Walter Johnson won the closely contested boys’ meet, after winning both freestyle relays and dominant performances by their stars Garrett Powell and Barry Mangold. They finished with a score of 428 to Churchill’s 418 [complete scores and results available].

“We’ve been wanting this all season,” said Walter Johnson coach Jamie Grimes, about the win. “Our boys were energized and ready to go.”

Mangold  started them off with an impressive swim in the 200 freestyle in 1:45.56 ahead of B-CC’s Jamie Stevenson in 1:46.38. Blair’s Brian Tsau moved up from heat two to grab third in 1:47.59.

Mangold earned his second win of the day over Churchill’s Austin Cole, winner of the 50 freestyle (21.66), in the 100 freestyle. He swam from the front the entire way to win in 47.19. Cole was second in 47.87.

His teammate, Garrett Powell (University of Georgia*) raced no one but himself, winning the 500 freestyle (4:32.19) and 100 backstroke (52.25) with open water between him and second place in both races.

Churchill was led by senior Natalya Ares (University of Richmond*), who led a 1-2 finish in the 200 freestyle for the Bulldogs to get the ball rolling in the individual events. Ares finished in 1:54.56, ahead of freshman teammate Elaina Gu (1:55.38). Gu also placed second in the 500 freestyle, picking up key points for the Bulldogs.

In her second win of the day, Ares cruised to an easy win in the 100 butterfly in a time of 57.94.

Kali Becker (freshman) won girls diving with a final score of 288.95. Churchill would go 1-3-4 in diving to give them a big cushion against Wootton and Whitman.

In the loss, Whitman stars Charlotte Meyer and Reia Tong dazzled.

Meyer swam strong in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle, winning both events in commanding fashion. She finished in 2:04.59 in the medley and 5:03.50 in the 500 freestyle.

Tong impressed in the sprint freestyle events. She was able to out swim the fast heat winning in 24.37, despite a slow start in the 50 free. In the girls 100 free, it was close for the first lap before Tong broke away from the field right off the turn, finishing in 52.22.

They combined for a spectacular win in the 400 freestyle relay, in one of the most exciting races of the day. Tong delivered an early lead for the Vikings, but Whitman was able to whittle the lead away, giving Ares a slight lead going into the final leg.

It looked like the Bulldog senior would pull away from Meyer, anchoring for the Vikings, but Meyer surged in the second lap to out-touch Ares, 3:34.03 to 3:34.39. Meyer and Tong were joined by Victoria Kuhn and Audrey Gould for the win.

“We’re really looking forward to next week at Metros,” said Tong. “The competition at that meet is really fast, and we’re excited to race all those great teams.”

Tim Faerber (University of Michigan*) finished his MCPS career on top, winning boys diving with an impressive 313.75 point score.

Other winners were Wootton sophomore Kristina Li who remained undefeated in the 100 backstroke, winning in 58.06, and Churchill’s Harrison Gu, who won the 100 breaststroke in 59.92. Gu also won the 200 IM in 1:56.03. Patrick Scordato placed first in the 100 butterfly in 52.44. Gould won girls 100 breaststroke in 1:07.65.

* Swimmers have signed their National Letters of Intent to swim next season for the respective university’s program.

Defending state champion Carl Buergler (Washington-Lee) took first on Wednesday night with a score of 491.40. Cory Bowersox (Robinson) was second with 472.00, followed by Joe LeBerre (Oakton) with 461.40. Taking fourth through sixth, Woodson got a boost from Ben Schiesl, Eric Pavord, and Matt Hubbard heading into swimming prelims.

For the girls, Thomas Jefferson‘s Emily Saitta took first (286.85) over Marshall‘s Katherine Van Winkle (263.65). Hayfield teammates Anise Muir (253.20) and Haley Adducci (245.60) were third and fourth.

Swimming prelims begin Thursday night for the girls and Friday night for the boys, with combined finals on Saturday, Feb. 4, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Also in Virginia, the AAA Cedar Run District championship will take place at the George Mason – Freedom Aquatic Center in Manassas. Patriot High School, in its inaugural season, will face off with Battlefield, Freedom-South Riding, and Broad Run for the district title. They will see Cardinal District champion, Osbourn Park the following week at the AAA Northwest Region championship meet.

In Maryland, Montgomery County high schools will hold their division championship meets. Divers will be up bright and early, with diving beginning at 7:30 a.m. Swimming starts at 9:30 a.m. For the county’s top squads, this weekend will be a warm-up for their showdown with the WMPSDDL schools, Feb. 8-10, at the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving championships. Also in action, Anne Arundel County championship meet will be on Friday at the Arundel Olympic Swim Center, starting at 3:00 p.m.

WMPSSDL schools will be in the water on Saturday at their league’s championship, with morning prelims (7 a.m.), followed by evening finals (5:30 p.m.), held at Takoma Park.

Swimmers to watch this weekend:

At WMPSDDL’s, check out Good Counsel’s unstoppable pair, Sarah Haase and Jack Conger, last year’s All-met Swimmers of the Year. Haase will have competition this year for the meet’s best female swimmer however, as Stone Ridge freshman Katie Ledecky will be competing in her first prep league championship. Also keep your eye on Gonzaga’s Sean Sullivan, hot off a big team win at National Catholics, where he was the meet’s high point scorer.

In the Northern Region, Cyrus Hashemi (Marshall) seems to be unmatched in the freestyle events, he’ll swim the 100 and 200 free, with his sites set on Bradley Phillips’ 200 freestyle record. Stephen and Andrew Seliskar are also hoping to have big meets for Jefferson individually and in the relays. For the girls, Janet Hu continues to be the one to watch at every area meet she participates. She’ll face stiff competition in the 100 freestyle, however, in one of the fastest fields in years. Top five could all be under 52 seconds.

Montgomery County’s best will square off in the Division I championship. Wootton’s Kristina Li and Churchill’s Austin Cole hope to continue the success from the regular season into the first championship meet. They will have to race again next week at Metros, as well as further down the road at Maryland states.

Out in Prince William County, Battlefield star Ford Whitticar is ready to roll in the freestyle events. The competition will only get exponentially harder after this weekend. Nina Tremols, Natalie Martin, Holly Criscuolo, and Sophia Revilak also hope to impress for the Bobcats. They have their sites on the girls 200 medley relay title at states this year.

Round-up: Jan. 24 through Feb. 1

Gonzaga wins National Catholic High School Championship; Josh Klotz named Coach of the Meet

Led by the meet’s high point winner, Sean Sullivan, Gonzaga took down four-time defending champions Loyola Blakefield (Towson, Md.), to win this year’s National Catholic High School Championship swimming meet, 465-434. Georgetown Prep was third with a score of 254.

First-year Gonzaga coach, Josh Klotz, was named Coach of the Meet.

Sullivan was untouchable in the sprint events, beating out all four of Loyola Blakefield’s sprinters to win the 50 freestyle in 21.04. Loyola Blakefield would take second through fifth place behind him, led by James Cameron (21.97). Teammate Tim Barry was sixth (22.76).

Barry would win the boys 100 backstroke (53.35) later in the meet. O’Connell’s Conor Chamness (55.69), Georgetown Prep’s Andrew Gibson (55.74), and Gonzaga’s John Rozier (55.99) went 4-5-6 in the top heat.

Sullivan would follow up the earlier performance with a win in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.39, again over Loyola Blakefield senior Cameron who trailed by just .65 seconds. Gonzaga swimmer Madison Hardimon and Chamness would come in third (48.45) and sixth (49.83), respectively.

Sullivan would cap off his impressive individual races by anchoring the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:27.19), alongside Paul O’Hara, Barry, and Hardimon. Connor McGarvey, JP Clancy, Trey Perry, and Alex Bennett from Loyola Blakefield would finish in second in 1:29.12. Georgetown Prep would finish fourth (1:30.63); Bishop Ireton fifth (1:32.15).

Gonzaga out shined everyone at finals on Saturday, right from the beginning. An all senior relay won the boys 200 medley relay in 1:38.12 to start the meet off right for Gonzaga. The team of Barry, Sean Spata, Nick Brooks, and Patrick Reyes would beat out Loyola Blakefield’s relay (Thomas Brennan, Kendrick MacDonald, Clancy, and Cameron), who finished in 1:39.00. O’Connell finished third in 1:39.20; Georgetown Prep fifth (1:41.60).

They would use the momentum from the relay to score a second through fourth sweep in the boys’ 200 freestyle. Andrew Valentine finished second in 1:46.33, quickly followed by Madison Hardimon in 1:46.49. Billy Cowden was fourth (1:48.03).

O’Hara placed second in the 200 IM in 1:57.83. Spata was sixth in 2:06.03, just behind Georgetown Prep’s Carl St. John (1:59.82). Prep freshman Grant Goddard placed first in the boys 100 butterfly, winning the event in 52.38.

It was a tight race between first through fifth in the boys 500 freestyle. Valentine led the way for area swimmers, taking second in 4:48.00. Prep’s Joey Snodderly touched just behind in 4:48.19. Gonzaga’s Brennnan Novak was fifth in 4:50.52.

To end the meet, Carsten Vissering (Georgetown Prep) won the boys 100 breaststroke in 59.52. Don Tucker (O’Connell) was fourth in 1:01.09; fifth was O’Hara in 1:01.39; sixth was Spata in 1:01.82.

For the girls, Emma Merrill (Paul VI) placed third in the girls’ 100 butterfly (59.63) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:12.28). Kara Osborne would place fifth behind her in 1:02.73. Senior Morgan Whyte (St. John’s) took a close second in the girls 50 freestyle (24.66). Later, she would drop to fourth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 55.70, less than one second behind first place. Holy Cross senior Ashleigh Ferguson placed second in the girls 100 backstroke (1:00.31). Maddie Zeigler (Bishop Ireton) was fourth (1:02.62). Sarah Cahill (O’Connell) finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:10.70. Elena Marsili (O’Connell) finished third in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:11.29. Kelly Palmer (Bishop Ireton) was sixth (5:26.05).

Complete results can be found here.

Osbourn Park repeats as AAA Cardinal District Champions

There are wins that are lopsided and then wins that are lopsided. Osbourn Park‘s performance Saturday night at the Chinn Aquatic was definitely the latter.

The Yellow Jacket boys won all three relays on their way to racking up 221.5 points, including several first through third sweeps, doubling up runner-up Woodbridge Senior in points.

The girls’ team had a tougher fight after finishing second in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. They would win the final relay of the night to seal a 192.5 to 116 over the Vikings and the rest of the AAA Cardinal Districts [Complete scores and times available here].

After swimming on the same relay in the opening 200 medley, Gregory Stoffa and Peter Lord battled it out, just three events later,  in the boy’ 200 individual medley. Stoffa would get the win over Lord, just out-touching his teammate 1:58.46 to 1:58.81.

Stoffa would later win the 500 freestyle in commanding fashion, with a time of 4:39.05. Lord would get an individual title in the 100 backstroke (53.84), blowing away teammates Cameron Young (56.38) and Kenny Parker (57.01). Parker also finished third behind fellow Yellow Jacket Samuel Stronko in the 500 freestyle.

Osbourn Park’s boys could not be slowed from the get-go. In the first individual event, the boys’ 200 freestyle, they swept first through fourth. Stronko finished first in 1:46.60, quickly followed by Joseph Worrick in 1:47.43.

Anthony Shields soared to a first place finish in the 100 butterfly (56.55). Forest Park’s Jordan Kiernan was second in 58.03.

Kiernan’s teammate Jordan Murrin was the big winner in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.42) over the Osbourn Park duo, Kenneth Poague (1:07.54) and Sean Rouffa (1:08.46).

Woodbridge shined in the boys’ sprint freestyle events, where Harrison Sweeney swept both the 50 free (23.19) and 100 freestyle (50.55). Teammate Joseph Handy finished second in the 50 freestyle in 23.34. Hylton’s Shaka Kuykendall was second in the 100 freestyle in 51.50.

On the girls’ side of the meet, Osbourn Park girls picked up where the boys left off, taking huge points with top five finishes in nearly every event.

A first through third sweep came in the girls 200 freestyle from Emma Skelley (1:55.41), Audrey Kula (1:58.19) and Jillian Stevens (2:00.89), as well as a first through fourth sweep in the 100 butterfly kicked off by Kula, who finished with a winning time of 59.80. Skelly and Stevens would go 1-2 in the 500 freestyle, finishing in 5:07.02 and 5:16.01, respectively.

Despite the depth of the Osbourn Park ladies, the rest of the district did a better job keeping them off the podium than they did the Yellow Jacket boys.

In the girls 200 IM, Gar-Field swimmer Kelly Henry was able to break up an Osbourn Park sweep, taking second in 2:11.75 behind Courtney Mizerak (2:11.12).

Taylor Vincent (Woodbridge) impressed in the 50 freestyle, winning easily in 24.52, as did teammate Victoria Coughlin in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.95.

Woodbridge was not done reaching the top-spot that night, as Emily Kelly and Courtney Laird each took first in the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke, respectively. Kelly won the breaststroke event in 1:01.33, just ahead of Osbourn Park’s Ashley Clark (1:01.67). Laird pulled away from a trio of Yellow Jackets to win in 1:07.72.

The top performers for Woodbridge were able to secure two relay wins for the Vikings in the 200 medley (1:50.44) and 200 freestyle (1:39.86) relays. Taylor, Kelly, Madison West, and Victoria Coughlin combined for the win in the 200 freestyle relay, beating out an Osbourn Park’s team that set a new team record in 1:40.91. Clark, Natalie Tabor, Mizerak, and Christine Souther broke the record for the Yellow Jackets.

The third try would be the charm for Osbourn Park, however, who won the final relay of the night. The team of Clark, Kula, Tabor, and Skelly finished first in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:48.52 over Woodbridge (3:52.19).

Despite the great performances by the Viking ladies, it was not enough to compete with the depth the Yellow Jackets were able to bring to the meet.t

They will meet again in two weeks at the AAA Northwest Regional Championship meet at the GMU-Freedom Aquatic Center in Manassas.

Potomac Falls wins AA Dulles District

The departure of last year’s boys’ champion Broad Run, and girls’ and boys’ runner-up Freedom, did n0t slow down the AA Dulles District one bit. Five district records went down on Friday night at Claude Moore Rec Center in Sterling, including one by the boys district champions, Potomac Falls.

The Panthers team of Gavin Saunders, Sean Hurrell, Riley Jamison, and William Lin broke the record in the 400 freestyle relay with a  new time of 3:25.84. The record was set just last year by Broad Run, now in the AAA Cedar Run District.

Lin would lead Potomac Falls scorers with standout performances in the 200 IM (1:59.94) and 500 freestyle (4:55.52).

The record was just icing on the cake for Potomac Falls who finished with a team score of 433.5 points in the boys’ meet.

The girls team slipped by defending champions, Briar Woods, to win 349.5 to 343 [Complete results available here].

They were led by Kiri Harvey, winner in the girls 200 freestyle (1:57.23) and 100 backstroke (1:02.11). Kiri would also anchor the winning 200 medley relay, with Karen Hood, Ariana Staffen, and Carson Newton, finishing in 1:55.42.

Heritage High School’s Kaleigh Rosenburgh set a new girls 200 IM record with a new time of 2:10.49. She would later break shatter the girls 100 breaststroke record by 1.5 seconds, in a new time of 1:06.30.

Kaleigh Rosenburg swimming to a new district record in the girls 200 IM (photo provided by Gemma Rosenburg)

Not to be left out, Dominion teammates, Ashley Brock, Maura Mazurowski, Casey Tinius, and Rachel Williams from Dominion, broke the girls 200 freestyle relay record with a new time of 1:43.04.

Their teammate, Aidan O’Hara, got in on the action by setting a new record in the boys 100 backstroke record with a time of 54.33, breaking the previous record by .8 seconds. O’Hara also won the 200 free in 1:48.78.

Other winning performances came from Eoghan Foley (Potomac Falls) in the 50 freestyle, Sophie Newton (Loudoun County) in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and Briar Woods teammates, Eric Guessford in the boys 100 free, Erica Comm in the girls 100 free, and Lizzie Mittan in the 500 free.

Bulldogs finish dual meets at top of Division I

*excerpts from Churchill Swim & Dive summary

Click here for complete results.

Everyone was greatly anticipating the meet between the Lady Bulldogs (4-1) and the undefeated Wootton Patriots. They had to wait a long two weeks thanks to the ice storm.

Two years ago the Patriots and Bulldogs unfortunately were not able to make up their  meet that was cancelled due to snow.  This year everyone was excited that the two powerhouses would get to race and dive against each other at the Germantown Aquatic Center. 

On the boys’ side, the Churchill boys class of 2012 had not lost a dual meet in their four years. They kept the streak alive, as they finished their career undefeated, beating the Patriots 97-72.

The Bulldog girls had not lost an event since 2011, but they were not able to keep that streak going against a very fast Patriots team.

In the end, the Bulldogs won 87-84. At 4-1 both the Bulldogs and Patriots are at the top of Division I, with powerhouse Whitman just one victory behind. They will all meet again at the Division I Championship meet next week, Feb. 4, at Germantown Indoor. Diving begins at 7:30 a.m.; swimming at 9:30 a.m.

In the opening event, the Patriots demonstrated just how good they are. The Patriots’ team of Kristina Li, Jessica Chen, Scarlett Sun, and Emily Zheng went a blistering 1:49.53 to beat a stacked Bulldog team (1:52.25).

The Patriots then won the first two individual events. Li dominated the girls 200 freestyle in 1:54.75. She was followed by Sun, who led the way in the 200 IM (2:13.93). The Bulldogs kept the meet close by going 2-3 in both events. Li would win convincingly in the 100 backstroke, as well, with a time of 58.39.

Natalya Ares got the Bulldogs first win in the final event before the break for diving. She beat Wootton’s Chen, 24.47 to 24.88. Teammate Michelle Illig finished third in 25.18. 

Going into diving, the Bulldogs were down 35-29. Kali Becker and Mashal Hashem went 1-2 in the diving, and the Bulldogs closed the gap to just one point.

In the first event of the second half, Natalya Ares won her second event of the meet, winning the event in 58.56 over Sun (1:00.31). Emily Andrews and Laurie Wei would take third and fourth to put the Bulldogs up by five. 

Natalya was the only Bulldog swimmer to win an event. The Patriots won the final four individual events.

Zhang would win the 100 freestyle (53.57), just out-touching Churchill’s Alicia Tiberino (53.77). Zhang would get her second win of the day in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.12) ahead of teammate Chen (1:09.51).

Leah Hubert placed first in the 500 freestyle with a winning time of 5:15.47 for the Patriots. Hot on her heels were the Bulldog’s duo of Elaina Gu (5:16.47) and Bridget Dromerick (5:17.03).

Even though they won only two swimming races, the Bulldogs were down by just 3 points going to the 400 freestyle relay, thanks to the team’s great diving and incredible depth.

That depth proved too much for the Patriots in the final relay. Dromerick, Emily Andrews, Gu and Illig won big, with a time of 3:42.20.

In the boys’ meet, the Patriots showed themselves be a formidable foe in the opening event. Against every other Division I opponent, the Bulldogs had gone 1-2 in the 200 medley relay.

However, the Wootton team of Daniel Yook, Austin Dickey, Kenneth Ke, and Michael Fu got the win for the Patriots, with a time of 1:40.10. The deep Bulldogs nonetheless went 2-3.

Wootton’s Kevin Fu took first in the 200 freestyle in 1:48.78. Christopher Wysocki fell to second, despite a season best 1:49.81.

Harrison Gu managed the only win for the Bulldogs in the first half, taking the 200 IM in 2:00.97.

Michael Fu continued to shine for the Patriots in the sprint events, winning the 50 freestyle in 22.03.

At the end of the first half, Wootton was up 34 to 30. Like the  Churchill girls, the Bulldog had kept the meet close with their depth.

Tim Faerber  and Ryan Coran went 1-3 in the diving, and the Bulldogs were able to take the lead.

In the first event of the second half, Eric Eig (54.94), Kevin Gu (55.69), and Andy Rosenthal (56.47) went  1,3,4 in the butterfly to outscore the Patriots 11-5. Sawyer Hazel was able to break up the sweep, taking second in 55.35 for the Patriots.

In the second half, Churchill’s ace, Austin Cole was brilliant. He won both his individual events and anchored the winning 400 freestyle relay for the Bulldogs to secure the win.

Cole beat M. Fu in the 100 freestyle, 48.75 to 49.35. He would later win the 100 backstroke in 55.14. Teammate Sammy Lee took second in 55.51. Yook fell to third with a time of 56.09.

After falling behind early, Wysocki was able to swim himself back into the race in the 500 freestyle to steal it from Wootton’s Nikos Tragotsis, just out-touching him by .2 seconds, 5:00.24 to 5:00.44.

Dickey gutted out a win in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.37), beating Harrison Gu by just .07 seconds.

The Bulldogs finished their dual meet season by winning the 400 freestyle relay. Joey Bieda, Colin Asbury, Chris Wysocki and Austin Cole combined for the win in 3:22.10.

Gaithersburg drops close meet to Rockville girls, 87-85; boys lose 99-67

The meet started with first place finishes from both the boys’ and girls’ medley relay teams. The boys’ team finished a bit over six seconds faster than 2nd place Rockville with team members: Tyler Pham, Kieran Mahoney, Jacob Ado, and Adam Foreman. The girls’ relay team finished a bit over 10 seconds faster than 2nd place Rockville with relay team members were: Madison Williams, Melissa Brown, Nicole Polen, and Victoria Zemil. The Gaithersburg team took several firsts and swept one event. Tyler Phamtook first in the 200 Free and 500 Free. Ellen Anderson took first in the 100 Fly and 500 Free. Victoria Zemil took first in the 50 free and 100 free. Jacob Ado took first in the 100 Free. Melissa Brown took first in the 100 Breast. Gaithersburg girls swept the 100 fly with Ellen Anderson, Nicole Polen, and Melanie Lyons.

Ellen Anderson broke her older record in the 100 fly with a new time of 1:01.12.

Cavaliers charge into regionals with Patriot District win

Led by the strength of its upper class, Woodson girls’ (7-0) rebounded from a third place finish last year, to win the 2012 AAA Patriot District Championship. They beat West Springfield 414 to 353. Woodson boys would not be denied a third championship in a row, winning 525 to 476 over the Spartans. Lake Braddock finished third in both meets. [Click here to continue reading...]

Oakton boys reclaim Concorde District title; girls repeat

Oakton’s girls repeated as Concorde District champions on Saturday night, Jan. 28, at Cub Run RECenter. Led by sophomore Janet Hu, Oakton’s girls did not let runner-up Chantilly get even close, winning 483 to 371.5. The Cougar boys were even more dominant, racking up 506 points over the Chargers [Click here to continue reading...]

Yorktown girls’ dominate, W-L boys’ repeat as National District champions

The Patriot ladies (7-0) won their 19th consecutive National District championship by nearly 300 points, over second-place Washington-Lee. In a much closer decision, Washington-Lee’s boys’ team was able to beat Yorktown to repeat as district champions, winning 404 to 399. [Click here to continue reading...]

Langley, Madison repeat as Liberty District champions

Langley girls and Madison boys’ again claimed the district title, Madison for the third year in a row. The Saxon ladies racked up 407 points, while the Madison points crushed with a whopping 490 points. [Click here to continue reading...]

Other meet results:

1/24 – Maret girls and boys lose to National Cathedral (128-39) and St. Alban’s (126-9) [Click here complete results]

1/25 – Georgetown Prep beat St. Alaban’s 102-68 [Complete results available here]; Holy Cross wins over National Cathedral, 96-70 [Complete results available here]

1/27 – Holton-Arms wins ISL Championship

1/28 – Magruder, Damascus split meet. Damascus boys win 105-66; Magruder girls win by same score. Samuel Trible and Nicholas Mannella duked it out in the boys 100 butterfly in the race of the night [Complete results available here]

2/1 – Georgetown Prep wins IAC Championship

(Bryan Flaherty/The Washington Post)

“Churchill is loaded. We’ll need to swim a perfect meet if we want to beat them,” said Wootton coach Howard Blume. “When you’re the underdogs, you can’t have any slip ups.”

Wootton’s girls will not shy from the challenge however. Last week they pounced on Whitman, who were missing their two star swimmers, Charlotte Meyer and Reia Tong, winning 113-58. Early in the season, Whitman dealt Churchill their only loss, winning by one point, 86-85.

Wootton is led by sophomores Jessica Chen and Kristina Li, who have been on a tear so far this season. Chen has dominated the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke in every meet this year, as has Li in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Countering Wootton in the freestyle events will be key for Churchill. That job will likely fall to sophomore sprinter Alicia Tiberino and freshman Elaina Gu.

Churchill junior Natalya Ares takes off in the backstroke. (By Deb Lindsey/The Washington Post)

Likewise, senior Natalya Ares must be on point for the Bulldogs. At her best, the first team All-Met swimmer can win nearly any event in which she is entered. She’s shown herself to be in another class this season in the 100 butterfly, but needs to swim well in whatever event coach Brendan Roddy places her, especially if it’s opposite Chen or Li.

What could tip the balance in Churchill’s favor are their divers, Kali Becker and Jacquelyn Stanton, who are tops in the county, and will be in the mix for top scores at states this year, Montgomery County’s first year participating in the Maryland championship meet.

If Wootton has a shot to win, they will have to come up big in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, events Churchill’s depth gives them the advantage in.

Each team earns one point towards the Division Championship for every dual meet win, additional points in decreasing values available based on where they finish in Division I Championship meet, Feb 4. If Wootton’s girls fall short this weekend, they’ll be tied with Churchill heading into the championship meet, where the Division Champion would be determined based on where they finish that weekend.

Woodson, Yorktown, and Oakton are undefeated on both girls’ and boys’ sides in the Northern Region with one meet to go. Churchill, Wootton, Walter Johnson, and Whitman are battling it out in the MCPS’ top division, and are looking ahead to their first Maryland states appearances.

Click to find full meet results and top times from the 2011-2012 high school season. If you would like your team’s meet to be featured, remind your coaches to send in meet summaries and results, or submit highlights yourself, so we can include them in this week’s high school wrap-up.

Featured Meet of the Week: Woodson tops West Springfield to advance to 6-0

In a clash between two of the region’s top-tier teams, Woodson and West Springfield both entered the district meet with 5-0 records. Woodson left 6-0, and with a clear path to the Patriot District championship. [Click here to keep reading]

Clarksburg boys keep three-year winning streak alive; Watkins Mill girls win

Clarksburg boy’s haven’t lost a meet since the 2008-2009 season, but with a season ending injury to the Coyotes’ star junior, Andrew Qian, it looked like Watkins Mill had a shot to steal the win this week.

But despite three disqualifications, Clarksburg managed to beat the Wolverines boys by one point, 85-84. Watkins Mill’s girls’ team won 94-73.

Key swims came from Michael Le who won the 100 breaststroke and Josh Kiehl in the 50 freestyle. Jared White also performed well, winning both the 200 and 500 freestyle events for Clarksburg.

It was a team effort for the Watkins Mill girls’ team, who picked up the majority of the seconds, thirds, and fourths. Kelly Lewis was the only double winner for the Wolverine ladies, winning the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke events.

Clarksburg’s girls were led by Carly Alvarado, who won the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Patriots topple Edison

*excerpts taken from Yorktown team page

The Yorktown swim and dive teams traveled to South Run Recreation Center on Friday, January 13th for a swim meet with Edison. The Patriots emerged as the winner in both the boys’ and girls’ meets, to advance to 6-0 on the season.

The boys won 215-99, with first place wins in every event, while the girls won their meet 222-82, winning 11 of 12 events.

Will Tarkenton was a double winner with first place finishes in the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle events. For the girls, Ellie Belilos won the 200 and 100 freestyle, and Amanda Didawick won the 50 freestyle and100 backstroke.

Yorktown won each of the three relay events on the boys’ and girls’ sides.

The Patriots conclude the dual meet season next weekend against Arlington rival Washington-Lee, at the newly built Yorktown Pool. The meet begins at 6:30 p.m.

Other individual winners were Jason Henley (200 free), Evan Kopca (200 IM), David Emson (50 free), Hunter Simmons (diving), Max Fish (100 free), Timothy Aldinger (100 back), and Jack Storrs (100 breast) for the boys team, and Abby Young (200 IM), Kirby Nassetta (diving), Grace Greenwood (500 free), and Rachel Robertson (100 breast).

Wootton wins big over divisional opponent Whitman

Wootton’s boys rebounded from last week’s loss to Walter Johnson, winning 116-53 against Whitman. The Patriot girls continued to build momentum, winning 113-58, heading into next week’s showdown with Churchill.

Kevin Fu was big for the Patriots, winning two close races in the 100 freestyle (50.35) and 200 freestyle (1:52.44). Nick Tragotsis and Michael Fu were also double winners for Wootton. Tragotsis won the 200 IM (2:02.46) and 500 freestyle (5:01.80), as Michael Fu continued impressed, winning the 50 freestyle (22.73) and 100 butterfly (55.35).

Kristina Li and Jessica Chen led the way for Wootton’s girls’ team. Li put together wins in the 100 freestyle (54.01) and 100 backstroke (58.11), both in season best times.

Likewise, Chen captured the first-place points for Wootton in the 50 freestyle (24.89) and 100 breaststroke (1:08.64), where she beat out Audrey Gould (1:09.84). Gould won the 200 IM for the Vikings in 2:13.72.

The bright spot for Whitman were it’s divers, who swept the boys’ and girls’ events.

For complete results, click here.

Falls Church crushes Hayfield, surges heading into rivalry meet against Stuart

Falls Church (4-2) rolled, Friday night, against Hayfield (1-5). The boys’ team won 196-119, as the girls assembled a commanding triple digit lead over the Hawks, 229-68.

Falls Church’s star junior, Laura Schwartz made it look easy, finishing well ahead of everyone in the 200 freestyle (2:00.67) and 100 backstroke (1:03.93).

Freshman Ben Lambert did everything he could for the Hawks against the Jaguars deep boys’ team. Lampert won took first in the 100 freestyle (50.58) and 50 freestyle (22.91).

Falls Church is looking strong heading into their final dual meet of the season against rival JEB Stuart. They will meet Friday, Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m., at Providence RECenter.

Hayfield hopes to get its second win of the season against a struggling Mount Vernon squad, Friday, 6:30 p.m., at GW RECenter.

Churchill handles division one newcomer Blair

*excerpts taken from Churchill team page

On Saturday, the Churchill Bulldogs faced off against division one newcomer, Blair Blazers. For the fourth meet in a row, the boys started the meet by taking first and second in the opening 200 medley relay.

In the first individual event, the 200 freestyle, Joey Bieda, Chris Wysocki and Colin Asbury swept. The boys’ team (4-0) were well on their way to defeating the Blazers 122.5 to 48.5. Harrison Gu (200 IM) and Austin Cole (50 free) won the remaining events of the first half. Tim Faerber returned this week to win diving.

The break did not slow down the swimmers. Eric Eig, Andy Rosenthal and Eric Shiang kept the wins coming by sweeping the 100 butterfly. Then, Cole (100 free) and Gu (100 breast) won their second events of the meet. In the end, the boys won eight out of the nine individual events.

Jack Foster was the lone winner for the Blazers. He took first in the 500 freestyle, and a close second in the 200 IM.

Like last week, the Bulldogs’ “A” relay faced a battle in the 400 freestyle relay, and again, Cole anchored the relay to guarantee victory. This week he was joined by Asbury, Bieda and Wysocki. They were challenged by the Bulldogs “B” relay of Eig, Rosenthal, Steve Ge and Odin Soevik, who came in second.

The girls have not lost a race since December 17, 2011, and nothing would change this week. Against the Blazers, the girls (3-1) won every single individual and relay race on their way to a 127-44 victory.

Shannon Ridge, Elizabeth Gelbaugh, Elaina Gu and Michelle Illig won the opening 200 medley relay.

Natalya Ares followed the relay victory by winning the 200 free. She would also win the 100 butterfly. The girls then swept the next five events.

Gu was a double winner in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle, along with Alicia Tiberino, who won the 50 and 100 freestyle events.

In the last individual event, the girls swept the 100 breaststroke for their sixth sweep of the meet.

For complete results, click here.

Battlefield beats Osbourn, remains undefeated

Battlefield’s girls didn’t lose an event in the lopsided, 196-90 win over Osbourn. The boys’ team handled Osbourn, 181-108, to remain undefeated in the Cedar Run District.

Seniors Ford Whitticar and Jacob Croasdell shined for the Bobcats. Whitticar placed first in the 200 freestyle (1:52.92) and 100 butterfly (54.55), while Croasdell held off the field in the 100 freestyle (50.99) and 100 backstroke (58.43).

For the girls, Sofia Revilak won the 200 freestyle (2:02.90) and 100 freestyle (56.29) for Battlefield, and teammate Nina Tremols was a double winner in the 100 butterfly (1:01.81) and 100 backstroke (1:0361).

Henry Campbell and Adam Mustafa both had excellent swims for the Eagles, each with an individual win and a close second place finish apiece. Campbell won the 500 freestyle in 4:54.19. Mustafa cruised in the 200 IM in 2:05.53. Both won by commanding leads.

Battlefield meets Patriot High School next Friday, 7:30 p.m., at the Freedom Aquatic Center in Manassas. Both teams are undefeated this season.

For complete results, click here.

Gaithersburg rolls Kennedy

Gaithersburg presented their coach with a clear victory for both the boys’ and girls’ squad in the meet versus Kennedy High School, winning 102-60 (boys) and 100-60 (girls).

Gaithersburg’s boys were able to capitalize on sweeps by the boys in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. The boys won nine of 11 events, while the girls took ten of 11.

The meet began and ended with first place finishes by Gaithersburg’s boys’ and girls’ 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Double winners for the Spartans were Amelia Robinson, who won the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle, and Nicole Polen, who won the 200 IM and 100 butterfly. (

Tyler Pham won the 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly for Gaithersburg.

For complete results, here.

Oakton Sweeps Robinson for a 6-0 Season

*excerpts taken from Oakton’s teampage

Oakton High School’s varsity swim and dive teams went head to head with Robinson Secondary for the second time this season, Friday night, at Cub Run Recreation Center. Oakton’s boys and girls had a strong meet, remaining undefeated. The boys won 202-113, and the girls won 192-123.

The meet started off with Senior Recognition Night. Dr. Banbury, Oakton High School’s principal, and Pat Full, Oakton’s Athletic Directory, were on deck to pay tribute to the team’s 20 graduating seniors.

Cheryl Meltz, head dive coach, shared her thoughts on the night, “We got to pay tribute to our 20 wonderful senior swimmers and divers who have done so much for our team over the last four years. We will definitely miss their contributions to the team after they graduate. We are excited to have both our boys and girls’ teams undefeated going into our last dual meet. We are hoping to finish up the season undefeated in our last dual meet next weekend and then look forward to an amazing championship season.”

Philip Hu placed first in both the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. Carter Sharer also took first in two events, winning the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly. Conor Murphy finished first in the 100 backstroke and second in the 50 freestyle.

Janet Hu finished first in the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle. Julia Capobianco placed first in 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.

Oakton will return to the pool for the last meet of the regular season at 8:30 pm on Friday, January 20, against Robinson Secondary at Audrey Moore.

Other results:

Walter Johnson’s boys keep on rolling, win 107-64 over B-CC; girls bounce back, 109-62 [complete results here]

Jefferson ladies ready to unseat Langley after win over Fairfax, 190-125; boys win 211-103 over the Rebels

Poolesville wins 110-61 (girls); 99.5-71.5 (boys) [complete results here]

Loudoun County wins 168-117, 157-124 over Woodgrove’s girls’ and boys’ teams [complete results here]

Wootton girls roll; WJHS boys sneak by despite missing key swimmers

Wootton girls were dominant against the Wildcats on Saturday, but the boys team squandered and opportunity against a depleted Walter Johnson boys’ team. [read more here]

Churchill sweeps B-CC

Churchill looked like the paramount team we’ve come to expect, commanding the meet from start to finish. B-CC showed it has some talent, but it lacks the depth to compete for a divisional title against teams like Churchill and Whitman. [read more here]

Woodson remains undefeated; beats TC Williams

*provided by Woodson Swim & Dive

Despite the long layoff over winter break, Woodson was able to rattle off 34 season’s best times to win 224-91 (boys), 213-99 (girls) over TC Williams.

The Cavalier boys and girls swept diving (1,2,3,4) with Eric Pavord and Samantha Eldridge each taking first. More than half of the divers recording season high scores.

James Chung (Woodson) recorded his first individual region time of the season in the boys’ 200 IM in 2 minutes 3.77 seconds.

Gloriya Mavrova won the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke for the Titans.

Leah Rogers (Woodson) easily eclipsed the region qualifying time in girls’ 200 IM (2:13.55), cutting nearly 2 seconds from her personal best.

Titans’ captain, senior Abby Cox scored a regional cut in the 200 IM (2:13.04), winning the event.

One of the standout performances of the night came form Katie McGraw (Woodson), who crushed her personal best time, dropping five seconds, in the girls’ 200 freestyle, and chopped 15 seconds off her previous best in the 500 freestyle for second place, behind Cox, a two-time state qualifier in the event.

Lawrence Lincoln (TC Williams) tied for first in the 50 free style and anchored the winning boys’ 400 freestyle relay.

Despite the dominance by Woodson, the meet ended with excitement. The last event of the night, the girls’ 400 free relay, was decided by .01, with TC edging out the Cavs. The team of A. Cox, Charlotte Sackett, Colleen Cox, and Mavrova set a team new record.

Next week will match the Woodson boys and girls (5-0) against the West Springfield Spartans (5-0, 5-0) in a meet that may very well determine the regular season titles for both.

Patriot beats Broad Run

*provided by Broad Run Swimming

In a meet filled with tight finishes, Patriot High School defeated the Broad Run boys’ and girls’ swim teams in Saturday’s Cedar Run District meet. The Patriot boys won 163-123, while the girls won 166-120.

The night started off well for the Patriot boys, winning the opening 200 medley relay in 1:44.73, with excellent swims by the young team of Marcus Quint, Andrew Proper, Thomas Scot, and Gavin Graham.

Proper was a double winner in the 200 freestyle (1:51.89) and 500 freestyle (5:07.18).

Broad Run seniors Alan Horback and Jacob Leidy each won two individual events with Northwest Regional qualifying times.

In the closest race of the night, Horback edged out Patriot’s Quint in the 100 free, 50.32 to 50.34. Horback also won the 50 free in 22.96.

Leidy’s victories came in the 200 IM (2:01.46) and 100 breaststroke (1:05.18).

Sophomore Jack Morrisroe (Broad Run) also took first in the 100 back stroke (59.58) and second in the 100 butterfly (57.42).

Horback, Leidy and Morrisroe teamed with Michael Kopecky for a win in the 200 freestyle relay in a season-best time of 1:34.28.

Junior Caroline Ruttenberg led the Broad Run girls with two individual first places and two exciting finishes.

Broad Run's Caroline Ruttenberg (top) and Patriot's Samantha Baird go stroke for stroke in the final leg of the 200 IM, which Ruttenberg won 2:20.28 to 2:20.47. (photo provided by Marianne Thiede)

In the 200 IM, Ruttenberg and Patriot’s Samantha Baird went stroke for stroke in the freestyle leg, with Ruttenberg winning 2:20.28 to Baird’s 2:20.47.

After taking first in the 100 breaststroke (1:15.31), Ruttenberg nearly pulled off a come-from-behind win, as she anchored the 400 free relay, but Patriot was able to hang on, 4:05.25 to 4:05.31.

Also a double winner, Sydney Thorpe (Patriot) won the 200 freestyle (2:07.96) and 500 freestyle (5:30.60).

Freshman Emily Adams (Broad Run) notched her first individual win for the season as she out-touched fellow freshman, Baird, in the 100 back, 1:05.46 to 1:05.84.

Patriot junior Hannah Romine took first in the 50 freestyle in 27.65, and teammate Caroline Rector took first in the 100 freestyle in 1:02.15.

Adams, Ruttenberg and Anna Sarman teamed with Brooke Graham to win the 200 medley relay (2:03.44), while Sarman and Graham teamed with Gina Pappagallo and Megan Thiede for the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:54.40). Sarman was also an individual winner in the 100 fly (1:06.81).

The Spartans have a double-header this weekend, facing Stonewall Jackson on Friday and Osbourn on Saturday at the Freedom Center in Manassas.

Yorktown sweeps Wakefield in lopsided wins

*provided by Yorktown Swim & Dive

The Yorktown Swim and Dive team headed to the Wakefield pool on Friday, January 6th for a swim meet with Wakefield High School, emerging as the winner in both the boys’ and girls’ meets. Both teams are now 5-0 for the season.

The boys won their meet with a score of 131 – 51, with eleven first place wins in the twelve events.

First place finishes in individual events came from Jason Henley (200 freestyle), Will Tarkenton (50 freestyle), Chris Saulnier (diving), Max Fish (100 buttefly), Henry Love (100 freestyle), Crosby Sensibaugh (500 freestyle), David Emson (100 backstroke) and Peter House (100 breaststroke). The three relay teams also came through with first place finishes: 200 medley relay (Henley, Jack Storrs, Sean Coleman, Quinn Romanek); 200 freestyle relay (Emson, Fish, Eric Newton, Tarkenton) and 400 free relay (Shahan Jayasinghe, Love, Sensibaugh, Coleman).

The girls won their meet with a score of 147 – 21, also with first place finishes in every event. Mason Nassetta was a double winner in the 100 butterfly and diving events.  Other individual event winners were Greta Mosley (200 freestyle), Anastasia Gustafson (200 IM), Ellie Belilos (50 freestyle), Amanda Didawick (100 freestyle), Abby Young (500 freestyle), Rachel Robertson (100 backstroke ) and Katie Linek (100 breaststroke). The girls also won each of the relays:  200 medley relay (Didawick, Lauren Allard, Young and Mason Nassetta); 200 freestyle relay (Allard, Belilos, Gustafson, Stephanie Romano); and 400 freestyle relay (Allard, Grace Greenwood, Romano, Young).

Click here for Yorktown results.

The Patriots return to the pool next weekend with a meet against Edison at the South Run Pool.  The meet begins at 6:30 p.m.

Gaithersburg and Magruder boys tie; Trojan girls fall

*provided by Gaithersburg Swim & Dive

Gaithersburg started out strong against Magruder, with a first and third place finish in the boys’ medley relay. The first place boys’ team had a very close race and fought to the finish to in a time of 1:50.54, nearly five seconds faster than their best relay time this season.  The first place team members were: Tyler Pham, Kieran Mahoney, Jacob Ado, and Daniel Valencia.

Gaithersburg continued the meet with several first places, best times, and new team record.

Senior, Pham, broke his own record in the 100 breaststroke with a new time of 1:01.92 a 1.71 second improvement.

Tyler Pham wins the 100 breastroke against Magruder (photo provided by Maria Brunett)

First places were earned by Ado in the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle; Pham in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke; Ellen Anderson in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle; Valencia in the 50 freestyle; and Nicole Polen in the 100 buttefly.

Gaithersburg boys also took first place in the 200 freestyle relay.  The team members were: Chris Munoz, Adam Foreman, Brian Houk, and Valencia

For Gaithersburg’s results, click here.

Other headlines and results:

Wednesday, Jan. 4

Cathedral and St. Albans beat Bullis, 138-28 and 138-21. [click for full results]

Thursday, Jan. 5

Holton-Arms beats Georgetown Visitation, 122-64. [click for full results]

Gonzaga rolls over Landon, 125-61. [click for full results]

Friday, Jan. 6

Oakton boys pull off the win against the Chargers, 160-155; Cougar girls strong against powerhouse Chantilly, 177-135.

Westfield girls get past tough part of their schedule, beating Robinson 180-132; boys fall to Rams in a close one, 154-161.

West Springfield advances to 5-0, beating Lake Braddock 204-111 (boys), 176-139 (girls).

Langley girls win, 204-107; boys team falls to Madison, 118-197. [edited]

Stone Ridge gets past Holy Child, 105-78. [click for full results]

Loudoun County goes 2-0 in double-header meets on Saturday; beats Heritage, 164-122 (girls), 157-129 (boys) and Handley, 94-76 (girls), 97-73 (boys) [click for full results]

Northwood and Clarksburg split meet; Gladiator girls win, 97-68; Coyote boys win 89-72 [click here for full results]

Northwest boys win over Poolesville; girls team comes up short [click here for full results]

Seneca Valley wins big over Paint Branch [click here for full results]

Sherwood girls roll over Quince; Quince boys return favor [click here for full results]

Walter Johnson was expected to dominate, with perhaps the deepest and most talented group of freestylers in Montgomery County this year. But the Wildcats were missing standouts Fletcher Tollefson and Garrett Powell, and Wootton’s boys kept the meet close, trailing by only one point going into the final relay.

Start of the girls 100 butterfly; Wootton's Scarlett Sun (15) placed first, followed by teammate Allie Klatzkin (16). (Bryan Flaherty/The Washington Post)

But Walter Johnson was saved by brilliant swims by Barry Mangold (16), who won the 50 freestyle in 21.92 seconds and 100 freestyle in 47.82, before capping off the day by anchoring the 400 relay relay to a win to seal the victory for the Wildcats, 88-83.

Wootton’s girls were heavily favored heading into the meet and did not disappoint, winning nine of eleven events to win 113-58, including impressive swims by Kristina Li (15), who won the 100 freestyle (54.85) and 100 backstroke (58.91).

Wootton’s boys had built a body length lead during the first three legs of the relay, but Mangold erased that lead in the first 50 yards, pulling away in the second lap from Wootton’s Kevin Fu (16), winner of the 200 freestyle (1:51.46).

While Mangold’s leg was decisive, Jean-Marc Nugent (14) also gave a key performance as the third leg for Walter Johnson to keep it close, just minutes after taking second in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.63).

The boys 100 breaststroke was won by Austin Dickey (16) who set a new Wootton record with a time of 59.30.

Austin Dickey on his way to setting a new Wootton team record in the boys 100 breaststroke. (Bryan Flaherty/The Washington Post)

Other top performances were provided by Annie Kastler (16), who put up an impressive 196.80 to win the girls diving event for Walter Johnson, and Wootton’s Jessica Chen (15) who was a double winner in the 50 freestyle (25.11) and 100 breaststroke (1:08.27).

Come championship season, Walter Johnson’s boys will certainly be one to watch.

Full meet results available.

Madison versus Langley, Friday, 6:30 p.m., at Spring Hill RECenter

After graduating most of its district, regional, and state winning team, Langley will face off against district rival Madison.

“This meet has a lot of history,” Madison Coach Andrew Foos said. “We love to see each other each year and we love to beat each other.”

Langley’s teams are both 4-0, as are the Warhawk boys. Madison’s girls are 3-1, their only loss coming against Jefferson in the last meet before the three-week break.

Madison is led by freestyler Evan Owens and IM and breaststroke specialist Howe Wang. Both are juniors. The Warhawks girls’ team boasts one of the deepest freshmen classes in the region, including Sidney Owens, Cassidy Humphrey, and Laura Sullivan.

Langley is anchored by its superstars, Abi Speers, second in the 50 freestyle and third in the 100 freestyle at states, and Ryan Natal, last year’s state runner-up in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle, as well as their own crop of freshmen girls.

“This rivalry means a lot to the kids,” Langley Coach Ryan Jackson said. “Most of them are summer and club teammates. They want to beat each other.”

Robinson versus Westfield, Friday, 6:30 p.m., at Cub Run RECenter

In a heavyweight matchup between teams that have each won state championships within the last two years, this meet holds significance for both teams coming out of the mid-season break.

The boys’ matchup should be extremely close, most likely being won or lost in the relays. As always with these teams, depth will play a major factor and Robinson is expecting freshmen swimmers Martin Javelosa, Patrick Myers, and JP Boland to step up to the challenge, according to Rams Coach Phil Caslavka.

Also key for the Rams will be standout swimmer Matt Jones and diver Cory Bowersox.

“This is a big one for our boys. The boys at Robinson and Westfield have always swam club together and tend to get extra pumped up for this meet,” Caslavka said. “I know both teams want this one badly.”

Westfield was hit by illness during the holiday break, but Coach Bruce Andersen says his team has been training hard over the last few weeks.

“This is a tough meet for us,” Andersen said. “We’re looking for some big time drops from our kids.”

Expect Brandon Fiala, Richard Xue, and Carli Molano to be key for the Bulldogs. Molano already has one state cut, and all three swimmers have shots at multiple state cuts this year, including relays.

This is the last real test for Westfield, who finishes the season against winless Centreville and one-win Herndon. Herndon’s girls’ team is 0-4.

For the Rams, this is a mid-season litmus test before they conclude their season with back-to-back meets against powerhouse Oakton, who they already met earlier in the season.

Over the years, the Concorde District has been the juggernaut at the Northern Region and AAA championship meets. The district has won a state swimming title in each of the last six years.

Walter Johnson versus Wootton, Saturday, 9:15 a.m., at Montgomery Aquatic Center

Walter Johnson boasts one of the deepest boys’ lineups of any team in the DMV, especially among its freestyle corp. But Wootton Coach Howard Blume doesn’t mind being the underdog in this week’s meet.

“This is a great meet for our boys. They get to race some really top-notch competition in only the third meet of the season,” Blume said. “We’re underdogs, but we’ll give them a run for it.”

In one of the fastest meets of the year, which could feature a 100 breaststroke race with three swimmers under one minute, expect fiercely contested second, third and fourth place finishes in nearly every event.

Wootton stars Michael Fu and Matt Gibson will have their hands full in whatever event they are placed, especially if they have to face Walter Johnson’s stud freestyler Barry Mangold or breaststroker Fletcher Tollefson.

Churchill versus Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Saturday, 11:30 a.m., at Olney Aquatic Center

Against the defending MCPS champion Bulldogs (2-0), B-CC’s boys’ team (0-2) will face an uphill battle. But the 1-1 matchup on the girls side is the perfect chance for both teams to build momentum coming out of the break.

(provided by Churchill High School)

B-CC was able to knock off Whitman’s girls earlier in the season when both teams lost stars to Tom Dolan and the Winter Classic.

“This meet offers a lot of opportunities to swim fast and be in close races,” B-CC Head Coach Jason Blanken said.

Churchill boasts one of the top female swimmers in the area in senior Natalya Ares, while B-CC is led by juniors Grace Swinnerton and Emily Berchem.

In order to keep the meet close on the boys’ side, B-CC stars Graham Baird and Jorge Rios must have a strong showings against the Churchill boys led by Austin Cole, Harrison Gu, Eric Eig, Todd Erickson, and diving Olympic Trials qualifier Tim Faerbera.

Parents and coaches, remember to send in highlights, results, and picture from you team’s meet this weekend. Post to your team’s page on RFTW or send them directly to flahertyb@washpost.com. Submitted content may be used in our weekly wrap-up feature, published each Monday.

2008 All-Met Swimmer of the Year Eric Friedland won two Big 12 titles this weekend for Texas. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

The University of Virginia’s men’s team won its third consecutive ACC championship this weekend, totaling 806 points behind top performances from several local products — ahead of second-place UNC (656.5) and Florida State (566.5).

Virginia Tech finished fourth with 417.5 points, while Maryland took eighth with 197 points.

Potomac Falls product Matt McLean took home titles in the 500 freestyle (NCAA ‘B’ standard 4:17.21) and was second in the 200 freestyle with an NCAA ‘B’ standard time of 1:34.76.

McLean took third in the 1650 freestyle with a NCAA ‘B’ standard time of 14:56.91.

Former All-Met Swimmer of the Year Josh Hafkin (Georgetown Prep) finished 20th in the 50 freestyle (20.65), sixth in the 100 backstroke (48.39) and 18th in the 200 backstroke (1:47.87).

Maryland’s Andrew Relihan (Georgetown Prep) finished seventh in the 200 IM (NCAA ‘B’ standard 1:47.69), ninth in the 400 IM (NCAA ‘B’ standard 3:52.88) and 10th in 200 backstroke (1:46.67).

North Carolina’s Andy Brake (Lake Braddock) took 20th in the 200 IM (1:51.05), fourth in the 400 IM (NCAA ‘B’ standard 3:50.75) and 17th in the 200 butterfly (1:49.26).

Among other locals (of which there were many): Boston College’s Sean Heffernan (Gonzaga), N.C. State’s Kevin Vallario (Good Counsel), Maryland’s Sean Stewart (Wootton), North Carolina’s Brock Park (Landon) and Robert Grimmett-Norris (Georgetown Prep), Virginia Tech’s Mikey McDonald (W.T. Woodson), Phil LaRosa (Osbourn) and Logan Shinholser (Paint Branch), U.-Va.’s Briggy Imbriglia (Ireton) and Duke’s Ben Tuben (Jefferson).

Local Longhorns perform well at Big 12s

Several area alums had strong weeks at the Big 12 championships for Texas.

Former Yorktown standout and two-time All-Met Maren Taylor finished fourth in one-meter and three-meter diving and third in platform diving in her first collegiate championships, as the No. 3 Longhorns took second at the meet.

Diving teammate and Whitman alum Matt Cooper finished second in three-meter diving and took the platform diving title with a score of 434.60.

2008 All-Met Swimmer of the Year Eric Friedland (Walter Johnson) also had a standout meet. The sophomore won Big 12 titles in the 100 breaststroke with a NCAA ‘B’ standard time of 53.44 and the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:54.32. He also finished fifth in the 200 IM with a NCAA ‘B’ standard time of 1:46.72.

Friedland’s time in the 200 breast set a new meet record and was the fastest time registered in college swimming this year. The mark broke the previous meet record of 1:54.41 set last season by Texas’ Agustin Magruder.

The two titles were the first of Friedland’s career, as No. 1 Texas claimed its 31st consecutive conference title.

Danner, Knight named CAA’s top championship swimmers

Both 2008 All-Met Swimmer of the Year Ashley Danner (Lake Braddock) and Westfield grad Eric Knight earned CAA Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Championships honors for the second time in their respective careers.

Danner, in addition to her titles in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, also earned an automatic bid to the NCAA championships with a record-breaking time of 2:08.66 in the 200 breaststroke.

Knight, who took a medical redshirt last season after winning the top honor in 2007-08, finished fourth in the 50 freestyle (20.13) and won titles in the 100 freestyle (record and NCAA ‘B’ standard 44.06), 200 freestyle (record and NCAA ‘B’ standard 1:35.85).

George Mason’s men’s team took second place while the women finished fifth.

Towson’s Meredith Budner (Walter Johnson) equaled Danner’s leading point total on the weekend, while Yorktown grad Katie Radloff was third with 57 points. O’Connell grad Maggie Macedonia was tied for 19th with 34 points.

Mason freshman David Kiss, a two-time All-Met at Edison, finished seventh with 50 points, while Mount Vernon grad Bryan Bahr was 15th with 36.

Oakton’s Pawlowicz up for USA Swimming Race of the Week honors

All-Met Oakton junior Kaitlin Pawlowicz‘s national high-school-record-breaking 200-meter individual medley is up for USA Swimming’s race for the week honors.

You can vote for Pawlowicz here.

Local clubs earn national honors

North Baltimore Aquatic Club, the home of Olympic legend Michael Phelps, was named the 2010 Club Excellence Title by USA Swimming by scoring 56,155 points – just 2,420 points ahead of Swim Atlanta.

Curl-Burke finished sixth with 32,685 points, while Rockville Montgomery Swim Club took 14th with 25,984 points. It was the first time RMSC achieved Gold level.

According to the USA Swimming release, the “2010 program results are based on performances in the 2009 calendar year. Clubs have been selected as Gold, Silver or Bronze Medal clubs according to the following parameters: Gold Level: The top 16 point-scoring clubs eligible for the Gold level. Silver Level: The remaining clubs ranked through #100 and/or not achieving Gold status. Bronze Level: Clubs ranked #101 through #200 and/or not achieving Gold or Silver status.”

The Fish qualified for gold medal status for 2009-10 by having an athlete on the 2008 Olympic team.

QDD Swim Team finished with silver medal status, while Machine Aquatics, Arlington Aquatic Club and Naval Academy Aquatic Club earned bronze medal status.

Dani Schulkin and the Whitman girls are one of the favorites heading into Saturday's Montgomery County championships. (Bob Bloom)

Click here to view the psych sheet for the MCPS championships.

Last Saturday, Montgomery County swim teams hit the water for the first time in more than a week to compete for division titles while simultaneously shaking off the rust of their extended break. Now with a full week of pool time, Montgomery’s 25 teams convene at the Martin Luther King Swim Center Saturday for a county meet that should feature faster times and dramatic finishes.

A year ago, Churchill used a sweep at the county championships to springboard its girls to the Metros title. So far this winter the Whitman girls have handled the Bulldogs, both at their dual meet and last week at divisionals, meaning Churchill will be hard pressed to repeat the feat. The Bulldog boys defended their Division I title but the girls finished a distant second behind the Vikings, who have to be considered one of the favorites heading into Metros.

“I would love for both of them to repeat,” Churchill Coach Rodney Van Tassell said. “I’m hoping that our boys and girls will fight hard to keep another team from taking those titles from us, but we have to be better. ”

The Vikings enter the weekend brimming with confidence and high aspirations. Led by Dani Schulkin, Victoria Kuhn, Reia Tong and Charlotte Meyer — who each won individual and relay events at the Division I meet — Whitman is loaded with depth. Schulkin, Kuhn, Tong and Lauren Poore set a MCPS record in the 200 medley relay (1:48.29) and will look to give the Vikings another fast start Saturday.

“I expect our girls to take this meet and own it,” Whitman Coach Geoff Schaefer said. “I’m not sure that we will win many events, but we will finish high enough to bring home the trophy.”

To reach their goal, the Vikings will have to fend off a talented Sherwood team. Led by Emily Ryczek — a double-winner at the Division II meet — the Warriors outscored second-place Northwood by more than 100 points (449-342) and should not be taken lightly against the county’s top teams. Behind Eric Conrad, the defending county champion in the 100 fly and 100 back, and Mike Anderson, who took the 200 free title a year ago, the Sherwood boys will also be in the mix.

“We had everyone swimming great last weekend,” Sherwood Coach Brendan Lees said. “Some of our swims were a little complacent but I think that’s going to change now that the competition is a little tougher. I think we’ll see some faster times since everyone had a full week of practice.”

On the boys’ side, the defending 200 IM champion Chris Verboncoeur spearheads the Bulldogs’ hopes to repeat. He’ll need another strong effort for Churchill to maintain its dominance in the 200 medley relay. Wootton and Walter Johnson — led by Andrew Tollefson in the 200 IM and 100 breast — will look to make up ground following the full week in the water.

“With the snow, it did mess up the training some, so it will be interesting to see where some of the swimmers are,” Walter Johnson Coach Jamie Grimes said.

Kaiser, Anderson take 500 free

Richard Montgomery junior Clemens Kaiser and Gaithersburg‘s Ellen Anderson gave their teams some early points with victories in Friday’s 500 free races. Kaiser, who has now posted nine first place finishes in his 11 individual races this season has dropped nearly five seconds off his divisional time, besting Sherwood’s Mike Anderson — the defending county champion — and earning All-America consideration with a 4:37.83.

Anderson also swam her fastest race of the season, beating Churchill’s Maria Watkins by more than three seconds with a time of 5:00.53. She swept the 500 and 200 free at the Division III meet.

See the full results from the two 500 races here.

Churchill defended its Division I title with a convincing victory over Wootton and the rest of the field at Saturday's divisional meet.

Division I

Complete meet results

After more than a week out of the pool, the Whitman girls once again showed why they could be the top challenger to Good Counsel’s hopes of reclaiming the Metros title, crushing the competition at the Montgomery County Division I meet Saturday at the Montgomery Aquatic Center.

Led by double winner Dani Schulkin (100 fly, 100 back) and a record-setting performance by their 200 medley relay team of Schulkin, Victoria Kuhn, Reia Tong and Lauren Poore, the Vikings ran away from last year’s Metros champions Churchill to win the meet with a team score of 480.50. The Bulldogs finished second (372) followed by Walter Johnson (341.50), Wootton (313), Bethesda-Chevy Chase (246) and Richard Montgomery (183).

On the boys’ side, the Bulldogs defended their crown with a team score of 423.50. Wootton had a strong showing in finishing second (396) and was followed by Walter Johnson (333.50), Whitman (310), Bethesda-Chevy Chase (258.50) and Richard Montgomery (242.50).

The defending Metros champion in the 100 fly, Schulkin (56.58) narrowly edged Walter Johnson’s Elizabeth Pepper (56.62) in her best event and later was a surprise first-place finisher in the 100 backstroke (59.75) with the only sub-one minute time in the event. Schulkin’s time in the fly was one hundredth of a second off the automatic All America cut.

The Vikings, who defeated Churchill in an early season dual meet, took six more events including all three relays. Whitman set the tone for the day the first girls’ event as Kuhn, Tong, Schulkin and Poore reset their own Montgomery County Public School record in the 200 medley relay with an automatic All America time of 1:48.29 — besting second place Wootton by seven seconds.

“Today, the only thing that could stop our girls’ team was snow and the county shoveled enough of it to get the meet started,” Whitman Coach Geoff Schaefer said.

Whitman continued its hot start in the 200 IM as freshman Charlotte Meyer took first (2:10.37) followed by teammate Audrey Gould (2:13.14) while Lauren Levy finished fourth (2:15.80) on a day when the Vikings’ depth was too much to overcome. They again took three of the first four spots in the 50 free as Kuhn finished first (24.33) and Tong (25.11) and Katie Mahaffie (25.51) rounded out the top four. Churchill’s Natalya Ares (24.47) broke up the sweep with a second-place finish.

Tong continued her strong showing with a first place finish in the 100 free (54.14) and was the anchor on the Vikings’ winning 400 free relay team (3:36.99) that also included Kuhn, Meyer and Schulkin. Poore, who took second in the 100 free (54.18), swam the first leg for the first place 200 free relay team along with Gould and Katie and Jenna Mahaffie.

“This was one of the goals that was set for the year,” Schaefer said. “Winning the division was the first step. Next week, it will continue. I view this meet as the warm up for county championships.”

Churchill’s Eugenia Chen (1:08.05) edged Gould (1:08.14) in the 100 breast to break up the Vikings’ run while teammate Maria Watkins dominated the field in the 500 free. The only other non-Whitman winner was Pepper, who claimed first in the 200 free (1:51.98) by nearly six seconds over Poore.

Reia Tong and the Whitman girls dominated the Division I meet and now have their sights set on counties. (Bob Bloom)

Senior Chris Verboncoeur led the way for the Bulldog boys, with victories in the 50 free (22.41) and 100 fly (52.94). He teamed with Brenton Reinhardt, Collin Stanhope and Colin Asbury to take first in the 200 free relay (1:40.76) and edge Wootton’s foursome of Thomas Finn, Raymond Zhou, Matt Gibson and Michael Fu. Despite only winning those three events, like the Whitman girls, Churchill used its tremendous depth to clean up points with four second place finishes and four third place finishes.

“The meet certainly was closer than I envisioned but we pulled through with a victory,” Churchill Coach Rodney Van Tassell said. “Chris was exceptional in winning two individual events as well as assisting in a first and second place relay finish.

“We are looking forward to improving at counties next week.”

Whitman’s Serge Gould was a double winner, taking the 200 IM (1:54.73) and 100 breast (1:00.91). Other individual event winners included Finn in the 200 free (1:47.32), Gibson in the 100 back (55.54), BCC’s Michael Center in the 100 free (48.19) and Richard Montgomery junior Clemens Kaiser in the 500 free (4:43.38).

Walter Johnson’s Kevin Spak, Andrew Tollefson, Christopher Root and Greg Karel edged Churchill in the 200 free relay (1:30.53) and Wootton (Finn, Gibson, Fu and Eric Woodard) finished on a high note with first place in the 400 free relay (3:18.67).

In the one meter diving, Wootton’s Jordan Lesser (269.400) narrowly beat out Churchill’s Timothy Faerber (268.750), and on the girls’ side, Annie Kastler of Walter Johnson (300.050) took home first place.

Division II

Complete meet results

Sherwood continued its run of dominance this season with an impressive victory in the girls’ portion of Saturday’s Division II meet at the Martin Luther King Swim Center, but it was Blair‘s boys who spoiled the Warriors’ hopes for a sweep with a win in a closely contested meet.

Despite not winning a single event, the Blazer boys had just enough depth to edge out Sherwood, 399.5-387. Northwest (359) rounded out a very tight top three and was followed by Poolesville (288), Blake (276) and Quince Orchard (255.5).

Eric Conrad was a double winner for Sherwood, taking first in the 200 IM (1:57.04) and 100 fly (52.25) and senior Michael Anderson swept the 200 (1:48.18) and 500 free (4:57.87) as the Warriors won six events including the 200 medley and 400 free relays.

Jeffrey Lin took second behind Conrad in the 200 IM and third in the 100 fly and Eric Ruggieri finished second in the 100 breast (1:01.19) behind Sherwood’s Matt Lee (1:00.27). The Blazers finished second in all three relays to round out a balanced performance.

Blake junior Spencer Sterling won the 100 back (55.95) and 50 free (22.94) and Quince Orchard’s Kevin Hauri took first in the 100 free (49.19).

On the girls’ side, Sherwood (449) won comfortably behind Emily Ryczek‘s victories in the 50 (24.63) and 100 free (53.72). Northwest (342) finished a distant second followed closely by Poolesville (340). Blair (329), Quince Orchard (278) and Blake (226) rounded out the meet.

Poolesville senior Cara Chuang, one of the top backstrokers in the area, won the 100 fly (58.59) and 200 free (1:57.19) and swam the first leg for victorious teams in the 200 medley (1:52.62) and 400 free (3:47.32) relays. Diana Hanson, Mary Gillespie and Cameron Mackail joined Chuang on in the medley relay and Cynthia Jih teamed with Chuang, Mackail and Hanson in the 400 free.

Other individual winners included Quince Orchard’s Kelsey Liu in the 200 IM (2:10.86) and 100 breast (1:08.38) and Sherwood’s Katie Relihan in the 500 free (5:23.85) and Megan Conrad in the 100 back (1:01.49).

Poolesville dominated the diving portion of the meet with Alex Contreras posting a 204.550 for the girls and senior Sam Weber (170.650) edging teammate Zachary Greenwald (163.400) for the boys.

Division III

Complete meet results

In Division III, Damascus and Magruder were the top two teams on both sides with the Swarmin’ Hornets winning the boys’ competition and the Colonels (482) beating out Damascus (445) in the girls.

Magruder dominated the relays, winning five of the six events including all three on the girls side. Lauren Gil, who helped the 200 medley and 200 free relay teams to first place finishes, was a double winner, taking the 200 IM (2:19.40) and the 100 breast (1:13.16).

Other double winners included Gaithersburg‘s Ellen Anderson who swept the 200 (1:55.00) and 500 free (5:06.51), and her teammate, Tyler Pham, who won the 100 fly (55.75) and 100 back (55.75). The Trojan girls finished second and the boys finished third.

Division IV

Complete meet results

In Division IV, Clarksburg narrowly edged out Springbrook (359.5) and Einstein (323) on the boys’ side and the Einstein girls rolled past the field with 448 points for a convincing victory at the Olney Swim Center.

Northwood‘s Chelsea Vanderweele was a double winner, taking the 200 (2:04.43) and 100 free (57.75) and Seneca Valley‘s Jamieson Knopf also swept his two individual events, coming out on top in the 200 free (1:49.77) and 100 fly (55.32).

Other individual girls’ winners included Kelly Carroll of Paint Branch in the 200 IM (2:28.50), Northwood’s Liana Ventimiglia in the 50 free (27.06), Springbrook’s Georgia Howard in the 100 fly (1:11.37), Einstein’s Carol Anderson in the 500 free (5:56.07) and teammate Stephanie Pratt in the 100 back (1:09.21) and Linda Le of Clarksburg in the 100 breast (1:15.53). Einstein took both the medley and 400 free relays to wrap up their victory while Northwood won the 200 free relay.

Clarksburg’s Seung Lee (50 free, 24.24), Joshua Kiehl (500 free, 5:02.66) and Andrew Qian (100 breast, 1:05.69) all won individual events on the boys’ side while Northwood’s Austin Moore and Warren Jackson took first in the 200 IM and 100 back respectively. Gregory Ridgway of Springbrook finished first in the 100 free (52.81).

In diving, Kyle Butts of Paint Branch (285.200) and Cassidy Pickles of Clarksburg (173.650) were victorious.