LINWOOD — Coming off losses to three tough teams, the Mainland Regional boys swim team used last week’s meet against Cedar Creek to give them a chance to compete more against each other and try some different events.
The Mustangs topped the Pirates 126-42, winning all but one event, sweeping a few.
Mainland started the season with wins over Millville and Atlantic City but then lost to St. Augustine Prep 124-46, narrowly to Ocean City (91-79) and then to Egg Harbor Township 107-63.
“Our last few meets have been relatively big ones for us. We had the Prep, EHT, Ocean City — all really good teams — and came out a little on the short end of all of them, but we swam well,” head coach Brian Booth said. “I’m happy with the progression we’re having, but today was a day I could kind of change things up and let them swim some off events and have some fun.
“I’m happy with how we swam,” Booth said. “We put some races together to have some good races among ourselves today and they were fun to watch. The kids had a good time. They’re still learning a couple of things to make us a little bit stronger as we get toward the end of the year.
“I had a lot of them do different events today. There were a couple of things I was trying to see,” he added. “The goal is getting faster each week and putting the work in for when it’s time to put it down” during the playoffs.
Mainland 126
Cedar Creek 42
Alex Savov, Zach Vasser, Kareem Aksenov and Liam Kennedy won the opening 200-meter medley relay in 1 minute, 59.99 seconds, with teammates Evan Falk, Mason Bushay, Dan Tracey and Justin Yon second. Pirates Kristyan Pahang, Ryan Vankawala, Shane Deman and Matthew Winterbottom were third.
Bushay (2:03.78), Chris Pozza and Ryan Kennedy went 1-3-4 in the 200 freestyle. Pirates Winterbottom and RJ Rizzo were second and fifth.
Savov (2:27.07) led a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200 individual medley. Pahang and Shane Deman were fourth and fifth.
Vasser won the 50 freestyle in 26.27 seconds, with Joe Russo and Tyler Wimberg third and fourth. Cedar Creek’s Abdel Mohamed and Cole Turner were second and fifth.
Tracey (1:11.29) and Falk were first and second in the 100 butterfly, with teammate Brad Sinclair fifth. Shayne Herbert and Deman were third and fourth for the Pirates.
Winterbottom took the 100 freestyle in 1:58.72 for Cedar Creek, with Ryan Vankawala and Mohamed fourth and fifth. Mustangs Yon and Aksenov were second and third.
Pozza (5:20.46) and Jack Barnhart went 1-2 in the 400 freestyle, with fellow Mustangs Dominick Generosi fourth. Herbert and Rizzo were third and fifth for Cedar Creek.
Tracey, Wimberg, Falk and Vasser battled with teammates Falk, Russo, Savov and Bushay in the 200 freestyle relay with the former foursome edging the latter in 1:47.72. Winterbottom, Vankawala, Deman and Mohamed were third for the Pirates.
Yon won the 100 backstroke in 1:04.27, with Liam Kennedy and Emil Draka second and fourth. Pirates Pahang and Joseph Bolger were third and fifth.
Falk (1:16.97), Aksenov and Grant Livingston swept the top three spots in the 100 breaststroke for the Mustangs. Pirates Vankawala and Cole Turner were third and fourth.
Mainland wrapped the meet by taking first and second in the 400 freestyle. Brian Falk, Yon, Evan Falk and Bushay won in 3:58.99 and Tracey, Liam Kennedy, Savov and Vasser were second. Mohamed, Turner, Herbert and Pahang were third.
The Mustangs are now 3-3 on the season. The Pirates are 3-4.
Ocean City 107
Atlantic City 63
The Ocean City boys improved to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in the Cape-Atlantic League with a 107-63 win over Atlantic City last week.
Story and photos by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
