Sunday, Feb. 07, 2010

Cary girls win 4-A regional swim

Green Hope boys finished second

For Cary head coaches Kyrin Hellinger and Erin Stevens, the women’s 400-yard freestyle relay provided some nervous moments Saturday at the Triangle Aquatics Center.

Hellinger, in her ninth year, and Stevens, in her seventh, both said they felt uneasy as they watched their girls compete in the final event, with a 4-A Eastern Regional championship hanging in the balance.

Tri-Nine conference rival Apex was breathing down on the Imps, who had enjoyed a solid advantage for most of the meet. Worse yet for Cary, the Cougars had defeated the Imps in the conference meet a couple weeks ago, so the two coaches knew what Apex was capable of.

Luckily for them, the Cary swimmers were not nervous at all, and the team of Caroline Mills, Meredith Rawls, Sarah Jabusch and Mary Jessie Densmore did what they had to do, finishing in 3:47.95, good enough for a spot in Thursday’s state championship meet as well as earning enough points to edge the Cougars for the Regional title.

It was the first-ever regional championship for the Cary girls, who scored 227 points. Apex posted 216.5, while fellow conference mates Middle Creek (210.5) and Panther Creek (199) came in third and fourth respectively.

“We were both so nervous we were about to throw up during that last relay,” joked Hellinger and Stevens. “We were doing frantic math to see how many points we would need, and then those four girls just swam their hearts out.”

“We’re so happy for all these girls to get to experience this feeling.”

Of course, senior standout Torrey Bussey was a major catalyst in the Imps earning their first regional title. Bussey finished first in every event she participated in on Saturday, including two relays. Bussey captured the 200-yard Individual Medley (2:05.21) and the 100-yard breaststroke (1:04.88), and she was also a part of the winning 200-yard medley relay (1:50.03) and the 200-yard free relay (1:40.20).

“I didn’t know that,” said Bussey when she was told how nervous her coaches had been. “We were all fine, (but) just really excited because we wanted to be able to get past Apex.”

“I kind of felt rested up today and just went out there and gave it my all. All of us really were psyched about the relays.”

Joining Bussey on the two winning relay teams were Victoria Mitchell, Mills and Densmore (200 medley) and Mitchell, Densmore and Sarah Jabusch (200 free).

Despite coming up short on their bid to claim the regional title, Apex swam with an intensity that pleased Cougar head coach Timothy Kane.

“I’m speechless really,” said Kane, who will have girls competing in eight of the 12 women’s events at the state championship. “We don’t have divers, and for the girls to step up like they did is fantastic.”

Senior Alicia Huther finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:07.82), while the 400 free relay team of Marisa Martinez, Hayley Tomlinson, Sarah Henry and Jessica Godlewski finished in 3:41.98.

Panther Creek won the 400 free relay, as Claire Liu, Kristin Connors, Ellie Billman and Henrietta Stenkvist finished in 3:35.38. Stenkvist also captured the 100 free (52.02) and the 100 backstroke (55.86).

Middle Creek had two second-place relays, including the 200 medley (1:51.95) and the 400 (3:38.36). Caroline Carlisle, Nicole Giamber, Tessa Pena and Mallory Horvath paced both teams.

Holly Springs diver Julie Doran (394.30) easily won her event.

The Green Hope boys came so close to repeating as regional champions, as their 400 relay team of Dominick Glavich, Jose Chavez, Ryan Cade and Henry Roach won the event with a time of 3:13.89, easily finishing ahead of the competition.

Still, it was not quite enough to catch Enloe, who won the regional title with 277.5 points. The Falcons finished with 273 points, while Cary (188) came in fifth.

“If all of our swimmers swim to their potential we will have a really good chance (to win) at state’s,” said Green Hope head coach Dick Wesendunk, whose 200 medley relay also won in 1:37.70.

Wesendunk was extremely impressed with both relay teams. Glavich, a junior, swam the 100-yard breaststroke in 57.06, which will set a state record if he repeats it on Thursday. Glavich also captured the 200 IM (1:50.04). Teammate Seth Connor (1:00.20) finished just behind Glavich in the breaststroke.

Wesendunk would like to see state records fall in Glavich’ two individual events and maybe even in one of the Falcon’s relays on Thursday.

Middle Creek’s Ben Miller (4:41.36) won the 500-yard free, while Cary’s Zack Sowers finished second in the 100 butterfly (53.51). Many more area swimmers will participate in the state championship, which will be held at the Triangle Aquatics Center.