A poster hanging in the Fairport pool sums it up – a photo of a Fairport swimmer and a Pittsford swimmer facing off with the caption “Rivals – Competitors – Teammates – Friends.” -- An apt description of the penultimate swimming rivalry in Monroe County; if not New York State. The meet pit friends against friends and in some cases teammates from off-season club teams against each other. But ultimately the rivalry comes down to two things: Which team has the faster swimmers and the better depth. This year, as in the past 2 years, the Pittsford S’Women finished on top of the closely contested meet with a 99-87 margin.
Pittsford opened the meet by breaking a pool record in the 200 yard medley relay. Jenny Lewis, Jessie Ward, Aly Criscuolo and Kelley Groves touched in 1:50.99 which also makes them eligible for All-American consideration. Teammates Lindsay Wahl, Stephanie Ross, Emm Wells and Emma Miller finished in 3rd. In the 200 yard freestyle, Hailey Weniger, Wahl and Alex Trobe gave the crowd the first glimpse of the S’Women’s depth by finishing a strong 2-3-4 outscoring Fairport. Meghan Green and Emm Wells finished 4th and 5th in the 200 yard individual medley. Groves, Jenna Arington and Ward sprinted to a 2-3-5 finish in the 50 yard freestyle. Divers Eliza Massie and Morgan Neal provided the team with 4th and 5th place points.
Criscuolo and Wells finished 3rd and 4th in the 100 yard butterfly. Lewis picked up the S’Women’s first individual win in the 100 yard freestyle. Along with Groves in 2nd and Arington in 4th, this was the team’s strongest showing in an event. Weniger then proceeded to easily win the 500 yard freestyle. Miller had a strong race – just barely touched out for 3rd place. Green finished 4th. The 200 yard freestyle relay team of Lewis, Arington, Groves and Weniger finished 1st with Trobe, Olivia Tylutki, Ward and Criscuolo in 2nd.
Perhaps the closest individual race of the meet was the 100 yard backstroke where close friends and often time rivals, Erin McGraw of Fairport and Jenny Lewis of Pittsford had the best times of their careers. McGraw touched first in 58.44, but Lewis was just behind her in 58.85. Both swimmers shattered the previous pool record of 1:00.34 and are now up for All-American consideration. Finishing not too far behind with their best times were Wahl, 1:00.88 and Tylutki, 1:03.61. Ward won the 100 yard breaststroke, only the third individual winner for the S’Women. Ross touched in 4th and Miller in 5th.
Going into the 400 yard freestyle relay with Pittsford leading 91-81, the outcome of the meet hung in balance. Fairport’s relay teams would have to finish 1st and 2nd to win the meet. All Pittsford had to do was take second place. Fairport rearranged its relays to try to accomplish this feat. McGraw opened a sizeable lead for Fairport, but Wahl kept her close while also battling Fairport’s number two team. Arington and Green kept the Fairport swimmers within sight, narrowing the leads and giving anchor Weniger a good shot at second place. Weniger not only swam by the second Fairport relay team, but she steadily stroked her way closer to the leading swimmer. Emerging from the turn at the 75 yard wall, she had the lead and did not relinquish it, touching in 1st place to secure the S’Women’s victory, 99-87.
The Junior Varsity S’Women had a significantly easier time in their meet, defeating Fairport’s JV 145-40. The 200 yard medley relay team of Katie Dobler, Mandy Ellis, Jennifer Conklin and Sarah Dempsey finished first with their teammates Maddie Ashworth, Katherine Ross, Elise Morris and Brittany O’Connor in 2nd. Kelly Geary, Dobler and O’Connor swept the 200 yard freestyle. Conklin and Kelsey McManus took the top 2 places in the 200 yard individual medley. Dempsey, Emily DiPaulo and Ross sprinted to a 1-2-4 finish in the 50 yard freestyle.
Divers Rachel Delahunta, Katelyn Barclay and Alan Biltucci finished in 1st, 2nd and 4th places. Conklin also won the 100 yard butterfly with Morris in 2nd and Catherine Tuttle in 5th. Dempsey, DiPaulo and Grace Encherman swept the 100 yard freestyle. Dobler, Geary and Sophia Salvia finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in the 500 yard freestyle.
The 200 yard freestyle relay team of DiPaulo, Conklin, Karin Lee and Dempsey won with Maggie Craig, K. Ross, McManus and Encherman in 2nd. Lee won the 100 yard backstroke with McManus and Ashworth right behind her in 2nd and 3rd. The JV S’Women also swept the 100 yard breaststroke with Ellis, Ross and Bonita Sur taking the top honors. Lee, Geary, Dobler and DiPaulo ended the meet with a victory in the 400 yard freestyle relay. Salvia, Katie Yan, Katie Hart and Maggie Craig finished 2nd.
Despite the intense rivalry and the competition in the pool, there were handshakes and hugs, congratulations and conversation at the end of the meet. This dual is not over for the year though. Pittsford and Fairport face each other at the Empire State Invitational at Hamilton College in two weeks and then again at the Section V championships in November. But through it all, sportsmanship and camaraderie prevail.
