The Sachem East girls varsity swimming and diving team placed third overall last week at Sachem East in the Suffolk County League I championship meet.
This was an outstanding performance by the whole team and showed the improvement they have had over the past few seasons. They only lost to the two power houses in Suffolk County swimming, Ward Melville and Half Hollow Hills.
Sachem East showed that they have become relevant in the sport and are challenging the top teams around. The Arrows were 6-3 this season, the best mark in program history.
Junior Kianna Papele won both the 50 yard freestyle (:25.00) and 100 yard freestyle (:54.58), just missing the state qualifying times in both events. Kianna is a big meet swimmer, she steps up and swims her fastest when the team needs it.
“After a challenging season she showed her toughness and I could not be more proud of her,” said Sachem East coach Kathleen Dugan.
She is ready to swim fast on November 8 at the County championship meet and hopefully will be qualifying in both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle for the girls state meet in Ithaca.
Freshman Jessica Freund placed second in the 200 yard Individual Medley (2:13.59) and fourth in the 100 yard butterfly (1:00.56), also just missing the state qualifying times in both events. Freund has had a strong season for the team and is looking forward to building momentum going into the County champs next week. As a freshman she is a force to be reckoned with and has opened many eyes in Suffolk County swimming this past year.
The girls 200 yard freestyle relay placed third overall with a time of 1:42.95, the relay was made up of Kianna Papele, Ariel Tsai, Alice Tsai and Jessica Freund. They were just over a second off of the state qualifying time but did break the school record from last season. These four girls have helped build this team into what has become. They are true leaders and have set good examples for the rest of the girls to follow.
“Sachem East girls swimming has not sent a relay to states since 2001 we are hoping to change that next week,” said Dugan.
Great performances by:
- Senior Chrissy Scammon placed 2nd overall in diving (214.27)
- Junior Aileen Baker in the 100 Yard Freestyle (1:00.28)
- Senior Maeve Mitchell in the 100 yard Breaststroke (1:16.52)
“This truly was a team effort,” said Dugan. “This team has had one of its best seasons ever and has made both myself and Coach Turner very proud to be a part of such a special program.”
Sachem East’s eyes are set on the Suffolk County championship meets in a week. The diving championships will be on Friday, November 7 at Hauppauge High School and the swimming championships will be on Saturday, November 8 at Suffolk Community College Brentwood campus.
“While we have had a great season we have many more goals to reach,” Dugan said.