Jacob Johnson didn’t just set a meet record Saturday at the Central League Championships.
He obliterated the meet mark by 2.5 seconds and lopped a full second off his Delco record in the process.
The Springfield senior went 46.49 in the 100 butterfly. The winning margin was more than three seconds for the Minnesota commit. But more impressive was the raw speed, quicker by a full second than the time he used to at states in winning a title last year (47.52), by two seconds over the county record he took down last year (48.74 by Cole Whitsett in 2020) and by almost three seconds to the meet mark of Conestoga’s Brendan Burns from 2017 (49.14).
Johnson also downed the meet record in the 100 free, going 44.80 to nudge .01 under the time set last year by Shane Eckler.
Eckler set a meet and pool record in the 50 free, going 20.08 to win a scintillating race over Springfield’s Jake Kennedy (20.40) and Penncrest’s Jonathan Hoole (20.48) in a battle of All-Delcos. Eckler was even faster off the front of the 200 free relay in 20.07 as Ridley went 1:27.29 to finish second, though Conestoga’s Jake Wang went 19.97 to take down the pool mark. That Conestoga team erased Springfield’s meet record from last season.
Kennedy got revenge in the 100 backstroke, winning in 48.95. Hoole was second in 49.43. Eckler, who has been 48.58 this year, was third in 49.86.
Kennedy was part of the Cougars’ winning 200 medley relay with Alex Chan, Johnson and Colin Christie. The same foursome finished second in the 400 free relay. Chan was second in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, the latter a spot ahead of Marple’s Kaden Bothma.
Strath Haven’s Gavin Shifflett finished second in both distance events to Conestoga’s Cam Yeniay.
Haverford’s TJ Hayes was second in the 200 individual medley and 500 free. Teammate Sam Graaf grabbed bronze in the 100 free and 100 fly. The Fords finished second in the team standings, nearly 200 points behind Conestoga’s 602. But Haverford’s 405 was well ahead of Ridley’s 297 and the 246 of Springfield. Radnor was fifth with 230 points.
Ridley went 1-2 in diving, with Tyler Reeve winning with a score of 411.50. Kamren Brown was second, Garnet Valley’s Walker Frey third.
Garnet Valley came away with the biggest result for Delco on the girls side, winning the 200 free relay in 1:39.48. Peyton Goetz, Mallorie Jeremiah, Kayla Reasons and Zoey Rogers comprised that quartet.
Rogers went 57.14 in the 100 back to finish second, well behind the meet and pool record set by Lower Merion’s Alexa Conner. Rogers was fifth in the 100 fly. Reasons finished fourth in the 50 and 100 free. Jeremiah took silver in the 500 free. Goetz was third in the 100 free and seventh in the 50. The same four swimmers combined to finish third in the 200 medley relay.
Conestoga won the girls team title with 541.5 points, 115 points up on Lower Merion. The Pioneers only won only three races, including no relays. Lower Merion was powered by Conner, who set meet marks in the 100 back and 200 individual medley.
Anne Lindgren won the 100 fly for Radnor in 56.96 seconds. She was part of two district-qualifying Radnor relays, including the runner-up 200 free squad. Also on that team was Orlaith Dill, the freshman who finished fifth in diving in her only individual event, a rare combination. Radnor finished third as a team with 272 points, ahead of Garnet Valley’s 218.
Springfield’s Ayva Christie won the 50 free in 23.98 seconds. She bested Penncrest freshman Morgan Peterson, who tied with LM’s Katie Potts-Drew in 24.32. Ava Keller of Ridley was second in diving with 466.30. She trailed Conestoga’s Avery Hillier, who set a record of 518.90. (Hillier was also fifth in the 50 free and qualified for districts.)
