A winning formula of having vast talent and depth was displayed by the Yorktown Patriots as the high-school team remained atop the swimming and diving throne of the 6D North Region.
The Yorktown girls won a third straight championship (fourth overall) this season, finishing first with 376 points, capped at the swimming finals, held the night of Feb. 3 at Oakmont RECenter in Oakton.
Yorktown won on the strength of two winning relays and a runner-up finish in a third such race, having two individuals win three races – led by double-winner Rachel Conley – and placing second in two other events. In all, 12 different Yorktown swimmers scored points in individual races and two divers scored in that competition. The Patriots had 19 top-10 finishers in the swimming and diving events combined.
Conley was first in the 100 (52.4) and 200 (1:51.63) freestyle races and swam on the winning 200 free relay (1:37.57) and runner-up 400 free relay. Yorktown’s Lila Sherman won the 500 free (5:02.52) and was fifth in the 200 free.
“We mostly did what we needed to do with our depth and approach,” Yorktown coach Torey Ortmayer said. “We had a lot of opportunities with our depth and were able to get to the 350-point mark that its takes sometimes to win a region title.”
Yorktown’s Nora Sherman was second in the individual medley and fifth in the 100 backstroke, Sophie Fredericks was second in the 100 butterfly and third in the back, Clara McCarthy was sixth in the 500 free and seventh in the 200 free, Jackie Furches was fifth in the 50 free and 10th in the IM, Emory Haynes was sixth in the 100 breaststroke and Mary Hecmanczuk was eighth in the 50 free and 11th in the fly.
Other swimmers scoring for Yorktown were Jay Young, Sabrina O’Dea, Scarlett Gray and Katherine Schmitt. Divers Stella Barclay and Caite Lawler were fourth and 12th, respectively
The 200 free relay won in 1:37.57 and also consisted of Lila Sherman, Fredericks and Hecmanczuk. Yorktown’s medley relay of Nora Sherman, Young, Fredericks and Hecmanczuk won in 1:47.16. The 400 free relay McCarthy, Conley, Nora Sherman and Lila Sherman.
Ortmayer said a big key to winning was having a strong performance the night before during the preliminary swimming events.
“That matters more than anything and it sets you up for the finals if you perform well that night,” Ortmayer said.
The Washington-Liberty girls finished seventh in the region as Charlie Scogna was third in the IM and fifth in the 100 free to lead the way and Josie Gieseman, Sasha Taylor, Katie McDonald and Kate Taylor had top-10 swim finishes and Erin Wills was eighth in diving.
The Washington-Liberty boys also finished seventh, led by Eli Martin with a win in the 200 free (1:40.26) and a sixth in the back. Also for W-L, Ibou Diouf was fourth in the 50 free and fifth in the fly and Kedar Kambhampaty was sixth in the IM and seventh in the breast.
For the Yorktown boys, Billy Weber was sixth in the 50 free and 12th in the 100 free.
The Wakefield boys and girls each finished 13th.
