Varsity Girls' Swimming and Diving | 9/23/2019 7:11:00 AM
Highlights: The Oswego-Fulton Buccaneer Raiders dropped to 1 and 2, losing to CNS, despite a great showing from the team, winning 8 out of the 12 events and posting best in-season marks 49 times they hit the water. Sophomore Sydney DeLapp was a double winner for the Bucs, while Grace Wing (sophomore), Mallory Upcraft (sophomore), Ciarrah Tynan (8th grader), and Becca Stone (Fulton sophomore) all won an event each to push for the victory.
The meet was very close until CNS started to pull away after a great performance by both CNS divers. CNS started with a 2 point lead, despite Oswego's 200 medley relay team of DeLapp, Wing, Mallory Upcraft, and freshman McKenzie Partlow taking the victory. Wing turned in her fastest 50 butterfly (29.03) on the relay. Eight other Bucs posted best times as well. Those included: Stone (31.69 in the back), 7th grader Malia Upcraft (46.57 in the breast), sophomore Brenna Williams (35.47 in the fly), junior Mel Solano (31.61 in the free), 8th grader Helena Holmes (43.12 in the back), freshman Callie Odom (48.27 in the breast), freshman Emma Armet (44.54 in the fly), and sophomore Evie Dickens (34.06 in the free).
CNS would go on to outscore the Bucs in three of the next four events to pull ahead by nine points. That damage was minimized by DeLapp winning the 200 I.M. in her lifetime best (2:20.94) and Wing the 50 freestyle (27.11). Wing's time was her fastest in-season time ever. Tynan also contributed, posting an impressive time of 2:12.72 to touch second in the 200 freestyle. Junior Maya Upcraft touched 4th in the same event. Her time of 2:26.63 was a season best. Sophomore Audrey Clark also posted her fastest time this season in the 200 free (2:46.11) to place 6th. Partlow and Malia Upcraft joined DeLapp in the I.M. and all three posted their best times this season. Malia's time of 2:56.03 put her in 6th place, while Partlow's 2:41.88 earned her 4th place. Wing's win in the 50 freestyle was highlighted by Mel Solano, Brenna Williams, and Emma Armet who all posted best times as well. Solano touched 5th in 32.61 and Williams 6th in 33.98. Armet posted her best time as well, touching in 33.72.
Diving was a strong event for CNS, as their veteran divers placed 1st and 2nd. That said, Oswego's two divers, brand new to the sport at the varsity level this season, put up some great numbers of their own. Helena Holmes placed 4th with an impressive score of 118.50. Evie Dickens placed 3rd with an outstanding score of 134.2, made even more impressive by the fact that it was her first time participating in the diving competition at a meet.
Oswego-Fulton was down 9 points after diving and began to claw back immediately. The three Upcraft sisters stepped up and outscored CNS by 6 points. Mallory took first in her best time this season, 1:08.47. Maya placed second in 1:11.08, and Malia took 5th in 1:19.01. Sydney DeLapp continued the charge in the 100 freestyle, taking first by over 4 seconds (55:39). Wing placed 3rd in 1:00.94, Evie Dickens 6th in 1:19.56. Additionally, junior Megan DeLong touched in 1:17.54, her best time this season. Accomplishing the same feat were freshman Callie Odom (1:26.46) and Helena Holmes (1:25.41).
The Lady Bucs kept the heat on the Northstars in the next event, the 500 freestyle, as well. Tynan, Armet, and Williams all posted their best times this season. Tynan won a tough victory against CNS' top distance swimmer to place 1st in 5:49.10. Armet touched 4th in 6:47.28 and Williams in 7:02.18.
CNS had too much depth in the sprint department and was able to take a commanding lead again after that event. Williams, Tynan, Clark, along with Maya Upcraft and freshman Rebecca Hibbert, all posted season-best times in the event.
Fulton's Becca Stone powered to the win in the next event, the 100 backstroke. Her time of 1:07.28 is her best ever in-season. Solano (1:19.29) and Clark (1:25.59) also posted best times in the event. Following the backstroke, Oswego kept up the pattern of top swims this season by posting 5 new in-season bests. Mallory Upcraft took second in 1:20.24. Partlow placed 5th in 1:25.75. Delong (1:48.56), Hibbert (1:41.49), and freshman Angel Croci (1:44.64), all posted season-best times as well.
After a solid victory for CNS in the 200 freestyle relay, the Buccaneer-Raiders were set on winning the final relay, the 400 freestyle relay. Wing (1:00.23), Tynan (1:00.98), and Malloy Upcraft (1:00.45) went back and forth with CNS's first three swimmers. Then Upcraft pulled closed the slight gap and touched nearly even with CNS heading just prior to the last swimmer taking to the water. Syd DeLapp took off even with CNS's last swimmer and broke the surface of the water nearly a body-length ahead. At that point she never looked back and ended up outswimming the CNS anchor by more than 10 seconds. Syd's 54.84 is her 2nd fastest 100 freestyle split ever, and really put the finishing touches on a great meet.
