Downingtown West swimmers sweep Kennett

Uwchlan >> The Downingtown West swimming team earned a couple of solid victories against visiting Kennett on Friday, with the girls winning handily, 104-67, and the boys prevailing by a tighter score of 98-82 at the Lionville YMCA.
The Whippets girls’ lineup featured plenty of first-place finishers. Leah Lacovara won the 50-yard freestyle and 100 free (district consideration time of 56.03). Abigail Harlan won the 200 IM (2:22.44) and 100 butterfly (1:03.08). Morgan Harlan won 500 free handily with a district consideration time of 5:24.49 and posted the fastest time in the 100 backstroke (1:04.33, exhibition). Riley Surak won the 200 free (2:11.23) and Grace McNamara won diving (179.35).
Downingtown West girls coach Stacy Vansant said, “We took a lot of 1-2-3’s today; we knew that both teams had some club swimmers who were away (today), so we mixed up our lineups and our girls were willing to swim in different races (than usual).”
A couple of those versatile performers were in the 100 breast. D-West junior Seraphim Rahardjo, who normally swims the 200 IM, posted the fastest time in the 100 breast (1:19.31, exhibition) and senior Skylar Bailey posted the second-fastest time in the 100 breast (1:21.81).
The Whippets started off the meet with a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay, as senior Caroline Cusack, Bailey, Rahardjo and freshman Elle Whitton posted a time of 2:07.07. In the 200 free relay, Whitton, Cusack, Abigail Harlan and Lacovara finished first with a clocking of 1:51.69. By the end of the relay, the girls had opened up a big lead and posted exhibition times in the last three events.
Kennett coach Cindy Millison said, “We were missing some top swimmers today, and our December meets are against teams that are not in our division, so we treat them like scrimmages and put kids in events that they’ve never done before, so they can get experience. Today was an opportunity to drop time and see where we are (competitively).”
For Kennett, senior Jaylee Killgore had a two-second drop in the 100 fly to finish fourth. She made the Scott Elliott Ches-Mont Swimming Invitational cut with a time of 1:13.18.
The boys meet was a closer contest.
For the Whippets, senior Logan Seiss captured the 200 free with a district consideration time of 1:53.47, sophomore Shane Martin won the 200 IM (2:09.15) and 100 back (district consideration time of 56.15), junior Nolan Dobry was victorious in diving with a district consideration mark of 208.70, junior Henry Dennin won the 100 free (52.88) and 100 breast (1:10.36) and freshman Austin Verlinhieri took the 500 free (5:48.10).
The West quartet of Martin, Dennin, sophomore Sean Borkowski and senior Connor Cianciulli won the 200 medley relay (1:48.87), and the foursome of Martin, freshman Cody Bice, Cianciulli and Seiss won the 200 free relay (1:40.22).
“I thought we did a really good job in getting our second-, third- and fourth-place finishes,” said D-West boys coach Shane Austin.
Some of those strong finishes were by junior Will Vaughen (second in the 100 breast and fourth in the 100 fly) and sophomore Alex Sheldon (fourth in 500 free).
For Kennett, senior Luke Myers won the 50 free (23.80) and placed second in the 100 back (district consideration time of 57.25), while senior Alex Fialkowski won the 100 fly (57.66), was second in the 200 free and posted 51.59 as the leadoff swimmer in the first-place 400 free relay.
“Luke and Alex did a great job today,” said Millison.
The quartet of Fialkowski, sophomore Quinlan Williams, sophomore Ben Kessinger and Myers won the 400 free relay with a clocking of 3:33.73.
In the 100 free, Williams and Kessinger finished second and third, respectively, and Williams placed second in the 50 free, as both earned some solid time drops.

Boys
Downingtown West 98, Kennett 82
200 medley relay: D-West (Martin, Dennin, Borkowski, Cianciulli) 1:48.87; 200 free: Seiss (DW) 1:53.47; 200 IM: Martin (DW) 2:09.15; 50 free: Meyers (K) 23.80; diving: Dobry (DW) 208.70; 100 fly: Fialkowski (K) 57.66; 100 free: Dennin (DW) 52.88; 500 free: Verlinhieri (DW) 5:48.10; 200 free relay: D-West (Martin, Bice, Cianciulli, Seiss) 1:40.22; 100 back: Martin (DW) 56.15; 100 breast: Dennin (DW) 1:10.36; 400 free relay: Kennett (Fialkowski, Williams, Kessinger, Myers) 3:33.73.
Girls
Downingtown West 104, Kennett 67
200 medley relay: D-West (Cuscak, Bailey, Rhardjo, Whitton) 2:07.07; 200 free: Surak (DW) 2:11.23; 200 IM: Harlan (DW) 2:22.44; 50 free: Lacovara, (DW) 26.03; diving: McNamara (DW) 179.35; 100 fly: A. Harlan (DW) 1:03.08; 100 free: Lacovara (DW) 56.03; 500 free: M. Harlan (DW) 5:24.49; 200 free relay: D-West (Whitton, Cusack, A. Harlan, Lacovara) 1:51.69; 100 back: Towne (K) 1:12.42; 100 breast: Rhodes (K) 1:21.95; 400 free relay: Kennett (Towne, Beck, Rhodes, Jeffery) 4:44.69.