Mount sophomore Shayne McKernan launches from the starting platform during last Thursday's meet. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

There was no diving competition at Mount St. Joseph Academy's first swim meet of the new year, and out of the other 11 events on the agenda, host Wissahickon High School finished first in nine of them. Still, the Mount's team depth allowed the Magic to stay in contention right up until the final relay in last Thursday's encounter.

In that event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, first and third place outcomes boosted the Trojans' team total by 10 points, giving them an 87-83 victory over a Mount squad that garnered four points with its second-place showing in the last race.

The Magic still came away with a 3-2 record in dual meets this season, and they remained 1-0 within the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies, having defeated Villa Joseph Marie at the end of last month.

Sam Bauer, Aly Carpenter, Grace Comerford, Suzanne Kushnerick, Katie Schaefer, and Hannah Soisson are the six seniors on Mount St. Joe's 2016-17 roster, and half of them have their college plans in place.

Schaefer will swim in the Big East Conference for Providence College, while Comerford, one of the Mount's top rowing prospects, will join the high-powered crew program at the University of Virginia. Carpenter won't swim in college, but will spend time in one of the nation's top tailgating venues, the Grove at Ole Miss.

Junior Taylor Dragonosky, sidelined by injury last winter and spending her sophomore season as one of the team managers, has once again become a vital contributor for the Magic. She furnished both of the two victories for the Mount last Thursday, winning the 200 individual medley (in two minutes, 20.34 seconds) and the 100 breast stroke (1:10.63). She also contributed to a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay at the start of the meet.

Schaefer, the future Friar, took second place in the butterfly (1:03.43) soon after finishing third in the 50 freestyle (25.79). She also led off for the Mount's runner-up relay quartets in the 200 medley and the 200 free. Anchoring both of those relays was junior Jen DeGroat, who swam two solo races as well. She was runner-up in the 100 free (56.19) and fourth in the 50 free (25.89).

Junior Rebecca Patti had raced along with DeGroat, Dragonosky, and Schaefer in the medley relay, and in the 200 free relay Schaffer and DeGroat were joined by Shayne McKernan, a sophomore, and Kristen O'Connor. O'Connor and her twin Carrie are freshmen, and Kristen had given the Magic the lead midway through the 200 free relay before Wissahickon came back to nip the Mount at the wall, 1:44.65 to 1:44.69.

In solo efforts, McKernan was second in the 200 free (2:07.49), Kristen O'Connor was third in the 100 free (58.17), and Patti was third in the back stroke (1:07.11) and fourth in the individual medley (2:25.12).

Turning in second-place points for the visitors were junior Cathryn Antonacio in the 500 freestyle (5:52.30) and sophomore Bryn McLaughlin in the back stroke (1:05.97), and there were third-place showings for Comerford in the breast stroke (1:12.82), Kushnerick in the 500 free (5:57.44), and from freshman Sara Collins in the fly (1:08.29).

Over the course of the meet, Mount St. Joe had hoped to build up a lead that would be difficult for the Trojans to overcome with their strong freestylers in the concluding 400-yard relay, but Wissy's win by a whisker in the 200 free relay helped prevent that.

The Trojans were powered by several strong swimmers who piled up points in individual events and also played a part in their team's relay victories. Sprinter Carly Zlotnikoff won the 50 and 100 freestyle races (in 25.08 and 54.98, respectively) and Kim Karis took first in both the 200 and 500 free (2:00.19 and 5:22.40).

Both swam as part of the winning 200 free relay foursome (1:44.65), while Zlotnikoff also participated in the medley relay (1:54.68). In addition, Karis led off for the Trojans at the end in the 400 free relay, helping the home team win in 3:52.03 over the MSJ foursome of Carpenter, McLaughlin, Bauer, and Antonacio, who placed second in 4:14.09.