Shore Swims to 5-5 Tie With Loyalsock

Jersey Shore's win over Loyalsock last year is a distant memory and reality set in this past Tuesday night as the two clubs swam to a 5-5 tie.  Shore's older age groups had difficulty matching up with Loyalsock's swimmers, losing three out of the four older age groups (Jersey Shore was only able to win the boy's 14-and-unders).   The middle age group, the 12-and-unders was split with Jersey Shore winning the girls and Loyalsock taking the boys.

Shore’s 14-and-under Olivia Edler on her way
to a win in the 100 yard individual medley. 
She would also go on to win the 50 and 100
yard freestyle.

But if anything, the future looks very promising as the black and orange carried three out of the four younger age groups (losing only the 10-and-under boys).  They were especially dominant in the 8-and-unders, capturing both the boys and girls age groups in convincing fashion. "We have some good swimmers in the older age groups but lacking depth" says Jersey Shore coach Patty Kennelley, "but we have a growing youth movement that is very deep".  "We have our A, B, and C swimmers to fill out the line-up but then have to swim several exhibitions in most events to get other younger kids some race experience".

The 8-and-under girls were able to capture first place in every event on way to a 45-7 win.  Their evening kicked into high gear when the medley relay of Courtney Lehman, Sarah Misquitta, Meaghan Keegan, and Lily Dincher won with a time of 1:41.70. 

They carried this momentum forward into the individual events as they took all three top spots in the 25 yard freestyle with Raven Windecker, Misquitta, and Dincher.  Adalynn Wall followed that shortly with top honors in the 25 yard back stroke.  It was another 1-2-3 finish in the 25 yard breaststroke for Keegan, Misquitta, and Dincher respectively.  Those three partnered with Lehman to win the 100 yard freestyle relay with teammates Wall, Mackenzie Gardner, Justyce Wampler, and Windecker taking second.

It was a bit tougher for the 8-and-under boys en-route to a 30-21 win.  The four individual events were split evenly with Shore's Bellomo brothers, Nick and Peter, winning the 25 yard freestyle and breaststroke respectively.  'Socks Roman Micozzi and Aaron Baker won the 25 yard backstroke and butterfly respectively.

The boys advantage was in the relays where Owen Staggert, P. Bellomo, Ethan Johnson, and N. Bellomo won the 100 yard medley relay and the Bellomo boys along with Staggert and Trey Berfield won the final 100 yard freestyle relay in convincing fashion.  Teammates Luke Welshans, Johnson, Nick Canellos, and Lake Merryman added an extra point in the final relay with a third place finish.

Loyalsock’s  15-and-over, Shaun Smith, on his way to a win in the 200 yard individual medley.  He would also go on to win the 100 yard butterfly.