LINWOOD — The Mustang girls swim team is using its narrow loss in the South Jersey sectional finals last season as motivation for this season.
The team bounced right back from a season-opening loss to Our Lady of Mercy Academy by beating Clearview Regional 120-50 on Friday, Dec. 6.
Head coach Mike Demarest noted it has been an unusual start to the season with two meets on only eight days of practice.
OLMA topped Mainland Regional girls 99-71 two days earlier.
“It’s a little different than what we’re used to as far as getting the girls prepared, teaching all the little technique things and how meets work, but they’ve gone an amazing distance in a short period of time these past two weeks. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season,” he said.
The Mustangs lost only three seniors to graduation from last year’s team, which came ever so close in the South Jersey Group B sectional championship game.
“We had a bit of a heartbreak at the end (of last season). We lost in the South Jersey sectional, so there’s a feeling of extra motivation to really go after this season,” Demarest said.
The Mainland girls were the top seed in last year’s sectional, beat Clearview in the semifinals 103-67, then lost to No. 3 seed Shawnee 87-83 in the final. Shawnee also upset No. 2 seed Ocean City in the semifinal. Mainland finished last year with an 8-3 record.
Demarest is in his second season as head coach of the Mustangs after being an assistant at Atlantic City and head coach at Oakcrest.
“I think this year the way our lineup looks, we have a lot of possibilities, a lot of potential,” he said.
The coach said Alivia Wainwright is one of the seniors who will be leading the team along with swimmers such as Leah Nirenberg, Aixell Perez-Mercedes, Ryann Lowry, Reese McEvoy and freshman Ella Mokienko.
“We’re expecting a lot of good things out of them, but I have a lot of committed strong girls throughout our lineup so it is hard to pick out just a few,” he said. “I feel like we have some depth. It’s really hard to tell after eight practices, but it’s looking good.”
Asked if the sectional title is one of the goals he set for the team, he responded, “I don’t think I even have to set it. The girls set it themselves there. They’re ready for it.”
MRHS 120, Clearview 50
Mainland started Friday’s meet by taking first and second in the 200-meter medley relay, led by Wainwright, Mokienko, McEvoy and Perez-Mercedes winning in 2 minutes, 8.37 seconds. Teammates Maddie Slatterly, Sasha Rimska, Avery Graves and Gabby Grant were second.
Ambar Perez-Mercedes won the 200 freestyle in 2:15.36 with teammates Riley Lockhart third. Clearview’s Lauren Williams was second.
Lowry won the 200 individual medley in 2:38.55 with Mokienko second. Clearview’s Kelsey DiGiacomo was third.
Nirenberg (28.88 seconds) and Aixell Perez-Mercedes went 1-2 in the 50 freestyle with Clearview’s Sarah Propert third. After the first four events, Mainland was up 45-17.
After the break, Wainwright (1:06.51) and McEvoy went 1-2 in the 100 butterfly with Clearview’s Lauren Lett third.
Ambar Perez-Mercedes and Nirenberg finished first and second in the 100 freestyle. Perez-Mercedes won in 1:01.66. Propert was third for Clearview.
Lowry won the 400 freestyle in 4:58.09. Williams and Charlotte Misner were second and third for Clearview.
Aixell Perez-Mercedes, Mokienko, Ambar Perez-Mercedes and Nirenberg won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:58.47 with teammates Taylor Funk, Natalie DiBartolo, Gabby Grant and Megan Pruitt second, pushing Mainland’s lead to 87-37.
McEvoy won the 100 backstroke (1:10.58) with Hailey Kerns third. Clearview’s Lett was second.
Pruitt (1:28.66) and Rimska were first and third in the 100 breaststroke with DiGiacomo second for Clearview.
The Mustangs wrapped the meet by taking first and second in the 400 freestyle relay.
Lowry, Ambar Perez-Mercedes, Nirenberg and Wainwright won in 4:23.71 with teammates Hailey Kerns, Shanye Connolly, DiBartolo and McEvoy second.
The girls have another two meets this week. They hosted Oakcrest on Tuesday after the Sentinel went to press and host Cedar Creek at 4 p.m. Friday.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
