Jersey Shore (PA) Swim: Jersey Shore Girls Win All-Stars, Team Takes Third Overall (July 24)

Whereas the regular dual season meets favor depth over talent, The Bald Eagle Swim League All-Star Meet is a showcase for talent. Dual meets allow each team to enter three swimmers where the All Star format only allows for one swimmer for each event. Jersey Shore has great depth in almost every age group, but a few teams within the league that have smaller numbers are able to produce some monster swimmers. Although Shore beat Loyalsock last week in a dual meet, ‘Sock as a team was able to place many of their selected swimmers in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd consistently in the All-Star meet.
The one aspect of the meet Loyalsock could not dominate was the Shore girls. Shore was able to capture the most events over the other five league teams. This dominance wasn’t apparent at first as Loyalsock’s Cassie Gee, Gabi Raub, Jordan Kelley, Claire Smith, and Julia Arnold took the opening crescendo relay by over 2 seconds from Shore’s Megan Keegan, Taylor Fleming, Emma Butzler, Lindsay Dudek, and Courtney Breon. It wasn’t until event 8 that Shore was able to capture its first win when Olivia Edler touched before Lock Haven’s Michelle Haftl in the 50 freestyle.

Jersey Shore’s Emma Butzler on-route
to a win in the 50 meter breaststroke

Edler was one of three girls that represented Jersey Shore in the 12-and-under girls in which they dominated by winning all their age group events. While Edler went on to also win the 100 meter free (over Haftl of Lock Haven) , Butzler captured the 100 IM, 50 fly, and 50 breast. Teammate Gabbie Moore locked up the only other remaining event, the 50 backstroke.

The 15-and-over girls captured 4 of 6 events as Maddi Thompson took firsts in the 50 and 100 meter free and 100 IM. Jamie Mason had a fight on her hands as she battled Loyalsock’s Karen Schulte down the stretch in the 100 breaststroke and out-touched her by 3/100s of a second.

Other winners for Shore’s girls were Sam Keegan in the 10-and-under 25 butterfly and Breon in the 14-and-under 50 fly.

The girls finished off the night with a dominating performance in the 300 meter crescendo freestyle relay. Shore’s Isabella Griswold, Keegan, Sapphire Naugle, Edler, and Thompson finished 10 seconds ahead of their closest competitor, Loyalsock.

Luke Engle racing down the lane in
the 14-and-under 100 meter freestyle

The boys had a tougher time and finished fourth for the evening. The only individual winners were Nate Lose in the 14-and-under 50 fly and Jacob Butzler in the 100 meter IM. The boys did cap off the evening with a strong finish by capturing the 300 meter crescendo freestyle relay with Alex Butzler, Nash Berfield, Luke Engel, J. Butzler, and Mac Thompson.