UWCHLAN >> Just one week after an exciting, come-from-behind 95-91 win against West Chester Henderson, the Downingtown West girls’ swim team battled to a back-and-forth 94-92 victory against previously undefeated Avon Grove Wednesday at the Lionville Community YMCA.
“Avon Grove beat us the last two years, and for this meet, we really, really worked to put the best lineups in,” said an emotional Whippets’ head coach Stacy Tukloff-Vansant. “Our girls really stepped up today, they swam their fastest times. We had multiple (nine) district consideration times, and I’m extremely proud of everyone’s effort.
“Having the opportunity to swim against Avon Grove is great, they are a very talented swim team as well, and their coaching staff is outstanding. Every point counted, and those fifth-place finishes for us were very, very important tonight. We (emphasized) to each swimmer to not give up on their race, to keep swimming hard to the wall.”
Downingtown West’s Leah Lacovara won the girls 50 yard freestyle (25.42) and 100 yard freestyle (55.01) with district consideration times, and teammate Elizabeth McNamara won the girls 100 yard butterfly (1:00.79) and 500 yard freestyle (5:21.61) with district consideration clockings.
The Whippet girls, who are now 5-0 in Ches-Mont meets, displayed fine depth Wednesday.
D-West finished 1-2 in the girls 500 free, with Morgan Harlan placing second in both the 500 free (5:23.14) and the 200 yard freestyle (2:01.52), and posting district consideration times in both events. Teammate Keira Carmella finished second in both the 200 yard IM (2:16.86) and 100 yard breaststroke (1:10.65), both district consideration times.
The Whippet girls won the girls 200 yard freestyle relay (1:44.58) with a quartet of Elizabeth McNamara, Keira Carmella, Mary Kate Johnson and Leah Lacovara, and in the 200 yard medley relay, the second-place team of Morgan Harlan, Carmella, Elizabeth McNamara and Lacovara posted a district consideration time (1:53.63).
The Avon Grove girls, who entered the meet with a 3-0 record, posted numerous district consideration times Wednesday.
For the Red Devil girls, Cailin Maley won the girls 200 yard freestyle (2:00.31) and 100 yard breaststroke (1:08.97), both with district consideration times. Kaitlyn Burk won the girls 200 yard IM (2:14.04) and was second in the 100 yard butterfly (1:01.21) with district consideration times. Ava Pfaff had second-place finishes in both the 50 free (25.75) and 100 free (55.20), both district consideration times. Lily Perrin won the 100 yard backstroke (1:03.16) with a district consideration time.
In the closely-contested girls 200 yard medley relay, the Avon Grove quartet of Perrin, Maley, Burk and Pfaff won (1:53.25) with a district consideration time.
Avon Grove head coach Kelly Burk praised those four district-bound swimmers, and pointed out the Red Devils’ depth, mentioning Alena Kurtz’s first-place finish in 1-meter diving (226.25, district consideration) and Adi Matlock (placed third in the 100 breast and fifth in the 200 IM). In the 400 free relay, Kaitlyn Burk, Perrin, Maley and Pfaff finished first (3:50.33).
“We knew coming into the season that Downingtown West and West Chester East were two teams that were going to be on top of the Ches-Mont, so this was a great meet tonight,” said Kelly Burk.
The Downingtown West boys won a 103-46 decision against Avon Grove Wednesday.
For the Whippet boys, Sean Borkowski won the 200 IM (2:13.25) and 100 fly (57.50), Logan Seiss won the 50 free (24.22) and 100 free (52.30) Austin Verlinghieri posted the fastest time in the 100 back (1:04.35, exhibition) and Shane Martin recorded the fastest clocking in the 100 breast (1:06.56, exhibition).
D-West’s Nolan Dobry won the boys 1-meter diving with a score of 199.35, posting a district consideration mark once again.
The Whippet foursome of Seiss, Martin, Borkowski and Henry Dennin won the 200 medley relay (1:49.25) and the quartet of Jacob Lennon, Seiss, Martin and Henry Dennin posted the fastest time in the 200 free relay (1:39.67, exhibition).
For the Avon Grove boys, Kyle Burk won the 500 free with a district consideration time (5:07.94) and won the 200 free (1:54.21).
Kelly Burk pointed out the improvement shown by Alec Etshman, who placed fourth in the 100 free and picked up first-place points in the 100 breast.
“Alec’s dropped (many) seconds in the 100 free and 50 free, and he’s doing really in the breaststroke, and he’s never swam on a team before this season,” said Kelly Burk. “So it’s really good to see that kind of improvement.”
Boys
Downingtown West 103, Avon Grove 46
200-yard medley relay: Downingtown West (Seiss, Martin, Borkowski, Dennin) 1:49.25; 200 freestyle: Burk (AG) 1:54.21; 200 IM: Borkowski (DW) 2:13.25; 50 freestyle: Seiss (DW) 24.22; diving: Dobry (DW) 199.35; 100 butterfly: Borkowski (DW) 57.50; 100 free: Seiss (DTW) 52.30; 500 free: Burk (AG) 5:07.94; 200 free relay: Downingtown West (Durkin, Verlinghieri, Bice, Sheldon) 1:50.05; 100 backstroke: Texter (AG) 1:09.32; 100 breaststroke: Etshman (AG) 1:29.22; 400 free relay: Avon Grove (Burk, Giacometti, Texter, Etshman) 4:07.71
Girls
Downingtown West 94, Avon Grove 92
200-yard medley relay: Avon Grove (Perrin, Maley, Burk, Pfaff) 1:53.25; 200 freestyle: Maley (AG) 2:00.31; 200 IM: Burk (AG) 2:14.04; 50 free: Lacovara (DW) 25.42; diving: Kurtz (AG) 226.25; 100 butterfly: E. McNamara (DW) 1:00.79; 100 free: Lacovara (DW) 55.01; 500 free: E. McNamara (DW) 5:21.61; 200 free relay: Downingtown West (E. McNamara, Carmella, Johnson, Lacovara) 1:44.58; 100 backstroke: Perrin (AG) 1:03.16; 100 breaststroke: Maley (AG) 1:08.97; 400 free relay: Avon Grove (Burk, Perrin, Maley, Pfaff) 3:50.33.
