OCEAN CITY – The Red Raider girls swim team used its depth in the relay events – and with critical fifth-place finishes in the individual events – to hand Vineland (5-1) its first loss of the season Friday.
Ocean City won 91-79 in an exciting meet that had the two teams tied after five events at the Ocean City Aquatic and Fitness Center before the Ocean City High School swimmers were able to start pulling away. The stubborn Fighting Clan, which took first place in seven of the 11 events, kept it close until the end.
“We were just so excited and ready to go,” said senior Olivia Scherbin. “Our last few meets we were just touch and go, but this meet we came together as a team and pulled through. Every single event we pulled through. It was awesome to see. I’m so happy our team has come together so much over the last few races. We just really all put our best efforts out there.”
Scherbin believes things augur well for the end of the season.
“I think we have a really good chance to go really far,” she said. “We’re only going to get better from here and our team has been sick, hurt and we’re all together now and practicing. It’s only going to get better from here.”
Teammate Mia Buonadonna had one of the close, exciting finishes for the Red Raiders, coming from behind to win the 100-meter backstroke by a touch.
“It was so fun. I’ve been off of swimming for like two weeks and it was great to get back and race one of my best friends,” Buonadonna said. “I’ve been racing against Vineland for a while and I love them all. They’re so nice.”
The freshman swimmer goes through a psyche-up routine before her races and admits she was nervous.
“I was so scared,” she said, still smiling broadly after the meet. “Right before I was talking to my dad and he was like, ‘Just do what you always do,’ so I really tried to get into the wall nicely and first.”
As for the routine, she does it “every single time. My coach takes note of it. He honestly says it’s a good thing. I try to limit myself from it, but it does help me in the end.”
Head coach Ian Keyser said he knew the relay events “were going to be huge. We really relied on our depth today. I think that showed. We limited those sixth places. We were third in two of those relays and picking up that extra two points is huge.”
In the relays, only the top three finishes score with 8 points for first, 4 points for second and 2 points for third. In the individual events, the scoring is 6-4-3-2-1 with no points for sixth place.
“Every place matters … from top to bottom,” Keyser said. “We limited those sixth places and that’s what kills you. That fifth place, getting that one point is huge. Those touches – it always comes down to that.” He noted Buonadonna winning the backstroke, but in the next event, the 100 breaststroke, Vineland out-touched the Ocean City swimmer to win. “It was on both sides.
“It was a playoff type of atmosphere, a great type of meet to be fighting the entire time. I’m really proud of how our girls swam,” he said.
Against Vineland, the Red Raider girls had their first full lineup in their second meet coming out of the holiday break.
“We’ve had some kids who were out sick throughout this year, we got some kids back who were out with some injuries. It was one of our first complete lineups. I think it instills confidence in us to finish out the season here,” Keyser said. “We’re two to three weeks from playoffs. The girls are on Cloud Nine tonight. I’m really excited for them. I think it sets us up for a great second half of the year.”
Ocean City 91, Vineland 79
Ocean City started strong in the 200-meter medley relay, taking first and third places.
Mia Buonadonna, Abby Hays, Rachel Stauffer and Olivia Scherbin combined for first with a time of 2:06.30, beating Vineland’s Ava Smith, Isabela Saltar, Ava Levari and Ava Luciano by less than four-tenths of a second. Ocean City’s Ryan Cooke, Sofia Petrov, Van Kelly and Kelsea Cooke were third.
Lena Luciano (2:16.52) and teammate Ashlynn Newton were first and third in the 200 freestyle for Vineland with Ocean City’s Lillly Teofanova, Nina DiPilato and Callie Bellwoar second, fourth and fifth.
Vineland finished first and third in the 200 individual medley behind Levari (2:41.12) and Alyanna Tiu. Red Raiders Cooke, Petrov and Vanna Kelly were second, fourth and fifth.
Ava Luciano won the 50 freestyle in 28.29 seconds, but Ocean City’s Cooke, Buonadonna and Mia Gallagher took second, third and fifth.
Vineland had a 1-2 finish in the 100 butterfly. Ava Smith won in 1:07.53 and teammate Ava Levari was second, tying the two teams at 39-39. Ocean City’s Stauffer, Vanna Kelly and Ava Kelly were third, fourth and fifth.
The Red Raiders responded in a big way in the 100 freestyle led by Scherbin, who won in 59.88 seconds with teammates Cooke and Hays third and fourth. Vineland’s Ava Luciano and Ashlynn Newton were second and fifth.
That 11-5 event score put the Red Raiders up 50-44. Although the meet remained tight, Ocean City would not trail again.
Lena Luciano won the 400 freestyle in 4:50.58 with Saltar fourth. Ocean City’s Teofanoa, Bellwoar and Breanna Fabi were second, third and fifth.
Although Ocean City’s fastest 200 freestyle relay team was disqualified, teammates Petrov, Gallagher, DiPilato and Teofanova won the event for the 8 points with a time of 2:02.23, just over a second ahead of Vineland’s Vanessa Williams, Newton, Tiu and Lena Luciano. The Fighting Clan’s Jada Williams, Gabby Brown, Brie Hartman and Annalia Franceschini were second.
In a race decided by less than a tenth of a second, Ocean City’s Buonadonna out-touched Vineland’s Ava Smith in the 100 backstroke. Buonadonna’s time was 1:10.66. Smith’s time was 1:10.75. Cooke and Jessica Scott were third and fourth for Ocean City and Ava Cohen was fifth for Vineland.
Saltar won the 100 breaststroke for Vineland in 1:22.19, just ahead of Ocean City’s Hays. Petrov and Elizabeth Abbott were third and fifth for Ocean City and Vineland’s Brown was fourth.
Ava Luciano, Levari, Smith and Lena Luciano won the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, in 4:16.86, but with Ocean City taking second and third, the meet was more than guaranteed. Stauffer, Cooke, Buonadonna and Scherbin were second for the Red Raiders and teammates Teofanova, Fabi, DiPilato and Bellwoar were third for the final 91-79 score.
Ocean City (6-1) was hosting Cedar Creek Tuesday after the Sentinel sports section went to press and will be at Middle Township Tuesday, Jan. 25.
STORY AND PHOTOS By DAVID NAHAN, SENTINEL STAFF