East hits personal best times at opening meets
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville East has only swum two meets so far, and they’re already hitting personal best times.

In East’s 103-80 season opening loss at Transit Middle School on Dec. 12, Kane Hsieh and Thomas Mitchell had personal best times in the 100-yard breaststroke (106.25, first) and 200 freestyle (205.1, third place).

Diver Joe O’Gorman followed with a personal best 164.95 points in the Flames’ 98-86 win at Lancaster last Monday. Matt Geiger added a personal best 50.92 on his anchor leg of the team’s first-place 400 free relay. Geiger, Neil Batta, Mike Anderson and Jean Coignet won in 343.22. Batta swam a season-best 52.08 for second in the 100 free.

Lancaster’s Nate Geary broke the pool and school diving records with a 339.26.

East also won the 200 free (Ken Munroe, Hsieh, Batta and Anderson, 140.94) and 200 medley (Geiger, Hsieh, Munroe and Coignet, 152.08) relays against the Redskins. Anderson and Geiger were double winners. Anderson won the 200 and 500 free while Geiger was the best in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.

Against Iroquois, a Division I-II powerhouse, Geiger won the 100 back in a school record 54.71. The old record was 55.75. Anderson took second in the 200 free with a 154.78.

Geiger, Hsieh, Munroe and Batta teamed up to win the 200 medley relay in 146.49.

The 400 free relay of Geiger, Anderson, Batta and Mitchell was second in 334.05.

“They were a tough team to beat,” said East coach Mike Doerfler. “It was an outstanding effort for us. We just came up a little short.”

East (1-1) returns to the pool at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 2, at Transit Middle against Orchard Park.

“They’re working very hard,” said Doerfler. “We’ve got some work to do, but our first two meets were a very good sign. Mike, Neil and Matt have swum very well up to now.”

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com