scott Elliott Ches-Mont Invitational. Sullivan won the 200 freestyle (1:56.32), the 100 butterfly (57.43) and was a member of the winning 400 freestyle relay, along with Peyton Turner, Bella Gilmartin and Alyssa Utecht (3:39.33). McCracken took first in the 200 IM (2:07.51) and 100 breaststroke (1:03.63).
The rest of the individual winners included Coatesville’s Kayla Bock in the 50 freestyle (24.85), West Chester Henderson’s Katie Simpson in the 100 freestyle (53.88), West Chester Rustin’s Sofia Piccone in the 500 freestyle (5:22.63) and Downingtown West’s Tori Howard in the 100 backstroke (57.36).
The 200 medley relay went to Unionville and the 200 freestyle relay to Downingtown East.
All of the winners secured automatic district qualifying times, and a slew of others also reached the threshold. Here is a team-by-team breakdown:
Great Valley: Utecht (100 backstroke, 100 freestyle); Turner (100 freestyle, 50 freestyle); the 200 medley relay.
West Chester Rustin: Flynn Truskett (200 IM, 100 backstroke); Kate Mondick (200 freestyle); Tara Brosnan (200 IM); Lily Turco (100 butterfly); Sara Jackson (100 breaststroke); 400 freestyle relay; 200 medley relay.
Unionville: Madelyn Lowe (200 IM, 100 butterfly); Molly Carson (50 freestyle, 100 backstroke); Emma McGovern (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle); Julian Murphy (100 backstroke); 400 medley relay.
West Chester Henderson: Marisa Krauss (200 IM); Hannah Fruhwirth (100 breaststroke).
Downingtown West: Alicia Littler (200 freestyle, 100 freestyle); Sarah Manthorp (50 freestyle, 100 butterfly); Alexa Houseknecht (100 butterfly).
Coatesville: Jordyn DiCamillo (100 breaststroke); 400 freestyle relay.
Downingtown East: Grace Noble (100 freestyle).
Bishop Shanahan: Lila Ceribelli (50 freestyle).
Sun Valley: Jenna Johnson (100 backstroke).
Scott Elliott Ches-Mont Invitational
Boys
200 medley relay – 1. Kennett (Simmons, Ober, Barish, Gorman) 1:38.19
200 freestyle – 1. Barish (Kennett) 1:48.52
200 IM – 1. Fechtman (Downingtown East) 1:58.36
50 freestyle – 1. Moore (Coatesville) 21.7
100 butterfly – 1. Fechtman (Downingtown East) 52.74
200 freestyle relay – 1. Kennett (Gorman, Barish, Simmons, Ober) 1:30.27
100 freestyle – 1. Moore (Coatesville) 47.41
500 freestyle – 1. Tommy Boerger (Great Valley) 4:55.33
100 backstroke — 1. Simmons (Kennett) 52.54
100 breaststroke – 1. Ober (Ken) 59.16
400 freestyle relay – 1. West Chester East (Avagliano, Puchalla, Sivo, Perucki) 3:18.72
Girls
200 medley relay – 1. Unionville (Carson, Delaney, Albans, McGovern) 1:49.57
200 freestyle – 1. Sullivan (Great Valley) 1:56.32
200 IM – 1. McCracken (Kennett) 2:07.51
50 freestyle – 1. Bock (Coatesville) 24.85
100 butterfly – 1. Sullivan (Great Valley) 57.43
200 freestyle relay – 1. Downingtown East (Maki, Kiebort, Noble, Fulton) 1:38.82
100 freestyle – 1. Simpson (West Chester Henderson) 53.88
500 freestyle – 1. Piccone (West Chester Rustin) 5:22.63
100 backstroke — 1. Howard (Downingtown West) 57.36
100 breaststroke – 1. McCracken (Kennett) 1:03.63
400 freestyle relay – 1. Great Valley (Sullivan, Turner, Gilmartin, Utecht) 3:39.33
