Munroe sets school records; Gutowski returns to states
Girls swimming
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville East's Janelle Munroe swan a school record 59.04 in the 100-yard butterfly at last Thursday's preliminaries for the Section VI Championships held at Erie Community College's Burt Flickinger Center. Munroe took second in Saturday's finals at ECC. Munroe also won the 100-yard backstroke, including a school record 1:01.06 in prelims. Photo by Patrick McPartland Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

This year's Section VI Championships were a record-setting meet for Janelle Munroe.

The Williamsville East senior broke her own school records in the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly at last Thursday's preliminaries at Erie Community College's Burt Flickinger Center. She swam a 1:01.06 in the 100 back and 59.04 in the 100 fly. Both were New York State qualifying times. She had already qualified for states in the 100 fly during the regular season.

A new rule was installed this season where swimmers can qualify for the state meet in the regular season, ECICs or sectionals.

In Saturday's finals, also at ECC, she repeated as Section VI champion in the 100 back in 1:01.45 and lost the 100 fly title by .11 seconds (59.72-59.83) to Jamestown freshman Lauren Caldwell.

Williamsville North's Britney Talty swims the 100-yard freestyle during Thursday's preliminaries. Talty finished sixth in prelims and sixth in finals. Photo by Patrick McPartland Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Munroe also qualified for the state meet as a member of the 200 medley relay. The relay, which is also comprised of senior Tori Mayer, sophomore Bailey Woodling and juniors Kristin Ostanski and Britany O'Dea, went 1:54.03 in preliminaries. The state cut time was 1:54.12. The team finished third in finals in 1:54.43. It's the second straight year the 200 medley relay has qualified.

It's Munroe's third straight year she will be going to the state meet. Munroe qualified as a sophomore in the 100 fly. She went last year in the 100 fly, 100 back and the 200 medley and 400 free relays.

Woodling finished third in the 100 free in 54.43. Her prelim time of 54.33 was a state qualifying time. She also took sixth in the 50 free. She had qualified for the state meet during the regular season with a time of 25.03. Woodling went in the 100 fly and as a member of the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay.

The state meet is Friday and Saturday at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in Long Island, N. Y.

Other East swimming results are: O'Dea was 12th in the 100 free (57.21) and 14th in the 50 free (26.40). Mayer came in 12th in the 200 free (2:05.67) and 15th in the 500 free. Senior Kelsey Bradbury finished 10th in the 500 free (5:38.86) and 16th in the 200 IM.

Ostanski was 17th in the 100 breast (1:14.29). Her prelim time of 1:14.29 is a personal best.

Freshman Sara Rogers was 22nd in the 200 IM (2:27.79) and 100 fly (1:09.55).

The 400 free relay of Woodling, O'Dea, Mayer and Munroe were second in 3:44.29. The 200 free relay of sophomore Brianna Reinecke, junior Cari Cardinale, freshman Sara Rogers and senior Kelsey Bradbury took 19th in 1:49.70.

East finished fourth in team scoring with 155 points.

Sweet Home

Sophomore Paige Gutowski is heading back to the state meet but in multiple events.

Gutowski edged her rival, Clarence's Victoria Jacumski, 1:06.52-1:06.58, to win the 100 breast and took second in the 200 IM in 2:10.63. Gutowski qualified for the state meet in both events during the regular season.

Gutowski took second in the 200 IM last year to advance to states, but missed going in the 100 breast by a hundredth of a point. She said she qualified for states last year in the 100 breast at ECICs but it didn't count.

A new rule was installed this season where swimmers can qualify for the state meet in the regular season, ECICs or sectionals.

"It definitely means a lot," said Gutowski. "I'm excited to go in both events but I really like the 100 breast."

Gutowski also led off the 400 free relay in a split time of 54.44. The team, which also featured juniors Kaitlin Mergler and Caitlin Schwinge and senior Sarah Mazuchowski, took sixth in 3:49.92, three seconds faster than their prelim time.

The same four took ninth in the 200 free relay (1:45.97) to win the consolation race.

Mergler was 10th in the 100 free (56.82) and 12th in the 50 free (26.22). Mazuchowski came in 18th in the 500 free (5:45.83).

Sweet Home finished tied for 10th with a team score of 93.

Williamsville North

The Lady Spartans did not send any swimmers (Casey Matthews won diving) but posted several great times.

The closest a North swimmer came to making the state meet was junior Abigail MacDonald, who fell .14 of a point short from advancing in the 100 back. Mac- Donald took fourth with a time of 1:02.24. She swam a prelim time of 1:02.14, a personal best. The state cut was 1:02.

"She's drastically improved each year," said North coach Doug Cassidy. "There's no doubt she will be come back strong in her senior year."

MacDonald also took eighth in the 200 IM in 2:20.57. MacDonald also led off the team's 200 medley relay, which won the bonus heat in a time of 2:02.72. She was joined in the race by seniors Erin Cavagnaro, Keri Bubar and Britney Talty. Each swam their personal best split times (MacDonald, 30.09; Cavagnaro, 35.66; Bubar, 30.43; Talty, 26.54).

Cassidy thought Clare Battaglia had the best meet out of any North swimmer. The eighth-grader swam a 2:24.94 in the 200 IM (personal best by three seconds) to place 12th and a 1:06.83 in the 100 fly (.16 faster than prelim time) to finish 11th.

"She was faster in both events from Thursday's prelims to Saturday's final," said Cassidy.

Battaglia also had a personal best split time of 26.90 in the team's sixth place 200 free relay. Talty and sophomores Abby Zwierzchowski and Cami Farkas rounded out the relay, which finished in 1:45.72.

Farkas took sixth in the 100 free in 55.97 and had a personal best split time of 55.84 in the 400 free relay. The team was disqualified for taking off early. She was 10th in the 50 free in 25.94. She swam a 25.77 in prelims.

Sophomore Maggie Schmidt took 10th in the 100 back with a personal best time of 1:03.86. Schmidt was also 17th in the 50 free (26.22).

Other results came from Talty (50 free, 22nd, 26.22) and Cavagnaro (100 fly, 21st, 1:09.04).

North finished eighth in team scoring with 117 points.

Williamsville South

Sophomore Alaina Laszewski improved her time in the 200 IM from prelims to finals by 2:38 (2:24.55 to 2:22.17). She finished 10th.

She also dropped her time in the 100 back from 1:04.52 to 1:04.01 to take 11th.

Senior Jackie Jordan came in 23rd in the 50 free (26.99) and 24th in the 100 free (1:00.27). Sophomore Erin Rogers was 24th in the 500 free (5:53.47).

South finished 26th in team scoring with 13 points.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com