Churchill senior diver Timothy Faerber hopes to have another strong showing Saturday against Wootton. (Photo by Veronica Espinoza)
What: Wootton vs. Churchill
Where: Montgomery Aquatic Center
When: Saturday, 9:15 a.m. (weather pending)
Still riding high after an upset win over perennial power Good Counsel last February at Metros, the Churchill girls came into this season loaded with talent and widely considered a top contender to repeat as Montgomery County and Metros champions. But after suffering their first defeat in two years last Saturday against Whitman, the Bulldogs will be looking to rebound this week against Wootton.
With sophomore Natalya Ares competing at junior nationals and top girls’ diver Alex Stanton also out of the lineup, Churchill finished first in just two of the 11 girls’ events as Whitman showcased its depth and potential to contend once again for the county and Metros titles.
“Our girls were disappointed to say the least with last week’s performance, so I am looking for them to come out and swim with some passion this weekend,” Churchill Coach Rodney Van Tassell said. “I give a lot of credit to Whitman as they beat us handily, but I certainly would not count us out so early in the season.”
To get back on track, the Bulldogs will need to knock off a Wootton team fresh off a sweep of Bethesda-Chevy Chase. With increased depth this season and standout freshmen Allie Kladgin and Yalhy Levy in the mix, the Patriots should put up points and give the reigning champs several competitive races.
But it’s the Wootton boys that have Van Tassell a bit more concerned. After finishing fourth behind first place Churchill at last winter’s county meet, the Patriots are loaded with talent again this season. Junior freestyle specialist Thomas Finn had a great showing against B-CC and leads the way for a group of talented underclassmen that includes sophomores Kenny Ke and Michael Fu. Both can compete in a variety of events, which gives Wootton Coach Howard Blume a variety of options when he sets his lineup Saturday.
“Michael has already been recorded at a 22.6 [seconds ]in the 50 free and the 100 in 49.2,” Blume said. “He came in as my best breastroker and now he’s turning out to be one of my top freestylers. He’s good all around and Kenny Ke is the same way. These kids are interchangeable and they’re very good.”
Churchill will be excited to have senior Chris Verboncoeur back after his strong showing at junior nationals last weekend. In his absence, several others came to the forefront against Whitman, including Chris Wysocki who was a triple-winner, sweeping the 200 (1:55.22) and 500 free (5:11.50) and anchoring the first place 400 free relay team (3:30.14). Sophomore Timothy Faerber – who finished fourth at Metros last year – continued his strong diving, winning the boys’ one meter dive event (188).
“Depth on the boys’ side especially is our strength,” Van Tassell said. “We had several swimmers step into a leadership role last week with our stars out. Chris is proving that he is one of the premier distance freestylers in the area and on the diving side of things, Timothy is arguably the best diver in the area and he’s performing real well right now.”
Van Tassell expects Wootton to present “perhaps the biggest challenge of the year” for his swimmers. If the Patriots can keep things close early on, the final event of the day – the 400 free relay – should provide an exciting finish to the meet.
“We’re hoping it comes down to the last relay,” Blume said. “We feel like we’re a little stronger on the back end, so if we can stay in it until that final race, we’ll have a chance.”
Tags: Churchill, Maryland High School Swimming, Montgomery County High School Swimming, Wootton
stats corner
