SPRINGFIELD — Two years ago, the Amherst Regional 200 medley relay team was disqualified in heartbreaking fashion at the Western Mass championships, something that the three remaining members of that relay have carried with them ever since.
Sunday, they wanted to ensure that didn’t happen again. They didn’t need to worry – the team of Sara Baxter, Deborah Wells, Lucy Smith, and Adda Hennessey cruised to a winning time of 1 minute, 49.94 seconds, five seconds ahead of their next competitor, in a clean win that set the tone for the rest of the meet. The Hurricanes won four events en route to a West/Central sectional victory with 280 points, the first time the Hurricanes won the championship since 1999.
“Two years ago, we were sitting in the warm down pool crying because we got DQ’d, and (Sunday) we were sitting in the warm down pool crying because we were just so proud of ourselves,” said Baxter, a senior. “We put in so much hard work, and I’m really happy that it’s finally paying off. This is a long time coming for us.”
The relay team of Baxter, Wells, Smith and Hennessey combined again in the meet’s final event, winning the 400 free relay in 3:45.07. Smith captured the team’s two individual titles, racing to a win in the 100 butterfly (59.29) as well as in the 50 free (24.80). Teammates Rowan Abertson (25.49) and Adda Hennessey (25.81) collected valuable points for their team in the 50 as well, finishing second and fourth, respectively.
Two other local teams cracked the top ten at the event. Northampton swam to seventh (150.5), narrowly beating out Belchertown, who finished eighth (144).
Lucy Smith from Amherst gets the win in the 50 free with a time of 24.80 Teammate Rowan Albertson clocks in with a 25.49. #DHGSports pic.twitter.com/XilY9uuoTq
— Hannah Bevis (@Hannah_Bevis1) February 13, 2022
Easthampton’s Natalia Robak took home both the 200 free and 100 free titles. Robak started the day off with a 1:54.99 in the 200 free, 11 seconds ahead of her next fastest competitor. Freshman Aubrey Harrington from Belchertown (2:05.32, third) and Northampton’s Asha Kulp (2:10.41, fourth) reached the 200 free podium.
Robak had a short break before turning around for her 100 event, and she didn’t have to look far to see both a friendly face and fierce opponent in Northampton’s Sydney Abild, who swam in the adjacent lane to hers in the final heat. The two swimmers went 1-2 in the 100. Robak touched the wall first in 53.21 and Abild hot on her heels with a 53.96. Amherst’s Hennessey was third (56.07).
“The one free – that was a drop from my best time in general. So I was really shocked with what I swam there,” Robak said.
Abild wasn’t surprised that the two of them both swam personal bests – she said they always draw out the best when they go head to head.
“We always push each other – we both got a best our USA best times, which I didn’t doubt for a second,” Abild said. “We’re best friends and it’s friendly competition that always pushes us as hard as we can go, and it was so nice going 1-2.”
Abild wasn’t done yet – though she was the runner-up in her 100 free race, she was the clear champion in her second event, the 100 breaststroke. Abild came in with the highest seed time of 1:10.39, but she blew that time out of the water with a 1:04.61. Nobody else at the meet even cracked 1:10.
“When I looked up at the board, I was expecting a 1:07 because it didn’t even hurt and usually my one breast hurts so bad, but it didn’t even hurt. I’ve been stuck at a 1:05 for so long,” Abild said.
Amherst’s Baxter finished sixth in the 200 IM with a time of 2:19.48 but had her strongest race of the day in the 100 backstroke, where she and teammate Wells went 2-3 after going into the event ranked fifth and sixth overall. Baxter broke the one minute mark with a 59.79, and Wells finished in 1:00.39. Amherst’s Albertson placed sixth in the same race with a time of 1:02.12, and Belchertown’s Harrington got eighth (1:02.61).
Sophie Ziomek earned the fifth spot in the 500 free for the Hurricanes with a time of 5:40.15, ahead of Belchertown’s Valerie Williams, who placed eighth (5:47.53).
Northampton’s 200 free relay team of Kulp, Inez Dole, Zoey Ames and Fiona Tischler placed sixth with a time of 1:50.56.
Holyoke 400 free relay team finished 14th in the final race of the day. The group of Trinity Roy, Eva Bartosz, Emma Skibel and Laura Brown combined for a 4:05.51.
Northampton’s Kailey Murphy placed fifth in the diving competition, scoring a 334.50; she edged out sixth place by just .45 points.