ORONO – After seven years of swimming for the Bangor YMCA team (known as BGRY), it was kind of strange for Eric Palmer to see the CCSC of Canoe City Swim Club next to his name in the program for this weekend’s 38th John W. Coombs Memorial YMCA state championship meet.

“It’s a little different, I have to admit,” he said. “Looking at the heat sheet it was a bit of a shock to see the CCSC and not the BGRY.”

Here’s the really strange thing, if you can call it that – Palmer, who has only been training with his new team for the past two weeks, won two events and finished second in another Sunday in the meet at UMaine’s Wallace Pool.

Palmer had tapered and was focused entirely on the high school Class A state championships Feb. 18. Now that the high school season is over, Palmer has the YMCA nationals on his mind and is back into serious training with Canoe City, which represents the Old Town-Orono YMCA.

Palmer was one of several individuals who had solid meets, but as for the team competition, the Long Reach Swim Club of Bath was, well, out of reach for the rest of the field, and racked up 2,2621/2 points in the two-day meet.

The Bangor YMCA Barracudas came in second with 1,625 points, holding off Pine Tree Swim Club of Portland (1,5591/2).

MDI YMCA’s Sharks were fourth overall. Downeast Family YMCA of Ellsworth and Canoe City were sixth and seventh, respectively.

About 1,100 swimmers from 16 teams participated in the meet. The top 16 places in each event scored. The senior and 14-and-under age groups swam Sunday and the younger swimmers competed Saturday.

Palmer won the 100-yard butterfly and the 200 individual medley, and closed out his afternoon Sunday with a second-place finish in the 500 free after a close battle with Pine Tree’s James Hughes.

“What I’m pleased with was the fact that I put him in some off-events when we could have easily put him in events that he swims all the time, and he rose and won two of those races,” said Matt Vogel, the Canoe City coach and a 1976 Olympic swimming gold medalist. “His 200 IM was a real solid swim and he’s just learning to do that.”

The 16-year-old Bangor High junior, who had three personal-best times Sunday, made the switch to Canoe City last fall.

“I just needed a change of scenery, I guess,” he said. “Things have really improved. I’ve been really happy with my times this year, both for [Bangor High coach Phil Emery] and then coming right back into here. I came right back into doing 6,000 [to] 10,000 yards a day.”

Palmer has qualified for the YMCA nationals in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events (CCSC’s Libby Caldwell has also qualified for nationals, which start March 19, in the 50 free).

Palmer was excited for his sister, Stephanie Palmer, a Bangor YMCA swimmer who won the 200 free for the 14-and-unders. Her swim was one of several fine performances from the Barracudas.

Bangor’s younger swimmers provided a big punch Saturday, when the 8-and-under, 10-and-under and 12-and-under age groups competed. The Barracudas won the 10-and-under combined championship (the 10-and-under boys won their age group) and the 8-and-under girls team won. Bangor’s 12-and-under girls and 14-and-under girls finished in second place.

“After the first day we were doing well,” Bangor coach Belinda Perry said. “Then Pine Tree comes on really strong today. We probably had a 200-point lead over Pine Tree at the end of the day yesterday.”

Erin Thomas, 11, won the 12-and-under 100 free and 50 fly. Jessica Hodsdon, 10, was first in the 10-and-under 50 breaststroke and 100 free and was second in the 100 IM.

As for Bangor’s 8-and-unders, Josh Williams, 7, won the 25 fly and was third in the 100 IM. Monique Laplante, 8, took the 25 and 50 freestyles.

The 10-and-under boys team of Taylor Wicks, Brent Williams, Joey Quinn and Ihan Cameron won the 200 free relay.

Top MDIY swims included wins for both the 8-and-under girls and boys in the 100 medley relay (Grace Tweedie, who was on the girls’ relay, also won the 25 breaststroke). Iris Meehan won the 100 back on the 14-and-under group. Jamie Garver won the girls senior 200 free and Trevor Renwick took the boys’ senior 100 free.

Downeast Family Y collected a number of firsts. In the 10-and-under age group, Brian Batson won the 50 and 100 freestyles and the 50 fly, and Seth Oldfield was first in the 50 breaststroke. Shauna Lynch won the 12-and-under 50 breaststroke, Meaghan Cucuru took the 14-and-under 100 breaststroke and Chelsey Curran was first in the 25 back. Boys’ senior Matt Jordan won the 100 back.