Pittsford Swimming and Diving Team Places First at New Hartford Invitational

Relay Teams Set New Pool Records

The Lady Panthers traveled to New Hartford, New York on Saturday September 27^th to compete in the 16^th annual New Hartford Invitational. Pittsford, along with Clinton, Holland Patent, New Hartford, Oneida, Rome Free Academy and West Genesee participated in the invitational. Pittsford proved too strong for the competition, winning the meet with 557 points. Pittsford returned home with the first place trophy and leaving two new pool New Hartford Records. The first record to fall was the 200-medley relay record set by West Genesee team in 2000. The team of Susan Allen, Katie Harris, Libby Brush, and Kate Wilson swam to first place with a season best time of 1.53.47, establishing a new pool record. The team of Lindsay Wahl, Jesse Ward, Courtney Brayman, and Jenna Arington placed 4^th, with the team of Amanda Lang, Becca Hazen, Emily Wells, and Allison Kant earning the 8^th place points.

Pittsford’s 200 freestyle relay team of Stephie House, Allen, Hailey Weniger, and Kate Wilson followed suit and set a new pool record of 1.41.96. The previous record was held by the New Hartford team set in 2002. The diving competition was contested in the morning prior to the swimming competition. Pittsford’s Eliza Massie placed 2^nd with a score of 192.30, with teammate Ashley Slaughter placing 6^th with a score of 148.00.

Hailey Weniger placed 1^st in the 200 free, with a season best time of 1.59.68, with Lisa Prezzano, and Harris earning the 6^th and 7^th place points. The 200 IM was swept by the Lady Panthers, with Brush placing first with a season best time of 2.16.41, Allen 2^nd and Courtney Brayman earning 3^rd place points. Pittsford continued scoring top points with Kate Wilson placing 2^nd in the 50 free, with a season best time of 25.67 and Stephie House placing 3^rd.

Pittsford continued showing it’s depth by sweeping the 100 fly, as Brush placed 1^st, Brayman 2^nd with a season best time of 1.01.96, and House touched in 3^rd. The 100 yard freestyle placed another three panthers, as Wilson touched in 2^nd, with a season best time of 54.86, Jenna Arington placed 7^th and Lindsay Richardson touched in 11^th. The distance 500 freestyle went to Pittsford, as Weniger touched in 1^st with a season best time of 5:17.94, Prezzano placed 3^rd, and Erin Bankey placed 6^th with a season best time of 5:53.58. In the 100 backstroke, Susan Allen captured 1^st place with a season best time of 1.01.48, with Lindsay Wahl placing 2^nd with a season best time of 1.02.42 and Emily Wells placing 6^th with a season best time of 1.06.95. The 100 yard breaststroke earned Pittsford three places, with Harris touching in at 5^th place, Jesse Ward placing 7^th, and Becca Hazen earning the 9^th place finish and a season best time of 1.17.54 seconds.

The 400 freestyle closed the meet, with the team of House, Brush, Brayman, and Weniger placing 1^st, and the team of Prezzano, Harris, Kathryn Harper, and Richardson placing 4^th. The team of Hazen, Bankey, Lisa Newman and Lauren Wilson had a strong showing, earning the 12^th place win. Pittsford concluded the meet with 557points, with the second place team of New Hartford earning 460 points. Pittsford has won the Invitational Meet for the past three years through a strong team effort, and the excellent coaching skills of head coach Marty Keating, assistant coach Beth Dobberstein, and diving coach Marsha Carey.