LINWOOD — A strong 4-0 start for the Mainland Regional High School girls swim team hit a speed bump to start the second half of the season.
The Mustangs suffered their first loss of the year Jan. 4 to Egg Harbor Township by a score of 104-66. Junior Alivia Wainwright gave the Mustangs some highlights in the meet as she won the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races.
They quickly got back on track, however, and cruised past Oakcrest 118-51. Mainland had nine first-place finishes in the 11 events.
Wainwright won two more individual events in the 100-meter fly and the 100-meter backstroke. Her time of 1:09:98 in the backstroke was almost 11 seconds faster than the next-closest swimmer.
With only three more meets before the postseason, the 5-1 Mustangs are in a great spot to go deep into the playoffs. They are looking to claim the NJSIAA South Jersey championship after a dominant season last year ended in the title meet.
Their next meet is scheduled for Jan. 17 at home against Our Lady of Mercy Academy.
OLMA has a perfect 4-0 record on the season and looks to be one of the biggest obstacles in the Mustangs’ way. Last season when they met, Mainland held on to win 100-70. A victory would give the Mustangs a chance at being a top 2 seed in the playoffs.
Against Oakcrest, multiple different Mustangs got involved and claimed top spots in their respective events.
Claudia Booth finished the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 2:22.15 followed by teammate Leah Nirenberg in 2:32.30. The duo also won the 200-meter freestyle relay with freshmen Hailey Kerns and Ambar Perez-Mercedes in 1:59.83.
In the 200-meter IM, Perez-Mercedes secured first place with her time of 2:41.57. It was far from her best, however, as she had a time of 2:34.65 a couple days prior versus Egg Harbor Township that secured her second in the event.
Even if the final score might not show an extremely tight contest between Mainland and EHT, there were plenty of close races between the teams.
Wainwright and Booth finished in the top two spots in the 100-meter freestyle with times of 1.01.41 and 1.03.67 respectively. Two Mustang relay teams led by Wainwright and Kerns took second and third place in the 400-meter freestyle.
EHT handed Mainland its first loss and was the first opponent that had been as dominant as them so far this season. Like the Eagles, OLMA is undefeated this season. The key to Mainland’s victory against these high-powered teams will need to be the production outside the number one lane.
The top swimmers proved against EHT that they can win some races and stay competitive. Mainland’s second lane can swing the direction of the meet drastically if they can consistently top the other team’s second lane.
By WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
