Camden Hills, Belfast split meet ‘Jammer girls, Lion boys post wins

BELFAST – For the Belfast boys swim team, Friday evening’s meet against Camden Hills was a chance for the defending Class B state champions to swim some off-events against the Windjammers.

It was a different story for the girls in the dual meet at the Belfast High pool.

The Camden Hills girls won six of 11 events (diving was not counted in either the girls or the boys meet) and got some key second-place finishes for a 52-42 victory over the Lions.

The Belfast boys, meanwhile, held off the Windjammers early and rolled to a 62-30 win. Camden has just five boys on its small but strong squad.

In the girls meet, coach Susan Cooney’s Windjammers went 2-3 in four events, and only had two places that didn’t garner points (the last-place swimmer does not receive points toward the team score).

Camden’s Mae Polson picked up a big second-place finish when she outdueled Belfast’s Jenny Cameron for second place in the final 50 yards of the 500 free (there was less than a second difference between the two girls). The Windjammers also touched out the Lions in the 400 free relay.

Lauren Posey was a double-event winner for Camden Hills. She took the 50 and 100 freestyles, and also led off the winning 400 free relay. Breyn Young claimed the 100 butterfly.

“I think everyone swam really well,” said Camden junior Amelia Jackie, who had a season-best time in winning the 100 breaststroke and a best time in the 200 freestyle, in which she was second. “We were all really strong. We’ve been training really hard.”

Jackie said she doesn’t remember ever having beaten Belfast in her three years swimming with the ‘Jammers.

Belfast’s winners included Kira Saunders in the 200 and 500 freestyles, Lucretia Miller in the 200 individual medley and Morgan Bryant in the 100 backstroke.

Belfast coach Lonnie Brown said several of her swimmers had best times Friday.

“We had lots,” she said. “That’s something as a team we’ve consistently done. Tonight, the most exciting thing was [senior] Morgan Bryant in the 100 free, because she qualified [for states]. It’s been a goal of hers and she’s never qualified before until this year, and now she’s qualified in two events. ”

In the boys meet, coach Bob Winslow placed his second swimmer in each event to allow more Lions to qualify for states.

The Windjammers and Lions were actually tied at 17-17 through the first four events but they stalled once Belfast’s Matt Hurley and Travis Lawson went 1-3 in the 100 fly to take a 22-20 lead. Belfast had two entries in the three relays.

“In the first half of the meet I tried to match up my second swimmers with Camden’s swimmers and their first swimmers were a little stronger than my second swimmers,” Winslow said. “I had to do some changing around. I knew that I had plenty of depth for relays but I also wanted some races. I like my kids to be pushed.”

Hurley, who is one of the top Class B swimmers in the state, also won the 100 back, but he wasn’t exactly happy with his times (sometimes, school gets in the way of sports).

“I didn’t do very well today,” said Hurley, who is a junior. “I had midterms and I was up late studying. I had four hours of sleep.”

Belfast’s Dana Randlett won both the 100 and 200 freestyles. Chris Abbott, the top breaststroker in the state, won the 200 IM and Matt Abbott won the 500 free.

The Lions had several boys qualify for states Friday, including Neil Greenleaf and Brazilian exchange student Felippe Kaldeich in the 50 free and diver Ryan Stanley.

The Windjammers won the opening 200 medley relay and Charlie Garrigan took the 50 free for Camden Hills’ two event wins. Garrigan also had a third-place finish in the 100 back. Adam Swartzbaugh picked up second-place spots in the 200 free and 100 fly. The ‘Jammers did not enter a team in the 200 free relay.

“We can only put up two out of three relays so we lose a lot of points there, but everywhere else we can usually fill in. We had a very strong meet,” Cooney said.