By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The Lake Monticello Swim Team (LMST) hosted swimmers from the Key West Swim and Tennis Club (the Killer Whales) on June 25. Key West is an older Charlottesville suburb off Rt.20 just east of Darden Tow Park. Jefferson Swim league meets are always long and occasionally very hot. It was in the nineties on June 25. The Sharks fought the Killer Whales vigorously, but the Killer Whales outscored the Sharks 332-279.
The Sharks won their first individual event of the night when Shiela Strickland swam to victory in the girls 9-10 100M Individual Medley (IM). IM races are test of swimming skill as they require an ability to swim all four swimming disciplines, Strickland’s time was 1:46.15. Her teammate Ava Powell was second. They collected seven and five points respectively for the Sharks. The Sharks took first place in the boys and girls 15-18 100m IM. Aaron Fairbanks won for the boys, while Sophie Pace was the girls winner. Fairbanks won an exceptionally tight race, winning by 0.94 seconds. After the IM races the meet went to races in the four swimming disciplines, freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly.
In the boys under 8 25M freestyle Micharl Koerper won the race and garnered seven points for the Sharks. He won by nearly four seconds. In the boys 9-10 freestyle Norbu Barnett swam to victory for the Sharks. Aaron Fairbanks won again for the Sharks in the 15-18 50M freestyle. This win was not as close, as he finished four seconds ahead of the Key West competitor. Sophie Pace also gained her second win in the girls 15-18 50 M freestyle.
Norbu Barnett gained a second win for the Sharks in the 50M breaststroke. Stella Strickland also won her second first place in the 50M breaststroke. In the boys 13-14 50M breaststroke Brick Sumner was a winner for the Sharks. For the girls of the same age it was Elliot Gehling winning seven points for the Sharks and Michael Koerper in the 50 M backstroke, winning by more than four seconds. Koerper won a third title in the 25M butterfly. Henley Belew took first for the Lake Monticello squad in the girls eight and under 25 M butterfly.
Second place finishers for the Sharks gained five points for their team. They included, Perry Provencher in the boys 9-10M IM, Annelise Campbell in the girls 11-12 100M IM, Henley Belew in the girls 8 and under 25M freestyle and the breaststroke, Mickey Comer in the boys 13-14 freestyle, Andrew Mikesh in the boys 15-18 freestyle, Kingston Arencibia in the boys 8 and under breaststroke, Gabriella Barresi in the girls 9-10 breaststroke, James Johnson in the 15-16 breaststroke event, and Grace Strickland in the girls 8 and under backstroke.
The scoring system at Jefferson Swim League events gives seven points for a first place finish, five points for a second place finish and then does not give points for any subsequent finisher from either team. For instance, in the boys 15-18 breaststroke, the Killer Whales had the winner, for seven points. The next three finishers were from the Sharks. And the fifth place finisher was another Killer Whale swimmer. The Sharks were awarded five and four points for second and third, and the Killer Whales were awarded three points for their fifth-place finish. This scoring system can work for or against a team. In the boys 11-12 breaststroke, the Killer Whale swimmers, took first, second, third and fifth and sixth, yet the Sharks were awarded three and four points for their third and seventh place finishes.
The Sharks hosted their second home meet on July 2.
