1-1 Warriors look to keep momentum going tomorrow vs. Stoneham
SENIOR CO-CAPTAIN Caroline Sweeney took first place in the 200-yard freestyle for the WMHS swim team during their recent victory over Arlington/Watertown. (Donna Larsson File Photo)
Published in the September 19, 2017 edition.
By DAN BYRNE
MALDEN—Wakefield Memorial High School’s girls varsity Swim Team had their most recent meet on Wednesday Sept. 13 at Malden High where they picked up their first win as they outswam the Arlington/Watertown combo team to a 90-75 victory.
“It was nice to have our home opener be a win,” Warriors’ Head Coach Kathy Byrne said in a recent interview. “We’re very happy with the showing, the girls really put their best foot forward to beat the Arlington/Watertown combo team.”
The Warriors started out strong in the 200-yard Medley Relay bringing home 1st, 3rd, and 5th place.
The relay team of Hannah Guay (backstroke), Laura Sweeney (breaststroke) , CC Colliton (butterfly), and Kyra Hoffman (freestyle) took first place with a time of 2:07.69—a time that came in under the requirement of 2:16.78 to qualify for Sectionals and under 2:09.00 to make it into States later this season. It’s the second time this season the 200-yard Medley Relay put in a time good enough to qualify for the postseason, as their time against Reading was below the cut as well.
Skylar Forbes, Alyssa Toppi, Erica Pecjo, and Jess Conley came in at 2:15.56, good enough for 3rd place and under the required time for North Sectionals. Although each team can only bring one relay, having more than one capable of qualifying is a sign of depth and strength in the team.
Caroline Sweeney took home 1st place in the 200-yard Freestyle with a time of 2:17.10. With teammates Katherine Maloney (2:18.47) and Lilly Cullen (2:28.64) finishing 2nd and 3rd it was a top 3 sweep for the Warriors in 200-yard Freestyle.
“It’s a pretty incredible thing when you have both your A and B relay qualify for a championship meet,” Byrne said. “It’s an indication that we have some depth on our team.”
In the 200-yard Individual Medley Wakefield took home 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Alyssa Toppi came in at 2:42.28, good for 2nd on the day. Erica Pecjo finished 3rd at 2:43.70 with CC Colliton bringing home points for 4th place.
In the next event, the Warriors took home 1st, 3rd, and 4th in the 50-yard Freestyle. Abby Federici swam a 28.07 to come in with the top time. Skylar Forbes finished 3rd with a 29.45, with Kyra Hoffman taking points for 4th place.
In 100-yard Butterfly, with a time of 1:15.34, CC Colliton finished 2nd, with Kyra Hoffman and Sam Colliton coming in 4th and 5th respectively.
In 100-yard Freestyle the Warriors came in 1st, 2nd, and 5th . Laura Sweeney came in 1st place with a time of 1:00.45. Caroline Sweeney finished 2nd with a time of 1:02.08, and Abby Federici secured a point with a 5th place finish.
In the following event, Hannah Guay’s 500-yard Freestyle time of 5:44.76 saw her touch the wall in 2nd place, and her time came in under the 6:01.00 limit to qualify for North Sectionals and under the 5:55.00 time for States.
The Warriors also took points in 500-yard Freestyle with Katherine Maloney’s time of 6:18.44 saw her finish 3rd, with Erica Pecjo coming in 5th.
The 200-yard Freestyle Relay saw the Warriors come in 1st, 3rd, and 4th. The team of Kyra Hoffman, Lilly Cullen, Abby Federici, and Caroline Sweeney swam to a first-place finish with a time of 1:56.77, good enough to see them qualify for the North Sectionals.
The relay team of Alyssa Toppi, Alex Dececca, Reignyan Grant, and Sam Colliton came in 3rd at 2:07.60. Anya Nardone, Bridget Glendye, Lilly Defeo, and Kelly O’Connell finished 4th with a time of 2:14.38.
Hannah Guay qualified for North Sectionals and States with her time of 1:06.64 in the 100-yard Backstroke. That time also brought the Warriors 1st place points with Skylar Forbes finishing just behind Guay at 1:10.22 in 2nd place. Jess Conley came home 5th for the Warriors in 100-yard Backstroke.
The 100-yard Breaststroke saw the Warriors finish 1st, 3rd, and 5th with Laura Sweeney taking the top spot at 1:18.08, a time good enough for both Sectionals and States, a feat she had previously accomplished with her time in the Reading meet though the qualifying times hadn’t yet been released.
Alyssa Toppi came in 3rd with a time of 1:26.47, with Lilly Cullen touching the wall in 5th.
In the final event, the Warriors brought home 1st, 3rd, and 4th in the 400-yard Free Relay. Katherine Maloney, Caroline Sweeney, Hannah Guay, and Laura Sweeney provided the winning time at 4:12.03, making the cut in time for both Sectionals and State meets.
Erica Pecjo, CC Colliton, Sklar Forbes, and Abby Federici swam to a 3rd place finish with a time of 4:35.28.
It was a meet that saw the Warriors put 6 times in that qualified at least for sectionals. It also saw the Warriors take home 1st place in 8 out of 11 events.
“We’re very pleased with how hard the girls have been working,” said Coach Byrne. “It’s been nice to have an influx of freshman swimmers who are experienced swimmers and they’re certainly adding to the strength of our lineup.”
The Warriors look to continue their winning ways as they swim their next meet against Stoneham on Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. at Malden High.
