LEWISTON – Sarah Kovenock continued her domination of the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races, winning both during Saturday’s Class B Girls Swimming and Diving State Championships at the Bates College pool.
The junior speedster from Orono won both events for the third straight year, setting state and meet records while winning the 200 free in one minute, 55.93 seconds, and posting a meet mark of 53.84 in the 100. Still, Kovenock couldn’t help but feel as though she was missing out as she watched Old Town High School celebrate its fifth consecutive Class B title.
Coach Doug Springer’s Indians received scoring performances from 14 different swimmers while eking out an exciting victory over runner-up Morse of Bath and Greely of Cumberland Center. Juniors Becky Cyr and Emily Oliver each recorded second- and third-place individual finishes and contributed on two relays as Old Town scored 260 points, edging Morse (242) and Greely (238) in the last two events.
Mount Desert Island wound up fourth with 127 points, followed by Waterville (100) and Kennebunk (94). Junior Eleanor Thoet of Morse edged out Kovenock for Outstanding Swimmer honors, setting a state and state-meet record while winning the 50 free in 24.41, winning the 100 butterfly in 1:01.06, and swimming on Morse’s winning 200 medley and 200 free relay squads.
Old Town’s balance and depth held the Shipbuilders and Rangers at bay. The Indians scored in each of the 12 events, but didn’t win any.
“It was an exciting meet,” said Springer, still dripping after a celebratory dip with his team. “We don’t have any pure stars. We just need to be broad-based all the way across.”
Old Town’s depth shone through when it counted most. Trailing Morse and Greely after the 200 free relay, the Indians tallied 35 points as Cyr, Tristan Springer and Jenny Godsoe finished second, third and fifth, respectively, in the 100 backstroke while Morse went scoreless.
The Indians then scored 30 points in the 100 breaststroke as Cathy Sibley (4th), Amanda Sidell (5th), Margaret Greenman (7th) and Sara McLaughlin (11th) delivered.
“That’s what helps us is our depth,” Cyr said. “As long as everybody helps. We had a lot of people move up, and that’s what gets me excited, when they knock out a Morse person or a Greely person.”
Kovenock’s 200 free time bettered the previous state mark of 1:56.47 set in 1992 by Kristin Nagle of Traip Academy. Kovenock led from start to finish, slicing through the water with her smooth, fluid strokes and tireless flutter kick.
“You kind of have to build on what you’ve done the year before,” Kovenock said in explaining her continued success. “You’ve got to work a little bit harder, a little bit longer, and hopefully you’ll improve.”
Kovenock said while she enjoys swimming for Orono, she longs to compete on a championship team.
“I’m very jealous when I see teams like Old Town or Greely or Morse,” said a smiling Kovenock, who swims with many of the Old Town team members in YMCA meets. “They’re all so close and they have a common goal.”
Cyr and Oliver led the way for Old Town. Cyr finished second in the 200 back and third in the 200 free, while Oliver took second in the 50 free and third in the 200 IM.
Other key contributors included Tristan Springer, who was third in the 100 backstroke, seventh in the 50 free and swam two freestyle relays; Godsoe, who was fourth in the 200 individual medley, fifth in the 100 back, and swam the 200 medley and 400 free relays; and Sibley, who finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 200 IM. Sidell wound up fifth in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 500 free, while Vasia Markides took fifth in the 100 free, eighth in the 50 free, and swam on the second-place relays in the 200 medley and 400 free.
Greenman, Aimee Cormier, McLaughlin and divers Courtney Madden, Missy Ouellette and Kristie Leland also chipped in with important points.
Coach Springer and Cyr also pointed to the influence of senior Debbie Godsoe, who sat out the season with a heart ailment but provided plenty of support and encouragement.
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