MYSTIC VALLEY SWIMMERS COMPETE IN MIAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET; BOYS FINISH FIFTH
Led by captains Shane Kinnon, Zack Kelso, and Fallon Bushee, 17 Mystic Valley swimmers competed in the 2012 MIAA State Swimming and Diving Championship on Saturday and Sunday, February 18 and 19, 2012. Despite graduating several key contributors after the 2011 season, the boys’ team placed fifth in the state, Mystic Valley’s best finish to date. The girls’ team was also successful in this final meet of the 2011-2012 season, placing twentieth and scoring more points than last year.
Boys Soar into Top Five for First Time in School History
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The boys’ team—Shane Kinnon, Zack Kelso, Wilson Tran, Giuseppe Iacovone, Robby DeSantis, Robbie Cummings, Nick Antonucci, Christian Kinnon—made the most of every opportunity in the water on Saturday. Five of the eight swimmers earned points in individual events, and all eight scored points in relays.
The 200 medley relay team of Shane Kinnon, Christian Kinnon, DeSantis, and Kelso dropped more than a second from its Sectionals time, finishing in fourth place with a time of 1:41.12 and almost breaking the team’s record which was established at States last year. This result is especially impressive considering two strong senior swimmers on last year’s team—Patrick Kinnon and Colin Kinnon—were replaced this year by DeSantis (junior) and Christian Kinnon (eighth grade).
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The Eagles had similar results in the meet’s other two relays. The team of Cummings, Tran, Christian Kinnon, and Iacovone finished sixth in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:33.03, besting the team record they set in last week’s Sectionals meet. The 400 freestyle relay team of Kelso, DeSantis, Tran, and Shane Kinnon also one-upped themselves by finishing the event in sixth place with a time of 3:22.69, also a new team record.
Individually, the Eagles had their strongest season to date. Shane Kinnon dropped below the 2:00 threshold in the 200 IM, finishing in fifth place and setting a new team record in the process (1:59.86). Kinnon also dropped below 50 seconds in the 100 freestyle (49.22), earning eighth place.
Zack Kelso also swam very well, finishing in ninth place in the 50 freestyle and fifteenth place in the 100 freestyle (50.77 seconds). His 50 freestyle time of 22.50 seconds is a new team record.
Mystic Valley’s swimmers (Iacovone, Antonucci, Christian Kinnon, and Tran) earned more points in the 100 breaststroke (26) than any other team in the state. Iacovone finished in seventh place (1:02.89), Kinnon in ninth (1:03.77), and Antonucci in twelfth (1:04.13). Tran finished in twentieth place, swimming a personal best time of 1:06.59.
Junior Robby DeSantis also competed in two individual events, the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. His impact was most noticeable in his two relay performances. His times of 51.26 (100 free) and 25.36 (50 butterfly) were keys to Mystic Valley’s success in the 400 freestyle relay and the 200 medley relay.
Girls Finish in Top 20
Mystic Valley’s girls team—Fallon Bushee, Allie Krasco, Marisa Cagno, Emily Williams, Maaya Alagappan, Ava Asai-Sarris, Caroline Williams, and Karina Hanson—improved on last year’s results in States due to strong performances in relay events.
Bushee, Emily and Caroline Williams, and Hanson teamed to compete in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relay events. The girls finished twelfth in each relay, earning a total of 20 points. With two eighth graders (Caroline Williams and Hanson) and a sophomore (Emily Williams), the future appears to be very bright for future Mystic Valley girls’ relay teams.
Bushee performed well in both of her individual events as well. She finished in seventeenth place in the 200 IM and sixteenth place in the 100 freestyle. Perhaps more importantly, however, she served as an exemplary leader for her younger teammates.
Caroline Williams also competed in two individual events, the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. Her teammate, Asai-Sarris, finished seventeenth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:14.82, a personal best.
Swimming the 200 medley relay in States for the first time in school history, Krasco, Cagno, Alagappan, and Hanson finished in twentieth place.
