Cape swimmers power past Milford
Despite missing key swimmers, the Cape swim teams powered to a pair of wins over visiting Milford Jan. 16. The boys won 112-49 while the girls triumphed 124-24 to move both squads to 6-0 on the season.
The boys took top honors in the first four events.
The 200 medley relay was won by Cape’s Weston Bohl, Brooks Leonhartt, Ryan Morgan and Holdern Moore in 1:51.42. Jaxen Edwards took the 200 free in 1:48.48 and the 50 free in 23.48. Leonhartt won the individual medley with a time of 2:21.40.
The Bucs got on the board when Erick Barczewski won the 100 fly in 59.64 and Noah Tignola won the 500 free in 6:35.66. Spencer Peel took the 100 back with time of 1:13.09.
Cape’s Bohl scored a first-place finish in the 100 free in 53.38. He joined Leonhartt, Levi Manlove and Moore in the 200 free relay to win in 1:40.48. Leonhartt won the 100 backstroke in 1:10.95.
The Milford 400 free relay team of Angelus Colon, Julian Collazo, Peel and Tignola finished the scoring with a time of 5:03.55.
Missing key swimmers, the boys filled in their spots with the younger Vikings.
“I think this meet helped show that our younger swimmers can step up and fill in the gaps,” said Morgan. “I believe it went well.”
The girls’ squad won 10 of 11 events.
Sidney Caldwell, Hayden Hazzard, Addison Freebery and Mia Thompson won the medley relay with a time of 2:07.83. Quinn Pidgeon took top score in the 200 free in 2:31.62. Freebery took the individual medley in 2:43.70. The 50 free was won by Sidney Caldwell in 26.30, and Hazzard won the 100 butterfly in 1:08.90. Caldwell followed with a winning time of 57.70 in the 100 free.
Claudia Stazzone finished the 500 free first with a time of 6:59.18. The 200 free relay team of Caldwell, Hazzard, Thompson and Freebery placed first in 1:54.63. Pidgeon and Moore took first in the 100 backstroke and breaststroke with times of 1:18.01 and 1:26.01, respectively.
The Bucs finished the meet with a win in the 400 free relay with the team of Madi Stahl, Kathryn Doran, Scarlett Fitzgerald and Sadie Washington in a time of 4:54.83.
“I feel like it was a great meet,” said Stahl, a Milford captain. “Having a small program like Milford, it’s really important to keep a positive attitude and focus on individual times, and I think we did just that.”
“It was great to keep our undefeated record going,” said Caldwell, a Cape senior. “Every win is more motivation. I always love watching the team get excited to cheer everyone no matter what. I think that’s what makes our team so special.”
“We were short some numbers due to [illness] and the huge YMCA Winterfest meet at the University of Maryland,” said Cape coach Bill Geppert. “It gave our team a great opportunity to get times in various events. It was great to see our swimmers making the most of their opportunities. Milford had some good swimmers, and we had some very competitive races.”
The Vikings welcome the Dover Senators Monday, Jan. 19 for the Vikings’ Senior Day.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
