The girls’ swimming lanes are open as the Neuqua Valley Wildcats welcome Metea Valley to get the conference slate off the blocks, with both teams eager to get off to a strong start. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Olivia Linduska puts Metea on the board
We kick the season off with the 200-yard Medley. In lane five, Wildcat swimmers Sofia Piater, Rosie Wond, Sophie Diorio, and Carolina Piater soar through the lanes, securing the first event win of the night, coming in with a time of 1:49. The Metea group of Ellen Chua, Rachel Carter, Aly Rivero, and Olivia Linduska finishes four seconds behind in second place.
Up next is the 200-yard freestyle, and the Mustangs look to add a first-place finish to their scoring column. Wildcat Taylor Tuch pulls ahead throughout the race; however, down the final stretch, Mustang Aly Rivero does her best to gain ground. Tuch is able to hold off the pack to take the win. Fellow Wildcat Charlotte Lee takes third.
The Wildcats seek to keep the winning streak alive in the 200-yard IM. Rosie Wong glides through the competition, securing another first-place finish for Neuqua as the Wildcats continue to dominate the lanes. Ellen Chua from Metea in lane four takes second.
Metea looks for an answer in tonight’s fastest event, the 50-yard freestyle. In Lane four, Olivia Linduska secures the Mustangs’ first event win of the night, racing to the wall with a time of 24.63 seconds, beating Carolina Piater by just one hundredth of a second! Neuqua junior Bree Pepping finishes third with Rylee Rhoads from Metea in fourth.
The Wildcats swim away with the win
Neuqua seeks to regain form in the 100-yard butterfly. The Wildcats pull ahead as Sophie Diorio takes first, with her teammate Bree Pepping taking second, as Neuqua continues to swim well with the top two spots. Jelenna Gamilla from Metea finishes in third.
The Cats pick up two more wins in the 100 and 500 freestyle races thanks to Sofia Piater and Rachel Yim, respectively, and seek to do the same in the 200-yard freestyle relay. But it’s Metea Valley who takes the win behind the group of Aly Rivero, Ellen Chua, Olivia Linduska, and Jelenna Gamilla, regaining some energy for the Mustangs
Up next is the 100-yard backstroke; Rosie Wong makes it look easy as she secures her second event win of the night, finishing first for the home team ahead of Taylor Tuch in second and Gamilla in third.
In the final individual race of the night, the Wildcats continue their strong showing with Sophie Diorio getting to the wall first ahead of teammate Sofia Piater and Mustang Rachel Carter to win the 100-yard breaststroke.
Neuqua starts the season in style, defeating Metea Valley in the home opener, 126-54.
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