(Feb. 20, 2015) The Stephen Decatur swim teams both placed second during the 3A/2A/1A East Regional meet last Saturday at the Arundel Swim Center.
The Lady Seahawks finished just seven points behind Easton. The Warriors scored 339 points, followed by Decatur (332) and Cambridge/SD (245.5).
“They did really well. We got second, but everyone dropped time and that’s all you can ask for,” Decatur Coach Steve Deakyne said. “I’m proud of the way everyone competed at regionals. A majority of them had their best times of the season.”
The top three finishers in each regional event qualified for the 3A/2A/1A state championship, scheduled for Saturday at Eppley Recreation Center on the University of Maryland-College Park campus. Individual competitors and relay teams who, in their regional meet, had the next top-12 statewide times also qualified for states.
Seahawks who automatically advanced to states because of top three performances in their individual regional events were junior Hailey Williams (200-yard freestyle, 2:11.91, third; 500-yard freestyle, 5:57.28, second) and seniors Madison Tinus (50-yard freestyle, 26.14 seconds, first; 100-yard freestyle, 57.38 seconds, second) and team co-captain Carly Deickman (200-yard IM, 2:33.69, third; 100-yard breaststroke, 1:13.54, second).
“The team did really well, but there’s always room for improvement. Overall, we did pretty good, however, I know I could have swam a lot better,” Deickman said before Monday’s practice at the Sports Core pool in Ocean Pines. “This week I’m going to make sure I work extra hard so I can hopefully place better at states.”
Williams, Deickman, Tinus and senior Stephany Smith took second in the 200-yard medley relay race (2:01.72).
Tinus, Smith, junior Marley Rakow and senior Maria Zweifel scored a second-place award in the 200-yard freestyle race (1:51.09).
Rakow, senior Molly Wooten, Williams and Deickman came in second in the 400-yard freestyle relay race (4:13.05).
Because of her regional time of 59.91 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle (fourth place), Rakow will compete in the event at states.
Smith’s time of 1:10.84 in the 100-yard butterfly (fifth), earned her a spot in the state event. Zweifel finished the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:19.90 (eighth) to secure a position in the state race. She is an alternate in the 200-yard IM after placing sixth (2:38.70).
Wooten is also an alternate in the 200-yard freestyle (2:17.52, sixth) and 100-yard butterfly (1:12.19, sixth).
Deakyne thinks some of the girls have the potential to reach the podium in their events.
“It would be awesome if some of them finish in the top five. That’s a pretty good goal,” he said.
The Decatur boys’ team finished second overall at regionals with 310 points. Easton won the competition with 329 points and Queen Anne’s was third (299).
“The boys did very well. I think they surprised themselves by getting second place,” Decatur Coach Damien Sanzotti said. “I knew they would do well, but I didn’t know they would do that well so I was very happy and proud of them. I was impressed with what they did.”
Because of their top three performances during the regional meet, senior captain Dalton Warren, junior Andrew Gottfried and freshman Kevin Williams automatically advanced to states in their events.
Warren won a regional title in the 100-yard backstroke (1:00.16).
“I was seeded No. 1 so I was expected to win and I dropped about four seconds off my time in the race,” Warren said. “The team did phenomenal overall and mostly everyone dropped times. I’m excited and looking forward to states. There will be a lot more competition.”
Gottfried placed second in both the 200-yard IM (2:11.29) and the 100-yard butterfly (55.60 seconds).
Williams finished third in 100-yard breaststroke (1:05.63). His time of 2:19.70 advanced him to states in the 200-yard IM (fifth).
Warren, Williams, Gottfried and senior captain Chris Poole raced to second place in the 200-yard medley relay event (1:45.84).
Poole will participate in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle at states with his regional qualifying times of 24.68 seconds and 54.90 seconds, respectively. He finished fifth in both races.
Senior Jake Lathroum is an alternate in the 100-yard breaststroke for his regional time of 1:12.94 (sixth).
Poole, Warren, sophomore Dustin Berkey and Gottfried took fourth in the 200-yard freestyle relay race, but their time of 1:39.34 advanced them to states.
Sophomore Tucker Cordial, Warren, senior Noah Sackadorf and Williams came in fifth in the 400-yard freestyle relay race. Their time of 3:55.28 qualified them for the championship meet.
Deakyne and Sanzotti said they are expecting tough competition at states. The goal, they said, is for the Decatur swimmers to get their best times of the season.
