OCEAN CITY — The Red Raider girls swim team wrapped up its regular season with a 129-41 win over Clearview Regional, improving its record to 6-3 and putting it in third place in Power Points.
That should cement a home meet in the playoffs. Unbeaten Shawnee holds the top spot and Mainland Regional (6-2) is in second, meaning the Mustangs also should be hosting meets until the South Jersey finals in Group B, provided they keep winning.
Ocean City earned the No. 2 seed in last year’s sectional tournament but were knocked off by Shawnee in the semifinals. Mainland, the top seed last year, beat Shawnee 89-81 to win the Group B South Jersey title last season.
Against Clearview, which is fourth in Power Points with a 4-3 record, the Ocean City High School girls took first place in every event, swept the top three places in three events and finished 1-2 in others.
The girls jumped out to a solid lead right off the block by taking first and second in the 200-meter medley relay.
Holly Aiken, Hope Robbins, Melanie Gannon and Carina Mattern won in 2:10.46 and teammates Grace Bridgeford, Grace Hays, Cori Hemberger and Katie Pierce were second.
Kate Elder (2:21.56) and Addie Robbins took first and second in the 200 freestyle with teammate Coryn Driscoll fourth.
It was Aiken and Hays first and second in the 200 individual medley with Maggie Kelly picking up fifth-place points. Aiken’s winning time was 2:39.52.
Gannon (29.78 seconds) and Mattern went 1-2 in the 50 freestyle and Pierce was fourth for the Red Raiders.
Gannon backed that up with another individual win in the 100 butterfly in 1:08.42 in a sweep with Aiken second and Hemberger third.
Hope Robbins led another 1-2-3 sweep in the 100 freestyle, finishing in 1:05.51 with Mattern and Driscoll behind her.
Elder won her second individual event of the day in the 400 freestyle with Addie Robbins second and Addisyn Fisher fourth. Elder’s time was 4:57.61.
Hope Robbins, Mattern, Addie Robbins and Elder teamed up to win the 200 freestyle relay with teammates Pierce, Quinn Laricks, Kelly and Driscoll third.
Hemberger won the 100 backstroke in 1:16.52 with Bridgeford second and Laricks fifth.
Hope Robbins became a double individual winner when she took the 100 breaststroke in 1:21.53 with Hays second and Fisher third for an additional 1-2-3 sweep.
The Red Raider girls wrapped up the meet by winning the 400 freestyle relay in 4:27.24 with Aiken, Addie Robbins, Elder and Gannon. Teammates Driscoll, Pierce, Hemberger and Hays were third.
Formal seeding for the South Jersey tournament was set for Tuesday, Jan. 27, with the first round of swimming Feb. 2 at the higher seed. South Jersey finals are Feb. 12 at Gloucester County Institute of Technology.
The girls Cape-Atlantic League Championships were set for Tuesday at Atlantic City High School after the Sentinel went to press.
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
At top, Melanie Gannon in the butterfly in an earlier meet against Middle Township.
