Hurricanes 10th at ‘YW’ nationals

Local swimmers were in several spots along the East Coast last week as athletes competed in regional and national championships for YWCA, YMCA, and Maine Swimming teams.

The Hurricane Swim Club of Bangor had a fine showing at the YWCA national championship meet in Charlotte, N.C., while several area swimmers competed at the YMCA national meet in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Maine Swimming’s all-star team competed at the USA Swimming Eastern Zone meet in Gloucester, N.J.

The Hurricanes, who swim at the Bangor-Brewer YWCA, placed 10th out of 20 teams in Charlotte, N.C.

The Hurricanes were led by Kiki O’Donnell, Lindsey Snyder, Chausey Ashey, Kallie Pottle, and Kayle Shapero. Those five girls helped the team score 221 points and finish sixth in the female team scoring. The Hurricane boys did not score any points.

O’Donnell and Snyder kicked off the meet Thursday by going 4-5 in the 1,000-yard free. Ashey and Shapero were 11th and 13th, respectively.

Later that evening Snyder, O’Donnell, Pottle, and Shapero finished fourth in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 53.11 seconds, which is a Maine Swimming state record. The following day that same group was sixth in the 400 medley relay.

O’Donnell, Ashey, Snyder, and Shapero were 10th in the 400 free relay. O’Donnell, Pottle, Snyder, and Shapero finished eighth in the 200 free relay.

O’Donnell was third in the 100 breaststroke, fourth in the 200 breaststroke, 11th in the 200 individual medley, and sixth in the 400 IM.

Snyder’s top finishes included a 12th place in the 200 free and a third in the 100 backstroke. Pottle was 13th in the 200 back and 14th in the 100 back. Ashey took 15th in 400 IM, and Shapero was 16th in the 100 free.

At the Eastern Zones, the Maine team had several top-eight finishes (only the top eight score). Tyler Bowen of Camden’s Penobscot Bay YMCA was eighth in the 100 backstroke, and MDI YMCA’s Jamie Garver anchored her team to an eighth-place finish in the 400 free relay and was a member of two other relays that came in ninth.

Trevor Renwick, also an MDI Y team member, swam on three relays that finished in ninth place.

Local swimmers Eric Palmer and Libby Caldwell of Old Town-Orono YMCA’s Canoe City Swim Club and Matt Jordan of the Down East Family YMCA in Ellsworth competed at YMCA Nationals.

Palmer had his best times in the 200 breaststroke and a 400 IM time trial, which is used to qualify for next year’s meet. Caldwell competed in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 back time trials. Jordan swam in the 100 back.

Whitney Rockwell, who competes for Coastal Maine Aquatics in Cape Elizabeth, finished seventh in the 50-meter free at the Phillips 66 spring national championships March 23.