Oswego East is the host for a late-season girls swimming and diving competition. Benet Academy takes on the Oswego Co-op with conference tournaments on the horizon. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Making a splash on the boards
Starting on the diving board is Benet’s Abigail Forsythe performing the one-and-one-half somersault one-half twist free. The performance earns an 18 from the judges. Her six-dive score finishes at 174.95.
The Co-Op lost two-time state champion Katie Malm to graduation, but Maddie Moss is ready to step in and show off her performance with the forward two somersault pike. Moss scores a 21 with her performance, taking the win with an overall score of 221.
From the diving boards to lanes, the swim events are on with the 200-yard freestyle medley relay. Benet’s Abigail Morrissey gets the Redwings going, with Oswego’s Ava Cabrera trailing closely behind in the next lane. However, the opening race concludes with Cabrera, Audriana Rocco, Lauren Szadorski, and Victoria Jordan finishing first in 1:51.49. Morrissey, Coco, Beatrix Pearson, and Eleanor Parsinen finish less than a second behind the Co-Op.
Up next is the 200 Yard Freestyle. Oswego’s Stephanie Chen and Lauren Szadorski get off to a good start for the Panthers, but the event changes when Szadorski takes the lead down the stretch, finishing first with a time of 1:57.59. Ava Cabrera closes strong for a second-place finish. Madisyn Pertalia is Benet’s top finisher in fourth place.
The 200-yard races continue with the 200 IM. Vera Skubiak swims neck and neck with Benet’s Kaelyn Pacana and Abigail Morrissey throughout the event. However, Skubiak keeps the Oswego win streak going by finishing the event with a time of 2:09.59, while Morrissey finishes about two seconds behind the Co-Op swimmer.
Beatrix Person gets Benet in the win column
The fastest race is always the 50-yard freestyle, and the Redwings use the sprint to earn their first win of the night. Beatrix Pearson hits the wall first ahead of Audriana Rocco from Oswego. Fellow Redwings Vasia Halikias and Tate MacDonald finish third and fourth.
Flying into the water next for the 100-yard butterfly. Lanes two through four get off to a close start with Benet’s Beatrix Pearson taking a narrow lead off the blocks. However, Pearson and Oswego’s Ava Cabrera go neck and neck for the first-place win, with Cabrera stretching out the win with a time of 59 seconds flat. Pearson is less than a second behind her with Victoria Jordan in third.
The 100 freestyle swimmers take their turn with Claire Flanigan and Audriana Rocco competing with Benet’s Eleanor Parsinen for the top spot. Another tight race ensues between Oswego and Benet, but Flanigan finishes the event at 56.20 while her Oswego teammate, Rocco, finishes a hair behind her with a time of 56.23. Parsinen settles into third with Redwing Vasia Halikias in fourth.
Redwings finish strong
The next event is the 100-yard backstroke; leading the way is Abigail Morrissey of Benet through the early stages. Oswego’s Giana McLernon and Vera Skubiak are hot on her heels. But not for long; Morrissey pulls away from the rest for a three-second win over Skubiak in second place, adding to the Redwing team total.
The 2nd-to-last event is the 100-yard breaststroke; Benet once again gets off to a good start, this time in the form of Coco Pearson. Oswego’s Sofia Torres makes a charge for the lead, but Pearson finishes the race in first with a time of 1:11.41, while Torres finishes one second behind the Redwing.
The final event of the night is the 400-yard freestyle relay. Beatrix Pearson gets the Redwings off to a good start ahead of teammates Eleanor Parsinen, Abigail Morrissey, and Coco Pearson. But the rest of the event sees Vera Skubiak, Ava Cabrera, Lauren Szadorski, and Claire Flanigan pulling away for the win with a time of 3:41.82. The Oswego Co-op comes home winning the meet with a score of 110-69.
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