Falmouth, Scarborough roll to state championships MDI takes 3rd, Old Town in 4th

ORONO – Anybody who did the math prior to Monday’s Class B girls state championship meet knew Falmouth High School was poised to win its second straight swimming and diving title.

Even armed with that knowledge, the Yachtsmen didn’t become complacent.

Junior Gina Mancini eclipsed a longstanding meet record in the 200 individual medley, set a mark in the 100 breaststroke, and competed on Falmouth’s record-setting 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay units while sparking her team to victory.

“Yes, they are expected to win and there’s a thing on their back that everybody’s out for them and I think they handled it well,” said Falmouth coach John Keyes. “I try to get them just to stay focused on what they have to do.”

Mancini was named the Outstanding Swimmer of the meet for the Yachtsmen, who amassed 305.5 points to outdistance runner-up Greely of Cumberland Center (247.5).

Mount Desert Island and Old Town carried the banner for the Eastern Maine teams. The Trojans finished third with 167.5 points, while the Indians took fourth with 89 and St. Dominic of Auburn wound up fifth in the 22-team meet.

Mancini turned in a performance to remember. She swam the breaststroke leg on the 200 medley relay team that won in 1 minute, 53.09 seconds. The quartet, which included Alicia Hahn, Alison Tozier, and Emily Sheldon, had set a meet record of 1:51.75 in the prelims.

Mancini knew her team was expected to win. The Yachtsmen motivated themselves by setting goals to break records.

She dominated the 200 IM in 2:10.46, breaking the oldest meet record of 2:10.87 held by Tuija Kyrolainen of Westbrook in 1988 – the year Mancini was born.

“I was really happy with my 200 IM because it was such an old record,” Mancini said. “I was happy I got that one. Some of them I didn’t even realize that we got.”

Mancini swam the lead leg of the 200 free relay, which Falmouth won in 1:41.75, then capped her evening by taking the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.32, another meet record.

“As with most of them, she just has a great work ethic,” Keyes said. “We knew where she wanted to go and that was a goal to break that [IM] record.”

Falmouth had several outstanding performances. Senior Tozier and sophomore Sheldon were four-event winners.

Tozier claimed the 200 free (2:00.83) and 100 butterfly (1:00.95) and Sheldon took the 50 free (24.90) and 100 free (54.58) while both swam the medley and 400 free relays.

Hahn, a freshman, won the 100 backstroke in 1:01.68, placed fourth in the 50 free, and swam on the medley and 200 free relays. Senior Kari Boffa was second in the 100 free, third in the 50 free and swam on both winning freestyle relays.

“This was a no-brainer before it started,” said MDI coach Tony DeMuro. “They won a bunch of events. They have a real good bunch of swimmers.”

The only event in which Falmouth did not score was the diving competition.

A strong Greely team was led by Kelsey Sloan and Alisha Wilson. Sloan was second in the 500 free and third in the 200 free and Wilson was fourth in the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke. Each swam on both second-place freestyle relays.

“Give them [Greely] credit,” Keyes said. “They were great. They continue to put pressure on you so you can’t let down.”

MDI received several contributions in its third-place showing. Freshman Julia Macauley was among the mainstays as she posted a third in the 500 free and a fourth in the 200 free while swimming on the Trojans’ third-place free relays.

Junior Iris Meehan claimed a third in the 200 IM, fifth in the 100 backstroke, and swam on the 200 medley and 400 free relays. Chelsea White, Angela Haskell, Marian Dorr, and Brenna Crothers also provided key efforts.

“I was extremely pleased with our team’s performance today,” DeMuro said.

Fourth-place Old Town was led by Chloe McCleave, who wound up fifth in the 100 free and eighth in the 50 free.

Ellsworth was paced by Amy Dalrymple (5th 200 IM, 6th 100 fly, 9th 200 MR, 10th 400 FR) and Maegan Batson (6th 100 breaststroke, 9th 200 MR, 12th 100 free, 10th 400 FR).

The only non-Falmouth event winners were Jessica Howard of Greely in the diving (294.40 points) and Megan Rancourt of Waterville in the 500 free (5:28.20).