GREENWICH – Greenwich sophomore Meghan Lynch won two individual events and was a member of a winning relay team to help the Cardinals defend their team title at the 2018 FCIAC Girls Swimming and Diving Championships on Nov. 1 at Greenwich High School.
The Cardinals had a huge lead before the first event in the Nov. 1 swimming portion of the meet as they swept the top three places in the Oct. 30 diving portion. Maddie Muldoon won the diving with 454 points and just behind her were teammates Regina Frias (443 points) and Annabelle Pollack (441).
Greenwich utilized its traditional depth and balance to accumulate 363.5 points and finish 65.5 points ahead of runner-up Darien (298 points). Wilton was just three points behind Darien, Ridgefield had 257 points and Staples completed the top five with 254 points.
Staples senior Marissa Healy won two individual events and was on a pair of victorious relay teams. Healy and Lynch each set a meet record in one of their individual victories so it was most appropriate that they were both recipients of the meet’s Most Outstanding Swimmer Award.
Lynch set the new FCIAC record of 2:01.55 with her dominant victory in the 200-yard individual medley early in the meet. Not too long afterwards she won the 100 freestyle (51.34) midway through the meet.
Lynch and her three teammates – Emily Warner, Hanna Seward and Jenna Handali – won the 400-yard freestyle relay with a meet record time of 3:31.28 in the meet’s final event.
Seward placed second in the 100-yard butterfly (57.69) and fourth in the 50 free (24.71), while teammate Allison Brea was runner-up in the 500 free (5:12.55).
Healy won the 50 free in 23.39 and then had the shortest rest break possible before the next event when she dove back into the pool and proceeded to set the new meet record of 54.91 in the 100 butterfly.
In the first swimming event of the meet, Healy teamed up with Esme Hunter, Anne Bowens and Sophia Mechanic to win the 200-yard medley relay in 1:47.22. Then she won her two individual races midway through the meet and toward the end she was joined on the victorious 200 free relay team (1:36.29) by Hunter, Bowens and Lenoce.
Hunter also had a great meet. Immediately after that 200 free relay she won the 100 backstroke in 56:09 and earlier in the meet she was runner-up in the 200 IM (2:04.9) to Lynch.
Ridgefield’s Rylie Giles won the 500 free in 5:05.49 and placed fourth in the 200 free (1:54.18) which was won by her teammate, Anna Turner (1:51.29). Ridgefield had another individual winner in Jenna Leonard, who won the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.47.
Kelly Dolce placed second in the 100 freestyle (52.69) and third in the 200 free (1:53.97) and Kaitlyn Holmes was runner-up in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.03) and third in the 200 IM (2:08.75) to lead Darien. The Blue Wave had another runner-up finish from Cassandra Maroney in the 50 freestyle (24.5).
New Canaan’s Alex Pastushan placed second in the 100 backstroke (58.05) and third in the 100 fly (58.46).
Taylor Loud led Wilton by placing third in both the 50 free (24.55) and 100 free (53.08).
Trumbull’s Lauren Walsh was third in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.11) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:09.26).
Greenwich will try to defend its state class team title at the 2018 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletics Conference Class LL Girls Swimming and Diving Championships onNov. 14 at Southern Connecticut State University at 6 p.m.
The other FCIAC teams include Trumbull, Staples, the Norwalk/McMahon cooperative program, the Westhill/Stamford cooperative program, Fairfield Ludlowe, Fairfield Warde and Ridgefield, which was runner-up at last year’s CIAC Class LL meet.
Darien, New Canaan and Wilton are the FCIAC teams which will compete in the CIAC Class L championship meet which takes place on Nov. 13 at SCSU at 6 p.m. Last year Darien placed second behind champion Cheshire, which then went on to place second behind Greenwich at the State Open.