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***Click the VIDEOS link above for highlights and interviews***
By James A. McCray III
Prince George’s County, Content Manager
Love was in the air at the Fairland Aquatics Center in Laurel for the Maryland 4A/3A Central regional swim championships.
As many lovers across the nation turned in their tickets to catch a movie on Valentine’s Day, area swimmers were receiving their tickets, not to a movie, but to the Maryland state swimming championships to be held next Saturday at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex.
The Governor Thomas Johnson Patriots boys’ swimming team earned its second consecutive regional title with 356 team points, bettering second-place Urbana by 36 points.
There were no double dates in Laurel on Saturday, but there were double-winners throughout the meet.
The Patriots were led by one of those double-winners in Kevin Roeder as he earned first-place honors in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke.
“I felt my race was pretty good,” Roeder said after his 200 victory. “I was trying to beat the two Urbana swimmers which was my main goal.”
“We met expectations,” Thomas Johnson head coach Kevin Conley said. “We were pumped about coming into it and being the first team to call ourselves back-to-back regional champs.”
All winners in Saturday’s regional meet qualified for the state meet with an automatic bid and in addition all respective second, third, and fourth-place spots earned automatic bids. The next top 12 times across the state, excluding the automatic bids, will also visit Prince George’s County on Saturday as well.
“We have continued to improve,” Conley said. ” … Guys are improving, everyone is healthy right now so, and we are excited going into next week.”
Additional individual winners for the Patriots came from the 100-free event turned in by sophomore Willie Sasse, and in the 500 free from Frank Reidler. Thomas Johnson’s 200-free relay team also earned first place on the day.
“I’m excited,” Sasse said of his chance to compete for a state championship. “I want to see what else Maryland has to throw at me.”
Urbana’s relay teams earned two wins courtesy of the 200-medley relay and 400-free relay teams and on the individual side, Artem Shandrenko took first in the 100 fly.
Linganore also had a double-winner on the day as Brian Gillespie won his 200-individual medley and 100-****** events to help Linganore earn fourth place overall in the team standings.
“It feels great,” Gillespie said of his future trip to the state meet. “I missed regionals last year because I was sick, so it is good to get back here, get some good times, and get the win.”
Bowie placed third overall on the boys’ side with 279 team points and Brian Laufer turned in the lone individual first-place honor in the 50 free.
Urbana Girls Earn Regional Title
Two double winners helped deliver the Urbana girls its 4A/3A Central regional championship.
JoAnna Yeh earned her trip to states in the 200-free and 100-butterfly events as teammate Jessica Jimenez swam to first-place honors in the 50-and 100-free events.
“It feels awesome,” Jimenez said of going to states for multiple events. “Not many people have the chance to win one, or two, and so, it just feels great.”
Yeh agreed with her teammate on the emotions of going to the state meet for multiple events.
“It feels great,” Yeh said. “It just gives us another chance to earn more points at states. … I am a little nervous, but also very excited.”
Freshman Alexa Santis also was an individual winner for Urbana in the 100 back for Urbana.
“That is a good combination of girls we have,” Urbana head coach Jim Kinsey said. “It’s a combination of seniors and freshmen. … We have girls all the way through that can score and the relay teams do a nice job as well.”
Urbana in fact swept the day’s relays with wins in the 200-medley relay and 200- and 400-free relays.
“I am excited for them,” Kinsey said. “They worked really hard and deserve what they got today.”
However, with the win, the Urbana team celebrated only briefly knowing the stakes are higher next week.
“You can’t see their excitement,” Kinsey added. “They come and they do their business, and they move on. There is still one more meet to go and they know that is going to be tough.”
Eleanor Roosevelt finished second overall as a team with 357 team points thanks to two first place finishes from Emily Morse (200 IM) and Hannah Betman (500 free).
Laurel’s Jade Hill earned a place at the state meet with a first-place finish in the 100 ******.
E-Mail: James A. McCray III
Below is a complete list of automatic state bids earned Saturday:
Boys: Gov. Thomas Johnson 356, Urbana 320, Bowie 279, Eleanor Roosevelt 254, Linganore 233, Laurel 189, Northwestern 91, High Point 79, Parkdale 74, Bladensburg 55, Patterson Park 44, DuVal 35
Girls: Urbana 383.50, Eleanor Roosevelt 357, Gov. Thomas Johnson 310.50, Linganore 218, Laurel 218, Bowie 181, High Point 143, Patterson Park 87, Parkdale 44, Western 33, DuVal 6
* Denotes state qualifier
Event 1 – Men 200 Yard Medley Relay
*1. Urbana 1:48.91; *2. Bowie 1:51.91; *3. Thomas Johnson 1:52.96; *4 Eleanor Roosevelt 1:54.54
Event 2 – Women 200-Yard Medley Relay
*1. Urbana 1:58.00; *2. Eleanor Roosevelt 2:00.49; *3. Thomas Johnson 2:04.32; *4. Laurel 2:09.50
Event 3 – Men 200 Yard Freestyle
*1. Kevin Roeder (TJ) 1:55.68; *2. Eric Knapp (U) 1:56.76; *3. Chris Steinheimer (U) 1:59.49; *4. Frank Reidler (TJ) 2:00.72
Event 4 – Women 200 Yard Freestyle
*1. JoAnna Yeh (U) 1:56.18; *2. Hannah Betman (ER) 1:59.03; *3. Abby Moore (ER) 2:07.47; *4. Hillary Rines (U) 2:10.83
Event 5 – Men 200 Yard IM
*1. Brian Gillespie (Lin) 2:06.67; *2. Willie Sasse (TJ) 2:10.65; *3. Lee Friedman (ER) 2:15.43; *4. Kevin Carr (TJ) 2:21.46
Event 6 – Women 200 Yard IM
*1. Emily Morse (ER) 2:16.11; *2. Alexa Santis (U) 2:19.97; *3. Courtney Like-Matthews (ER) 2:21.99; *4. Jade Hill (Lau) 2:25. 57
Event 7 – Men 50 Yard Freestyle
*1. Brian Laufer (Bow) 23.44; *2. Tyler Lynch (Bow) 24.12; *3. Dan Chilton (TJ) 24.55, *4. Marc Howell (ER) 24.57
Event 8 – Women 50 Yard Freestyle
*1. Jessica Jimenez (U) 26.09; *2. Sara Franciscovich (TJ) 26.64; *3 Chloe Brown (HP) 26.80; *4. Zoe McIlmall (U) 26.81
Event 11 – Men 100 Yard Butterfly
*1. Artem Shandrenko (U) 55.33; *2. Will Goundry (TJ) 55.99; *3. Chris Howard (U) 59.84; *4. David Webster (Bow) 1:02.36
Event 12 – Women 100 Yard Butterfly
*1. JoAnne Yeh (U) 59.30; *2. Kendall Irish (ER) 1:00.36; *3. Emily Morse (ER) 1:00.95; *4. Caitlin Raynor (Lau) 1:03.03
Event 13 – Men 100 Yard Freestyle
*1. Wille Sasse (TJ) 51.76; *2. Andrew Jennings (Bow) 53.53, *3. Tom Gleason (U) 54.86; *4. Dan Chilton (TJ) 54.98
Event 14 – Women 100 Yard Freestyle
*1. Jessica Jimenez (U) 56.65, *2. Sara Franciscovich (TJ) 58.02, *2. Kelsey Lake (U) 58,02, *4. Julia Felts (ER) 1:00.26
Event 15 – Men 500 Yard Freestyle
*1. Frank Reidler (TJ) 5:27.60, *2. Chris Steinheimer (U) 5:30.09, *3. Kevin Carr (TJ) 5:32.55, *4. Mike Macfarlane (U) 5:38.59
Event 16 – Women 500 Yard Freestyle
*1. Hannah Betman (ER) 5:10.34, *2. Cassie Sorna (U) 5:28.42; *3. Danielle James (U) 5:38.94; *4. Robin Currens (TJ) 5:39.79
Event 17 – Men 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
*1. Thomas Johnson 1:37.44; *2. Linganore 1:39.83; *3. Eleanor Roosevelt 1:43.44; *4. Bowie 1:46.60
Event 18 – Women 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
*1. Urbana 1:46.16; *2. Eleanor Roosevelt 1:46.75; *3. Thomas Johnson 1:53.19; *4. Linganore 1:59.52
Event 19 – Men 100 Yard Backstroke
*1. Kevin Roeder (TJ) 58.09; *2. Artem Shandrenko (U) 58.20; *3. Eric Knapp (U) 58.75; *4. Andrew Jennings (Bow) 1:03.06
Event 20 – Women 100 Yard Backstroke
*1. Alexa Santis (U) 1:03.00; *2. Courtney Like-Matthews (ER) 1:03.75; *3. Caitlin Raynor (Lau) 1:04.34; *4. Abby Moore (ER) 1:04.70
Event 21 – Men 100 Yard Breaststroke
*1. Brian Gillespie (Lin) 1:04.43; *2. Will Goundry (TJ) 1:05.31; *3. Brian Laufer (Bow) 1:06.75; *4. Lee Friedman (ER) 1:09.28
Event 22 – Women 100 Breaststroke
*1. Jade Hill (Lau) 1:11.51; *2. Kendall Irish (ER) 1:!2.21; *3. Cassie Sorna (U) 1:14.15; *4. Emma Varner (ER) 1:15.48
Event 23 – Men 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
*1. Urbana 3:30.63; *2. Thomas Johnson 3:30.88; *3. Bowie 3:41.72; *4. Eleanor Roosevelt 3:46.95
Event 24 – Women 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
*1. Urbana 3:47.42; *2. Eleanor Roosevelt 3:53.19; *3. Thoma Johnson 4:02.62; *4. Laurel 4:20.39
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