Undefeated Unionville swimmers edge Rustin in close meet
Kennett Square >> Following Unionville’s closely-fought dual swimming meet victories against West Chester Rustin Saturday at the Kennett Area YMCA, Longhorn head coach Mike Mangan reflected on the close family-like feeling between the two squads.
“It’s a family thing,” said Mangan. “The reason we were excited about this meet is because we have a lot of family connections. (Unionville’s) Delaney Harlan and (Rustin’s) Lily Turco are cousins. And Kiera (Rustin head coach Kiera Callahan) was my former student at Unionville. So we know each other pretty well, and we’re similar schools, and it’s an exciting, fun meet for us.”
The Unionville boys (3-0) defeated the Rustin boys (2-3), 91-70; while the Longhorn girls (3-0) edged the Golden Knight girls (3-2), 88-82.
Callahan, who took Dr. Mangan’s U.S. History class at Unionville High School during the 2014-2015 school year (Mangan later wrote a letter of recommendation for college on behalf of Kiera), said, “Our whole team swam awesome today. It was a close meet, and being able to come out here on a Saturday – an Eagles Saturday (smiles) – and put together some nice swims, it was pretty awesome. We had a lot of kids stepping up to the plate.”
For the Unionville girls, Izzy Iwasyk won the 200 IM with a district consideration time of 2:17.35, and finished first in the 100 free with a district consideration time of 56.63. The Longhorns’ Lauren Dobie won the 50 free (26.51)
The Longhorn girls also won all three relays. The quartet of Iwasyk, Harlan, Dobie and Amelia Miller won the 200 medley relay (1:54.88), the foursome of Harlan, Jacqueline Heyer, Jasmine Liu and Jillian Murphy finished first in the 200 free relay (1:47.85) and the quartet of Miller, Lily Mannion, Dobie and Iwasyk won the 400 free relay with a district consideration time of 3:46.11.
“Our depth on the girls’ side was really evident today,” said Mangan.
For the Rustin girls, Flynn Truskett won both the 200 free (2:01.64) and 500 free (5:29.04) with district consideration times, and Turco won both the 100 fly (1:00.12) and 100 breast (1:10.43) with district consideration times. The Golden Knights’ Lily Greenwood won the 100 back (1:03.70).
“Cara Schwacke (second place, girls 500 free, 5:34.06) is getting close to a district consideration time in the 500 free,” noted Callahan. “We also had some girls swim today who normally dive (there were no diving events in this meet), and they stepped up to the plate with that. It was a whole team effort today, it was awesome.”
In the boys meet, Unionville won five individual events, two by Ernesto Solana (200 free – 1:58.56 and 500 free – 5:34.97) and one each by Brendan Manion (200 IM, 2:11.08), Dylan Burns (100 free, 53.48) and Harrison Kachel (50 free, 23.17). Manion also posted an exhibition time of 1:07.48 in the boys 100 breast.
Kachel, a senior, attained district consideration time in the 50 free, and it was the first time in his Longhorn career that he achieved it in that event.
Unionville’s Matt Mclellan swam district consideration times in both the 100 fly (55.89, second place) and 100 back (56.63, second place).
Mangan said, “Matt was sick the whole past week, so for him to do that, that was a fantastic time for him.”
Other first-place finishers for the Unionville boys were the quartet of Mclellan, Kyle O’Neill, Solana and Kachel in the 200 medley relay (1:45.01), and the foursome of Dylan Burns, Conor Burns, Manion and Kachel in the 200 free relay (1:36.11). The quartet of Solana, Dylan Burns, Manion and Mclellan posted an exhibition time of 3:35.70 in the 400 free relay.
For the Rustin boys, George Harkins won the 100 fly with a district consideration time of 55.68 and AJ Chapman won the 100 back with a district consideration time of 55.14. Chapman also finished third in the 100 fly (56.67).
“AJ getting his district time in the 100 back is awesome for us, he’s solidified in that event and he’s inching closer (to district consideration time) in the 100 fly,” said Callahan.
Also for the Rustin boys, the 400 free relay quartet of Harkins, Alec Khatib, Jonah Hilt and Chapman picked up first-place points (3:39.71).
Unionville (boys) 91, WC Rustin 70
200 Medley Relay: Unionville (Matt Mclellan, Kyle O’Neill, Ernesto Solana, Harrison Kachel), 1:45.01
200 Free: Ernesto Solana, UN, 1:58.56
200 IM: Brendan Manion, UN, 2:11.08
50 Free: Harrison Kachel, UN, 23.17
100 Fly: George Harkins, WCR, 55.68
100 Free: Dylan Burns, UN, 53.48
500 Free: Ernesto Solana, UN, 5:34.97
200 Free Relay: Unionville (Dylan Burns, Conor Burns, Brendan Manion, Harrison Kachel), 1:36.11
100 Back: AJ Chapman, WCR, 55.14
100 Breast: Cameron Benedetto, WCR, 1:18.02
400 Free Relay: WC Rustin (George Harkins, Alec Khatib, Jonah Hilt, AJ Chapman), 3:39.71
Unionville (girls) 88, WC Rustin 82
200 Medley Relay: Unionville (Izzy Iwasyk, Delaney Harlan, Lauren Dobie and Amelia Miller), 1:54.88
200 Free: Flynn Truskett, WCR, 2:01.64
200 IM: Izzy Iwasyk, UN, 2:17.35
50 Free: Lauren Dobie, UN, 26.51
100 Fly: Flynn Truskett, WCR, 1:00.12
100 Free: Izzy Iwasyk, UN, 56.63
500 Free: Flynn Truskett, WCR, 5:29.04
200 Free Relay: Unionville (Delaney Harlan, Jacqueline Heyer, Jasmine Liu, Jillian Murphy), 1:47.85
100 Back: Lily Greenwood, WCR, 1:03.70
100 Breast: Lily Turco, WCR, 1:10.43
400 Free Relay: Unionville (Amelia Miller, Lily Mannion, Lauren Dobie, Izzy Iwasyk), 3:46.11
