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Mount swimmers take Merion’s measure
by TOM UTESCHER
After a frustrating December during which they struggled against squads
with larger and deeper rosters, Mount St. Joseph Academy’s swimmers
have fared better in the first month of the new year.
The last full week of January ended for the locals with Thursday’s
112-71 road win over Merion Mercy, a victory which lifted the Magic’s
record to 4-7 overall and 2-1 in the Athletic Association of Catholic
Academies.
Hosting the meet at Episcopal Academy’s pool, Merion was missing
breaststroke and medley specialist Caitlin Dennis, but the final margin
in the team scoring was great enough that her presence wouldn’t
have altered the outcome. For the last month the Mount has been competing
without freestyler Kara Lederer, who’s suffering from tendonitis.
The Magic won all three relays, and captured first place in seven of
the nine individual events. Julie Erhart went the distance to win both
the 200 and 500 freestyle, with times of two minutes, 9.54 seconds and
5:42.17, and Caroline Menapace enjoyed twin victories, as well, besting
the field in the 100 butterfly (1:06.44) and the 100 backstroke (1:09.29).
Jackie Hain took first in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.13) and second in
the 200 individual medley (2:20.72), and Athena Diaconis won the 50 freestyle
in 26.69 seconds and was third in the breaststroke (1:15.81). Kristen
McCabe also paired gold with bronze, winning the 100 free (58.39 seconds)
and coming in third in the 50 free (26.94).
Freshman freestyler Nicole Rossetti placed second in the 200 (2:12.34)
and third in the 100 (1:00.22), and the Mount also received second-place
finishes from Colleen Beichert in the butterfly (1:09.97) and from Catherine
Wzorek in the backstroke (1:12.22). Third place in the diving competition
went to the Magic’s Caitlin O’Connell.
Merion Mercy had Emily Kelly come in first in the 200 IM (2:19.75) and
second in the breaststroke (1:12.63), and Erin McKenna took second place
for the Golden Bears in two freestyle events, the 50 (26.71) and the 100
(59.47).
In the freestyle relays, Mount St. Joseph had Rossetti, Hain, Erhart,
and McCabe race, and win, in the same order in both the 200 (1:50.42)
and the 400 (3:58.75), and a time of 2:02.87 secured first place in the
medley relay for the Magic’s Wzorek, Diaconis, Menapace, and Mary
Maginnis. Diaconis joined up with Michelle Lally, Walker, and Maginnis
to take second in the 200 free. In the medley relay, third place went
to the MSJ quartet of Katie Sullivan, Jaclyn Kouch, Beichert, and Lally.
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