After a combined 12 second place Class B state meet finishes this decade, the Greely boys’ and girls’ swim teams said enough already and ascended to the top spot with a vengeance last week at the University of Maine in Orono.

First, the boys ended a three year string of being runner-up to Mt. Desert Island by tallying 360 points, a whopping 102 better than the Trojans, to easily take their crown. Falmouth (71 points) tied John Bapst for 11th. North Yarmouth Academy (41) tied Lincoln Academy for the 16th spot, while Yarmouth (11) came in 20th.

At the girls’ championships, two nights later, the Rangers doubled their pleasure, scoring 344.5 points, to snap a five-year run of second place showings. MDI was second (263.5) this year. Falmouth, the state champion in five of the past six seasons, including last year, had 208 points and was third. NYA (152) was a solid fifth, while Yarmouth (137) came in seventh.

Career night

The Greely boys rode a pair of individual champions and two relay victories to the pinnacle.

The Rangers started by earning 40 points as senior John Madeira, senior Patrick Bowden, sophomore Dan Spencer and junior Ian Mecray won the 200 medley relay in 1 minute, 43.20 seconds. Greely bookended the meet by winning the 400 freestyle relay, as Bowden, Madeira, Mecray and Spencer had a time of 3:24.53.

Mecray took the top spot in the 50 free (23.10 seconds). Spencer captured the 100 free (50.04).

Greely showed its depth from start to finish and had more than enough points to cruise.

Bowden was runner-up in the 200 free (1:49.63) and the breaststroke (1:02.80). Madeira was second in the backstroke (57.52) and third in the 200 individual medley (2:07.34). Spencer also came in third in the 200 free (1:52.49).  Senior Ben Marchese had the third-best diving score (224.20). Mecray was third in the 100 free (50.78). Senior Kyle Wilson had a fourth-place finish in the IM (2:09.18) and was fifth in the 500 free (5:17.67). Sophomore Evan Campbell placed sixth in the backstroke (59.41) and 11th in the 100 butterfly (1:02.04). Senior Dan O’Brion placed eighth in the breaststroke (1:13.15). Freshman Nathan Madeira finished eighth in the IM (2:23.97) and 15th in the 500 free (5:44.29). Junior Jon Higgins was 10th in the 50 free (24.77) and 11th in the 100 free (55.13).  Sophomore Sam Reed came in 11th in the backstroke (1:05.78) and 15th in the fly (1:07.78). Senior Michael Kemna placed 14th in the breaststroke (1:16.71). Junior Peter Pacent was 16th in the 200 free (2:04.63).

The Rangers were also fifth in the 200 free relay (Wilson, Pacent, Nathan Madeira and Higgins, 1:38.96).

“I’m still speechless,” said longtime Greely coach Rob Hale, several days after the title. “Every single swimmer rose to the occasion. I’m so happy for the seniors. They’ve given so much to the program and it was nice to top off their careers with a championship. I can’t single out a swimmer or two because it was purely a team effort. Fourteen of 15 athletes contributed to the point total and all 15 turned in career-best performances. My hat goes off to the MDI team. They’ve been classy over the years and this year was no different.”

Falmouth was led by diver Ryan Conley, who won the comptition with 235.75 points.

The Yachtsmen scored in two relays. Sophomore Jack Kilbride, sophomore Sam Bruni, freshman Shaun Lamoreux and senior Bryce Leary placed 10th in the medley (2:01.55). In the 200 free, Leary, senior Josh Grassman, Kilbride and Lamoreux had a 13th-place time of 1:47.44.

Lamoreux finished sixth in both the 100 free (52.69) and the 200 free (1:55.78). Kilbride was 14th in the backstroke (1:07.88).

For NYA, junior Nico Kaminow finished eighth in the 50 free (24.47) and eighth in the backstroke (1:00.77). Senior Trey Milam was 12th in the 500 free (5:35.71) and 13th in the 200 free (2:00.89). The Panthers also got points from their 10th-place 400 free relay team (Milam, freshman Ted Elliott, sophomore Mat Tasarz and Kaminow, 4:06.17).

Yarmouth was paced by freshman Conner Lajoie, who placed ninth in the 500 free (5:26.00) and 15th in the 200 free (2:02.68).

Sara(h) show

Sophomore Sara Schad and freshman Sarah Easterling stole the headlines in the girls’ meet.

Easterling set school records in winning the IM (2:14.29) and the backstroke (1:00.19). Schad set a new record in her 100 freestyle victory (54.54).

The girls also teamed up to help set school records and win the 200 and 400 free relays. In the former, junior Megan Stroud, senior Taylor Roach, Easterling and Schad had a time of 1:44.24. In the 400, Stroud, Easterling, Roach and Schad finished in 3:47.08. In the medley relay, sophomore Katie Whittum, senior Franny Martelle, senior Lizziy Perry and junior Jackie Andrews placed fifth (2:04.04).

Schad was also runner-up in the 200 free (2:01.14). Roach was third in the 50 free (26.65) and fourth in the 100 free (57.68). Andrews was fifth in the 100 free (58.35) and ninth in the 200 free (2:08.50). Stroud was fifth in the back (1:07.28) and tied for sixth in the 200 free (2:06.07). Perry came in sixth in the fly (1:08.36) and 11th in the IM (2:27.85). Whittum came in seventh in the 50 free (27.33) and 10th in the back (1:09.56). Freshman Emily Domingo placed seventh in the 500 free (5:49.20) and 11th in the 200 free (2:09.50). Sophomore Kim Johnson placed 13th in the fly (1:12.39) and 15th in the 500 free (6:25.44). Freshman Haleigh Roach finished 13th in the 500 free (6:18.54). Freshman Sydney Easterling was 14th in the IM (2:37.39) and 14th in the 500 free (6:21.85). Senior Emily Norton placed 12th in the breaststroke (1:20.14) and 15th in the IM (2:37.69).

“The girls recovered from a lackluster morning session to return in the evening and swim away with the championship,” Hale said. “I did a poor job preparing them for the start of the meet, but the girls rose above it. I’m so proud of how they handled themselves in the face of adversity. As they have for four years, the seniors set the tone with their leadership in and out of the pool.”

Falmouth was paced by its divers. Sophomore Nicola Mancini took the competition with 344.95 points. Sophomore Evie Perry came in third with 286.45 and sophomore Briana Esposito placed sixth (227.75).

The Yachtsmen were third in the 200 free relay. Senior Hayley Couper, sophomore Alison Rand, senior Sarah Uminski and senior Adrienne Madden had a time of 1:47.04. Falmouth’s medley relay squad (Couper, junior Courtney Greenwood, Uminski and Madden) placed fourth (2:03.69). In the 400 free relay, Rand, freshman Emma Perron, sophomore Marley Dewey and Greenwood were 12th (4:19.51).

Madden was runner-up in the 50 free (24.84) and third in the 100 free (57.10). Uminski was second to Schad in the 100 free (57.04) and tied Greely’s Stroud for sixth in the 200 free (2:06.07). Couper placed eighth in the backstroke (1:08.34) and tied for 12th in the 100 free (1:01.70). Greenwood finished 10th in the 500 free (6:07.39) and 15th in the 200 free (2:16.45). 

NYA featured 500 free champion Emily McKinnon (5:24.61). McKinnon was also fourth in the 200 free (2:03.44). Rachel Clegg was runner-up to Easterling in the IM (2:17.89) and came in third in the breaststroke (1:10.48). Alison Znamierowski placed 12th in the both the 50 free (27.93) and the fly (1:12.05). Alicia Hoffman was 15th in the fly (1:14.24).

In the relays, the Panthers were fourth in the 200 free (Znamierowski, Christine Reighley, McKinnon and Clegg, 1:47.87), fifth in the 400 free (McKinnon, Kalley Hansel, Znamierowski and Reighley, 4:08.28) and 10th in the medley (Katie Paige, Clegg, Hoffman and Grace Gilbert, 2:09.19).

Yarmouth’s top finisher was sophomore Cathy Agro, who placed fourth in the fly (1:04.63) and seventh in the IM (2:27.44). Senior Melissa Agro came in fifth in the breaststroke (1:15.78) and 10th in the IM (2:25.94). Senior Caitlyn Planer was eighth in the fly (1:09.81). Freshman Haley Estabrook placed 10th in the 50 free (27.59) and 11th in the back (1:10.02). Junior Adrian Copeland finished 14th in the back (1:10.99).

Copeland, Melissa Agro, Cathy Agro and Estabrook produced a third-place finish in the medley relay (2:03.40). In the 400 free relay, Cathy Agro, Copeland, Estabrook and Melissa Agro placed seventh (4:11.90). Freshman Caihlan Snyder, junior Julie Dursema, senior Chantel Albert and Planer made up a 14th-place 200 free relay squad (2:00.19).

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net