OCEAN CITY – A good season ended Feb. 10 for the Ocean City High School girls swimmers when they fell to Shawnee in the semifinals of the South Jersey Group B sectional tournament.
In spite of season-best personal performances and a school record, the Red Raiders (8-3) could not overcome Shawnee’s depth. The No. 2 seed Ocean City girls won a number of events, but Shawnee (9-2), the No. 3 seed in the tournament, earned the upset.
“They are unbelievable. They do this every year,” Ocean City coach Ian Keyser said about Shawnee’s girls team. “There is a good reason they are the two-time defending South Jersey champs. They brought their A-game today. They’re a very tough team. They have great center-lane talent, they’ve got great depth. They’re a perfectly fit team in that way.”
Shawnee ended Ocean City’s season last year in the semifinals by a 94-76 score on the way to a South Jersey title win over Mainland Regional.
“We swam very well,” Keyser said. “I think that was the theme for the night. The 200 medley relay, we break our school record, and we get second. That’s just kind of the way it goes, but I told the girls, ‘You keep your heads held high. You have to be proud of yourself for the way we swam today, for the way we competed this season and today Shawnee was just the better team.’”
Shawnee 93, OCHS 77
Shawnee started off the meet by winning the 200-meter medley relay in 2:00.48 and taking third place for a quick 10-4 lead. Red Raiders Rachel Stauffer, Abby Hays, Holly Aiken and Ryan Cooke were second in 2:01.63, but set the school record in the event.
The visitors at the Ocean City Aquatic and Fitness Center pool added a first and second in the 200 freestyle behind Alania Allbaugh-Heinz (2:12.86) and Ellie Walsh (2:12.99). Raiders Kate Elder, Hope Robbins and Addie Robbins were third, fourth and fifth, but it put Shawnee up 20-10.
Camryn Tilger (2:26.87) and Raegan Jacobson finished first and third for Shawnee in the 200 individual medley. Ocean City’s Abby Hays, Aiken and Grace Hays were second, fourth and fifth.
The Red Raiders almost caught up in the next event, the 50 freestyle, when Ryan Cooke (28.11 seconds) and Mia Buonadonna finished 1-2 and Brynn Gallagher added a fourth-place finish.
At the break, it was 33-29 Shawnee.
Over the next three events, Shawnee was able to extend its lead to 62-48.
Tilger (1:02.37) won the 100 butterfly with teammates third and fifth. Stauffer and Aiken were second and fourth for Ocean City.
Walsh (1:01.14) and Maia Kaczur went 1-2 in the 100 freestyle with Cooke, Buonadonna and Gallagher third, fourth and fifth for the Red Raiders.
Allbaugh-Heinz (4:41.48) and Leah Christianson finished first and third in the 400 freestyle for Shawnee. Elder, Grace Hays and Addie Robbins were second, fourth and fifth.
The Red Raiders regained ground, narrowing the gap to 66-58, when Buonadonna, Gallagher, Elder and Cooke won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:56.37 and teammates Hope Robbins, Carina Mattern, Coryn Driscoll and Katie Pierce finished third.
The teams tied in points in the next event, the 100 backstroke.
Stauffer won the race in 1:07.5 with teammate Kamryn Smallwood fourth. Kaczur, Tori Businski and Ava Lorrilliere were second, third and fifth for Shawnee.
Shawnee’s eight-point lead expanded to 85-71 after the 100 breaststroke, essentially handing the meet to the visitors.
Jacobson (1:13.58) and Sofia Caravello took first and third. Abby Hays, Hope Robbins and Marina Zappone were second, fifth and sixth.
Shawnee finished out the meet by winning the 400 freestyle relay in 4:06.67 behind Kaczur, Allbaugh-Heinz, Walsh and Tilger. Ocean City’s Aiken, Elder, Abby Hays and Stauffer were second and teammates Buonadonna, Driscoll, Hope Robbins and Gallagher were third.
A big senior class
The Raiders are graduating 12 seniors from this year’s team, according to the coach.
“This team has a special place in my heart,” he said. “This senior class, specifically, there are 12 of them. It’s the biggest senior class I’ve ever had. I will absolutely miss all of them.
“This was a group that came together throughout the year and just worked hard. They did what they needed to do,” Keyser said. “Unfortunately you come up short in a meet like this. You hate to go out like that, and I hate that for these seniors, but I’m still so proud of the way we competed this year and the way we finished the year.”
“First off I’m going to remember my teammates, of course,” senior Rachel Stauffer said. “They’re the best part about swimming – spending time with everyone and all the fun we have at practice and the meets together.
“I love coach Keyser, of course. He is one of my favorite swim coaches. I’m going to miss the atmosphere and the parents and how everyone gets so loud.”
Stauffer, a consistent winner for the Red Raider swim team, said she didn’t go through the college recruitment process because she missed last year’s swim season, but is thinking about club swimming at college or trying to walk on to a team.
“They had a very good lineup and they all swam really well,” Stauffer said about Shawnee, “but we did too. We swam our fastest all year.”
Fellow senior Abby Hays also will fondly remember the team.
“We had such a deep connection. Everyone was best friends. There wasn’t any negative energy,” Hays said. “Everybody was so close. Having the team be there for each other and support each other and scream for each other at every event was probably the most special thing I’ve experienced with this team this year.”
Hays is committed to swim at Division I Loyola University of Maryland.
“I think it’s going to be a little tougher,” she said about the transition to college athletics. “It’s such a fun environment here. You never really take it too seriously until it’s one of these events (the sectionals). I feel with college swimming it’s going to be a lot more serious and everyone is going to be set on what they want to do. This is more of a fun atmosphere.”
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
