High School Championships: New England Prep School Championships

EXETER, New Hampshire, March 6. For the first time in New England Prep School Swimming Association, competition was held in three divisions rather than the traditional one meet. Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. played host to the Division 1 meet; Division 2 swimmers and divers met in Simsbury, Conn., home of Westminster School; and the inaugural Division 3 meet was held at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Mass.

Division 1
In the girls division, Phillips Exeter took first place over Deerfield Academy, 368-357. Suffield Academy placed third with 327 points, followed by Phillips Academy-Andover (317) and Loomis Chaffee School (183).

New England Prep records were rewritten in all three relay events. Deerfield's quartet of Ritchey Howe, Liza Bragg, Julie Hwang and Jenner McLeod claimed the free relay event titles with times of 1:33.65 in the 200 free and 3:31.49 in the 400 free. Suffield's 200 medley relay of Pure Maleenont, Rebecca Titterton, Hannah Katz and Anna Strzempo combined for a 1:47.64. Lilybet MacRae of Phillips Academy set the only individual girls' mark with her 524.75 points in diving.

The only individual double-event champion was Deerfield's Bragg, who posted winning times in the 100 back (56.20) and 200 IM (2:05.57). Two other Deerfield swimmers won in very close races. In the 50 free, McLeod just out-touched Phillips Academy's Amy Zhao, 23.82-23.83. Howe fought off Suffield's Katz for the 100 fly title, 58.70-58.97.

Zhao topped the field in the 100 free with her 51.95. Loomis Chaffee's Samantha Pierce finished first in the 200 free (1:51.41), Phillips Academy's Danielle Liu triumphed in the 500 free (5:01.03) and Emma Nuzzo of Phillips Exeter placed first in the 100 breast (1:06.36).

Phillips Academy-Andover scored 417 points on the boys side to take top honors. Deerfield Academy took second (360), with Phillips Exeter Academy in third (313.5), Suffield Academy fourth (274.5) and Choate Rosemary Hall fifth (244.5).

Phillips Exeter's free relays set New England Prep records with their victories. The team of Brooks Reavill, Avery Reavill, Chris Mukasa and Joseph Shepley combined for a 1:24.14 in the 200 free relay; Jackson Rafter joined both Reavills and Shepley for a 3:06.13 in the 400 free relay. Deerfield's squad of Quinn Smith, Austin Bridges, Henry Lee and Oscar Miao put together a 1:33.92-1:33.97 victory and New England Prep standard over Phillips Academy in the 200 medley relay.

Tim Wynter of Phillips Academy set a New England Prep mark in the prelims of the 100 back with his 49.06. He came back in finals to win in 50.06. Also setting a meet record was Phillips Exeter's Shepley, who captured the 100 fly in 49.48 and also won the 200 IM (1:52.30).

Also claiming two wins was Phillips Academy's Jun Oh in the 200 and 500 free (1:40.22) and 4:30.74).

Phillips Exeter's Avery Reavill and Alex Poltash from Choate Rosemary Hall traded 1-2 spots in the sprint frees. Reavill took the 50 free, 20.84-20.86, and Poltash secured the 100 free title, 45.96-46.00.

Deerfield's individual champions were Smith in the 100 breast (59.43) and Taylor Clough in diving (547.20 points).

Division 2
St. George's School's 387 points put them in first place in the girls competition, followed closely by Kingswood-Oxford School's 369. Thayer Academy came in third (218), followed by Westminster School (197) and Dana Hall School (166). On the boys side, Kent School's 412 points were good for first, with Kingswood-Oxford taking second (369), Westminster School third (348), Worcester Academy fourth (237) and St. George's School in fifth (217).

Winning multiple events were Westminster School's Emil Henry in the 50 and 100 free (22.39-48.91), Kingswood-Oxford's Callie Miles in the 100 free (55.50) and 100 back (1:00.06) and St. George's Anna Millar in the 200 IM (2:20.34) and 500 free (5:29.20).

Samantha Pinkes from Kingswood-Oxford swam a 25.60 in the 50 free, just ahead of Thayer Academy's Kristen Lawler's 25.69. Other individual titlists included Williston-Northampton's Natalie Aquadro (200 free, 2:03.45), Kingswood-Oxford's Monica Ambrozej (100 breast, 1:14.06), Thayer Academy's Olivia Dilorati (100 fly, 1:00.00) and Juliana Melchionda (diving, 436.20 points).

Kent School's Michael Piro posted a 55.17 win in the 100 back, 3-hundredths ahead of Matt Luther from Kingswood-Oxford. Luther picked up a victory in the 200 free with his 1:47.79, as did James McKeown in the 200 IM (2:02.57). Also picking up wins were Westminster's Josh Kokulis (500 free, 5:00.26), Worcester's Wentao Zou (100 breast, 1:01.65), St. George's Mark Nuytkens (100 fly, 52.79) and Williston-Northampton's Andrew Spruck (diving, 285.15 points).

Kingswood-Oxford claimed five of the six possible relay victories. The girls team swept
with times of 1:55.64 in the 200 medley, 1:45.03 in the 200 free and 3:46.47 in the 400 free; the boys grabbed the 200 free (1:29.94) and 400 free (3:17.67). The Worcester Academy boys took first in the 200 medley with their 1:42.76.

Division 3
In the first-ever New England Prep Division 3 meet, Wilbraham and Monson Academy topped the girls competition and Eaglebrook finished first among the boys squads. Wilbraham and Monson's 370 points put the girls ahead of Pingree School (307), Berwick Academy (298), Hamden Hall (277) and Canterbury School (245). The boys of Eaglebrook put together 448 points, ahead of Wilbraham and Monson (311) and Canterbury School (240). Hamden Hall claimed fourth by a single point over Moses Brown School, 199-198.

Molly McSweeney from Pingree School was the only two-event winner for the girls with her 4:57.44 in the 500 free and 2:07.98 in the 200 IM. Two boys managed to snag a pair of wins apiece: Wilbraham and Monson's Kevin Lambert (200 free, 1:54.32; 100 fly, 56.36) and Canterbury's Kyle Winters (100 free, 50.31; 100 back, 57.34).

Berwick's Jenna Hayden captured the 100 free with her 53.79. Teammates Caroline Seekins (100 breast, 1:14.68) and Isabel Reis (100 fly, 55.79) also found themselves on top of the awards stand. Wilbraham and Monson's Ivy Durepo picked up a win in the 50 free (24.66); Emma Gaquin from Pingree was first in the 200 free (1:58.03) and Taylor Tucker of Hamden Hall cruised to a 1:02.35 in the 100 back.

Earning wins in the boys portion of the meet were William Reis of Berwick Academy (50 free, 24.17), Adam Harrison from Chase (500 free, 5:23.97), Williams School's Caius Mergy (100 breast, 1:04.63) and Hamden Hall's Noah Kern (200 IM, 2:12.82).

Berwick's 200 medley relay took first in 1:54.18 and nabbed a second victory in the 400 free relay (3:43.58), Pingree School claimed the 200 free relay with its 1:41.47. Eaglebrook's boys team also were champions of the 200 medley (1:50.13) and 400 free (3:36.19) relays, with Wilbraham and Monson grabbing the 200 free relay in 1:37.83.

Diving champions were Pingree School's Veronica Monteiro (222.70 points) and Eaglebrook's Andreas Piepenberg (292.70 points).

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