NANTICOKE — One look at the fierce-looking hawk wearing an oversized Roman helmet emblazoned on the swimmers’ caps and it was official.
Competing as Nanticoke, but with Nanticoke-Hanover Area attire on the pool deck, the self-proclaimed TroHawks’ attire made it impossible to differentiate the true school colors of the natural rivals.
Looking for their first boys swimming victory in decades, Nanticoke came away from Wednesday’s meet with a 49-49 tie against Lake-Lehman. The Black Knights’ girls used a first-place finish in the final race to secure an 85-81 win for their first of the season.
“Each one of them did their part,” Nanticoke coach Clare Finn said. “To be honest, I am definitely taking the tie as a positive. It’s a loss. It’s good for them.”
Due to low participation, Hanover Area dropped its swimming programs this season and merged with neighboring Nanticoke. The added depth allowed Nanticoke to field an official boys’ team for the first time in more than 20 years.
“It’s going really well,” Finn said. “It started off where they seemed very unsure of each other. But, now, they are really coming together as a team. You could see how they were all cheering for each other out on the deck.
“They really molded together as a team.”
The TroHawks won the final three boys’ races of the night to notch the tie. Both teams struggled to fill all of the lanes with only four swimmers apiece.
Chris Cabolinas was Nanticoke’s only multi-event winner with victories in the 100 fly and 100 breast. A freshman sprinter eked a 1:05.8 win in the 100 breast.
Will Kaufman won the 50 free in 25.81 seconds in the only race with four occupied lanes. Hector Panecatl was the TroHawks’ only other race winner with a 2:38.4 in the 200 free.
Lake-Lehman’s Jake Selingo had one of the most impressive swims of the day with a 58.17 finish in the 100 free. Tyler Manzoni provided a pair of second-place finishes in the 50 free and 100 breast.
“We were a team of four. They were a team of four,” Lake-Lehman coach Nancy Edkins said. “We strategically put our kids in places. It would have been a better comparison if we put each other in the same races.”
On the girls side, the Black Knights’ 400-free relay of Emily Burgit, Jill O’Brien, Grace Ciaccia and Beth Bartuska overcame a two-point deficit with a comfortable 4:32.45 win to secure the meet win.
Jill O’Brien won the 200 IM in her first time competing in the event. Her 2:44.73 finish paced the Black Knights’ sweep of the medley race. O’Brien also won the backstroke handily.
Jess Ravert pulled away at the halfway point to earn Lake-Lehman an important 100 breast victory in the penultimate event. She finished in 1:25.74. Battling sickness, freshman Grace Ciaccia outstretched Nanticoke’s Tessa Stegura by 14-hundreths of a second for a win in the 100 free.
“Those are all good swims for us,” Edkins said. “I’m not at all disappointing with coming away with a win.”
Deanna Wadzin posted wins in the 100 fly (1:07.71) and 500 free (6:17.03) for Nanticoke. Leandra Ramos downed Ciaccia by 17-hundredths of a second in the 50 free.
Stegura had a pair of second-place finishes in the 100 free and 200 free.
Together, Stegura, Ramos, Wadzin joined together with Kerry Gruber for wins in the 200 medley and 200 free relays.
“Our whole team really stepped up today,” Finn said. “I was very proud of them and surprised at what they were able to do today.”
BOYS SWIMMING
Tunkhannock 132,
Coughlin 34
Ben and Davis Tinball set the pace for Tunkhannock, with each swimmer securing a pair of top-3 finishes.
Ben won the 500 freestyle and finished third in the 200 IM while Davis swam to a first-place finish in the 100 freestyle and finished second in the 200 IM.
The Tigers swept the diving portion, with Sawyer Aiken taking first place, and Bryce Steele and Hunter Whytashek finishing behind him.
Kevin Clarke took home a victory in the 50 free for Coughlin while teammates Kevin Kozerski and Garrett Gagliardi won the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke, respectively.
Wyo. Valley West 133,
Wyoming Area 28
Maxim Kowalski paced Wyoming Valley West Tuesday, winning a pair of individual events. The junior won both the 200 IM and 100 fly.
Like Kowalski, Logan Fluegal also took home a pair of individual victories, finishing first in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Wyoming Area was paced by Seth White, who finished second in both the 100 backstroke and 100 fly.
GIRLS SWIMMING
Tunkhannock 102,
Coughlin 64
Gwen Murray picked up a win in the 200 IM and a second-place finish in the 500 freestyle for the Tigers, while Alexis Hutchins won the 100 breaststroke and came in third in the 200 IM.
Coughlin was paced by Jennifer Patron, who finished first in the 50 freestyle and second in the 100 freestyle.
Wyoming Valley West 91,
Wyoming Area 74
Chelsea Mackiewicz and Alexis Ivanitch each recorded a pair of wins during Tuesday’s win. Mackiewicz was victorious in both the 100 backstroke and 200 IM while Ivanitch won the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.
Ivanitch’s 100 breaststroke was a Wyoming Valley West pool record. She finished in 1:06.56.
Wyoming Area was paced by Leah Moore, who won the 100 fly and finished third in the 200 IM.
BOYS
Nanticoke 49, Lake-Lehman 49
200 Medley Relay — 1. LL (Andrew Herrick, Thomas Manzoni, Tyler Manzoni, Jake Selingo) 2:05.7; 200 Free — 1. LL Andrew Herrick 2:23.63; 200 IM — 1. NAN Hector Panecatl 2:38.4; 50 Free — 1. NAN Will Kaufman 25.81; 2. LL TyManzoni; 3. LL Selingo; 100 Fly — 1. NAN Chris Cabonilas 58.93, 2. LL ThManzoni; 100 Free — 1. LL Selino 58.17, 2. LL ThManzoni, 3. NAN Kaufman; 500 Free — 1. LL Herrick 6:39.18, 2. NAN Panecatl; 200 Free Relay — 1. NAN (Cabonilas, Christian Mavus, Kaufman, Panecatl) 1:47.78; 100 Breast — 1. NAN Cabonilas 1:05.9, 2. LL TyManzoni; 400 Free Relay 1. NAN (Panecatl, Kaufman, Mavus, Cabonilas) 4:41.22
GIRLS
Lake-Lehman 85, Nanticoke 81
200 Medley Relay — 1. NAN (Deanna Wadzin, Kerry Gruber, Leandra Ramos, Tessa Stegura) 2:15.74, 2. NAN, 3. LL; 200 Free — 1. LL Beth Bartuska 2:23.89, 2. NAN Stegura, 3. LL Sierra Jendrzejewski; 200 IM — 1. LL Jill O’Brien 2:44.73, 2. LL Jess Ravert, 3. LL Emily Burgit; 50 Free — 1. NAN Ramos 30.20, 2. LL Grace Ciaccia, 3. NAN Fritz; 100 Fly — 1. NAN Wadzin 1:07.71, 2. LL Abby Bartuska, 3. LL Burgit; 100 Free — 1. LL Ciaccia 1:07.13, 2. NAN Stegura, 3. NAN Ramos ; 500 Free — 1. NAN Wadzin 6:17.03, 2. LL BBartuska, 3. ABartuska; 200 Free Relay — 1. NAN (Stegura, Ramos, Gruber, Wadzin) 2:01.37, 2. LL, 3. LL; 100 Back — 1. LL O’Brien 1:11.63, 2. NAN Julia Fritz, 3. NAN Michelle Chalarca; 100 Breast — 1. LL Ravert 1:25.74, 2. NAN Gruber, 3. LL ABartuska; 400 Free Relay — 1. LL (Burgit, O’Brien, Ciaccia, BBartuska) 4:32.45, 2. NAN, 3. LL
