The Whaler boys and girls swim teams started their seasons off with a splash. The girls won their first meet against Sandwich 90-75 while the boys won their meet 94-44. Jim Pignato said this first meet was “fantastic” and that he is very proud of his swimmers and how they performed.
“Very impressed,” Pignato said. “We hit the ground running with these kids not really fully knowing what to expect out of Sandwich. The girls came out here and performed well. We knew on the boys side it may be a little tight but they had some men down and were short. Our boys came in amped up and ready to race and they really showed it.”
Kevin and Jake Johnson, Justin Roethke, and Parker Valero had stellar meets for the boys, with Eli MacIver and Hunter Gross playing key roles to earn the Whalers some valuable points.
“The top four guys are the obvious ones but when you start looking at the guys like Eli, a seventh grader who swims in the 200 individual medley relay and comes in third, that gives us some huge points,” Pignato said. “Then you look at Hunter Gross, who I can’t say enough good things about this kid. He approached us day two of practice and said ‘I’m a diver but I want to swim’ and so he began swimming three times per week. So him going and doing both for us really rounds out this team beautifully.”
“If you look at the 100 free, Eli and Hunter going one-two in that event is a huge, huge point getter for us. I mean Eli, a seventh grader, finishes with a 1:01.99 and a first place finish in the 100 free. That man should feel really good about himself after that race.”
On the girls side, senior Emma Davis led the way as expected. She was spectacular all night long, earning two individual state qualifying times including a 25.72 in the 50 freestyle and a 55.27 in the 100 freestyle.
Eighth grader Maddie Bartleman earned a state qualifying time in the 400 yard free with a time of 3:57.57 and placed first in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 1:04.12, which was just about 1.5 seconds off the school record for that event.
“Maddie is just so talented,” Pignato said. “For her to go out and perform that way is special. She is a really important part of this team.”
The following times below are state qualifying times for Whaler girl swimmers. Numbers to the left of each name indicate each swimmer’s grade level.
(12) Emma Davis, 50 Yard Freestyle, 25.72
(12) Emma Davis, 100 Yard Freestyle, 55:27
(8) Maddie Bartleman, 100 Yard Freestyle, 57.37
(8) Maddie Bartleman, 100 Yard Backstroke, 1:04.12
(8) Myah Johnson, 100 Yard Breaststroke, 1.13.58
(10) Savannah Cox, 500 Yard Freestyle, 5:40.21
(10) Savannah Cox, (8) Maddie Bartleman, (12) Emily Dussault, and (12) Emma Davis, 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, 3:57.57
The following are sectional qualifying times for Whaler girl swimmers:
(8) Myah Johnson, 50 Yard Freestyle, 26.70. Needs to swim a 26.32 or lower to earn a state qualifying time.
(10) Savannah Cox, 200 Yard Freestyle, 2:06.87. Needs to swim a 2:05.68 or lower to earn a state qualifying time.
(12) Emily Dussault, 200 Yard Individual Medley, 2:26.63. Needs to swim a 2:24.33 or lower to earn a state qualifying time.
(8) Myah Johnson, (10) Savannah Cox, (12) Macy Crowell, and (12) Sam Wisentaner, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay, 1:50.02. These four need a 1:49.82 or lower to earn a state qualifying time.
The following times below are state qualifying times for Whaler boy swimmers.
(11) Justin Roethke, (12) Kevin B. Johnson, (8) Parker Valero, and (9) Jake D. Johnson, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 1:50.62.
(12) Kevin B. Johnson, 200 Yard Individual Medley, 2:07.90.
(12) Kevin B. Johnson, 100 Yard Breaststroke, 1:06.08.
(11) Justin Roethke, 100 Yard Butterfly, 55:13.
(11) Justin Roethke, 100 Yard Backstroke, 57:52.
(11) Justin Roethke, (8) Parker Valero, (9) Jake D. Johnson, and (12) Kevin B. Johnson, 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, 3:36.47.
The Whalers next meet will be Tuesday, December 21, at 5:30 p.m. against Barnstable.
