Swimming: Haverford’s Eruslanova dominates at Central League championships
Katya Eruslanova’s final Central League championships was typically dominant.
The Haverford senior won the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle, setting a meet record in the former, at the meet hosted by Ridley on Friday and Saturday.
Eruslanova was pushed in the IM, her time of 2:02.37 just .19 seconds ahead of Lower Merion’s Alexa Conner. The 500 held no such drama, the Penn signee winning by more than 13 seconds in 4:56.70.
Haverford finished second in both the boys and girls standings, swept by unbeaten league champ Conestoga. The Pioneers girls scored 555 points, easily outdistancing Haverford’s 277. The boys scored 481 to coast by Haverford at 349.5.
Conestoga dominated most of the way, but Radnor snuck in to win the medley relay. Marina Wang, Skyler Semisch, Anne Lindgren and Sophia Mlodzienski went 1:47.68 to edge Stoga by a quarter-second. Wang finished third in the 50 and fifth in the 100 backstroke.
Conestoga otherwise controlled matters. Lily Robinson swept the sprints. Aubrey Langanelli won the 200 free and was second in the 100. Naomi Furman and Reilly Dolan went 1-2 in the 100 breaststroke. The Pioneers eased to victory in both free relays. (Eruslanova split 23.84 off the front of Haverford’s runner-up 200 free squad.)
Springfield finished third as a team, led by Michelle Kubiak in second in the 200 free and Mary Kubiak in second in the 50 free. Michelle was third in the 500 free, Mary fourth in the 100 back. They teamed with Alena Chung and Avya Christie to finish second in the 400 free relay.
Garnet Valley’s Zoey Rogers placed second in the 100 butterfly and third in the 100 backstroke, both won by Harriton’s Kate Levensten and with Conner second in back.
All eyes were on the boys sprinters. Ridley’s Shane Eckler bested Springfield’s Jake Kennedy in the 50 free, with a time of 20.24 that set a Ridley pool, Ridley school and meet records. Kennedy was second in 20.43, his brother Luke Kennedy fourth.
Eckler added the 100 free title, again downing the three marks, in 44.81.
The Cougars got the final say in the sprint relay, the team of Alex Chan, Jacob Johnson and the Kennedys going 1:24.22 to win by more than three seconds. That’s a meet record, Jake Kennedy bringing it home in 20.14. Springfield was also second to Conestoga in the 400 free relay, Tristan Ronayne in for Chan.
Ridley took second in the 200 free relay, Eckler leading off in 20.46 to stake them to a short-lived lead. Cody Hollenbach, Matt Murdock and Eric Boeckx rounded out that squad, which also finished second in the 200 medley.
Johnson set a pool record in the 100 fly in 49.35 seconds, a margin of nearly two seconds, and was second in the 100 free. Chan took second, albeit nearly six seconds distant, of Conestoga’s Jake Wang in the 100 breast. Jake Kennedy and Ronayne were third and fourth, respectively, in the 100 back, won by Penncrest’s Jonathan Hoole in 50.00.
Conestoga’s Can Yeniay won the 200 free and 500 free, the latter a meet record of 4:32.50. (Strath Haven’s Gavin Shifflett was third in the 200 and second in the 500.) Wang set the meet record in the 200 IM in 1:49.59, with Ronayne second and Hoole third. Wang and Yeniay joined Brock Whitaker and Andrew Zhang to win the 400 free relay in a meet-record 3:06.82.
Springfield was third in the team standings with Ridley fourth. Haverford’s best finish came via Kyle Given, who was third in the 100 fly. TJ Hayes was fourth in the 500, the spot Zach Koptyra secured in the 100 breast. Marple Newtown’s Ethan D’Angelo won diving with a score of 387.55.
