Fox Lane and John Jay swim teams both win league titles

Fox Lane swimmers have had a lot to cheer about this fall as the Foxes won the League 1 championship. Photo by Jim MacLean

By JIM MACLEAN

A deep roster paid off for the Fox Lane varsity swim team as the Foxes competed in the Section 1 League 1 championship meet Oct. 25, at the Felix Festa Middle School pool in West Nyack.

Fox Lane emerged from the pool with a final score of 349 points to claim the League Championship meet title in first place, with Scarsdale in second at 317 and Ursuline in third at 297.

The Foxes won just one event, while Scarsdale won seven, but the Foxes depth paid off with a lot of place finishers to compile enough points to win the league title.

Fox Lane won the first event of the day as the Foxes swam to victory in the 200-yard medley relay event. The team of Natalie Lovig, Clara Cattanach, Kelsey Grayson and Maddie Nurenberg finished first with a time of 1:50.05.

Natalie Lovig was second in the 100-yard backstroke event, and those same four swimmers from the medley relay teamed up for a second-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Grayson had a third-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly.

Fourth-place finishes went to Cattanach in the backstroke and Nuremberg in the 200-yard freestyle event.

Fifth-place finishers were Nuremberg in the butterfly, Grayson in the 200-yard Individual Medley, Madeline Oh in the breaststroke, and Sofia Roberts in diving.

The Foxes also finished fifth in the 200-yard freestyle relay with Isabel Valenzuela, Sophia Oh, Madeline Oh, and Leah McNamara teaming up to earn points for the Foxes.

John Jay/North Salem wins title at League IV championship meet

At the League IV championship meet on the same day in Tarrytown, the combined team of John Jay/North Salem pulled out the victory with a total score of 312. Once again, it was a deep roster that made the difference, compiling a number of place finishers with just one first-place finish adding up for the team title.

It was a close race for second as Rye/Blind Brook/Rye Neck finished at 284, SHEDI (Sleepy Hollow, Edgemont, Irvington) was third at 281, and BHPVW (Byram Hills, Pleasantville, Valhalla, Westlake) was fourth at 276.

Samantha Mishler earned a first-place finish for John Jay/North Salem in diving with a score of 262.7.

John Jay/North Salem had a pair of second-place finishers as Abbey Hehman was second in the 200-yard freestyle, and Taylor Belloni was second in the breaststroke event.

Abbey Hehman also earned a third-place finish for the Wolves in the 100-yard freestyle.

Belloni was fourth in the 200-yard Individual medley race, and the Wolves earned a pair of fourth-place finishes in relay events. Katie O’Donnell, Belloni, Isabelle Hehman and Alli Garofalo teamed up to place fourth in the 200-yard medley relay, while Garofalo, O’Donnell, Cassidy Horel, and Abbey Hehman teamed up for fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

The Wolves earned a bunch of fifth-place finishes. Horel was fifth in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle events. O’Donnell was fifth in the backstroke, and Isabelle Hehman was fifth in the breaststroke.

Isabelle Hehman, Lily Wagner, Horel and Abbey Hehman teamed up for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Both Fox Lane and John Jay now move on to the Section 1 championships, scheduled to begin with diving on Thursday, Nov. 6 at SUNY Purchase. For swimmers earning the chance to compete in the championship meet, the swim trials will be held Friday, Nov. 7, at the Felix Festa pool. The top 16 finishers in each event will then return Monday, Nov. 10, for the championship races at Felix Festa.