WINCHESTER — On Saturday, Jim Barnett Park played host to the annual senior day quad meet between Handley, James Wood, Millbrook and Sherando’s swimming teams.
The four schools celebrated their athletes before the meet with senior recognition, where the swimmers were escorted to the pool deck by their loved ones, and afterward with senior relays, where seniors from the four teams were randomly placed together to compete in events that didn’t impact the meet’s official scores.
While the senior relays allowed the athletes to let loose, the four local rivals were laser-focused earlier on during a competitive meet that saw James Wood find consistent success.
The Colonels girls placed first with 177 points, outscoring Sherando (127), Millbrook (107) and Handley (94). James Wood’s boys also performed well with 151 points, but finished second behind Millbrook’s 163. Sherando scored 100 points and Handley scored 28.
The James Wood girls won two events, while the Millbrook boys took home five victories. With many of the athletes having competed with or against each other for many years, Handley head coach Alisha Hilliard said Saturday’s meet was a great way to celebrate years of hard work.
“This is a really neat thing to do to end the season with all the local teams together, and we’ve continued that in the last few years, and started making it a tradition,” Hilliard said. “[It’s about] just really recognizing and supporting the local swimming community, and a lot of the kids know each other, sometimes through having had experiences with club swimming together. I think they just really enjoy being able to compete against one another in that last regular-season meet.”
This sentiment was echoed by other coaches and athletes, including James Wood junior Eddie Grimes, who had “a lot of fun” competing alongside his senior teammates during the Colonels’ successful day.
Grimes, who holds the area’s top time in five events this season, placed first in the 200-meter IM with a time of 2:19.43 and first in the 400 free at 4:37.79. In the 200 IM, he beat Millbrook’s Nathan Truong, who holds the area’s fastest time in the event this season, by four seconds. Grimes said it took almost everything out of him to beat Truong.
“Him and I have been friends since we were little kids,” Grimes said. “He’s always been better than me at the IM, and I just really wanted to beat him. I just wanted to win that. I felt like I was going to die, and I just had to push through. So it took a lot of willpower.”
Grimes’ willpower also helped him and teammates Michael Thompson, Zach Harrington and Josh Harty engineer a comeback victory in the 200 medley relay. The Colonels defeated Millbrook, coming in at 2:03.05, 1:48 before the Pioneers. Grimes was also part of the Colonels’ winning 200 free relay, featuring Ryan Palmer, Santiago Sanchez and Harrington, which finished at 2:01.96.
James Wood head coach Jessica Barr said Grimes “doesn’t like to lose” and said he’s been dealing with an injury that’s prevented him from competing in the breaststroke this season. This motivated him to want to put his best foot forward in other events, including the 200 IM on Saturday.
Beyond Grimes, Barr also said senior siblings Lauren and Michael Thompson have been excellent, both this season and throughout their time at James Wood.
“They have left a really lasting impact,” Barr said. “Their brother Andrew also swam for James Wood, so they’ve kind of followed right through and they’ve always been willing to take whatever events they need to swim for the team. They’ve also helped out with teaching the other kids different strategies here and there, just helping them with their turns or their start. So we really appreciate all they’ve put into the team, and they’ll be greatly missed.”
Lauren placed first in the 200 free on Saturday with a time of 2:40.77, while Michael won the 100 back, coming in at 1:06.87. Additionally, sophomore Julian Nardelli won the 200 free at 2:23.8.
Though Lauren and freshman Haley Trenary (first place in the 100 back, 1:16.75) were the only first-place finishers for the girls, the Colonels still scored plenty of points. Barr said that was due to the roster’s depth.
“Our girls’ team is pretty big this year, and most of our girls’ team has swimming experience, so they’re excited to try new events,” Barr said. “My style is always to try to fill as many swimmers in every event as we possibly can. So I appreciate their trust in me, and I think they realize it’s just for the betterment of the team.”
While the Colonels’ girls got the better of their local rivals, the Millbrook boys took the top spot, thanks in part to the performance of junior Xavier LaFalce.
LaFalce won the 50 free in 26.99 before sneaking past Thompson in the 100 free by 0.42 seconds, finishing with a time of 59.70. He was also the first leg of the Pioneers’ 400 free relay team that placed first with a time of 4:07.84, being joined by seniors Brock Loomis, Rhien Julich and Truong.
He said gutting through any pain or exhaustion was the key to defeating Thompson in their competitive race.
“I went in there to just try and go out as fast as possible, because in other meets, my 100 time is normally faster than his,” LaFalce said. “So going in, I knew I had the edge, but toward that last 75 and the 100 part, my legs were totally giving out. So I was [thinking], ‘push, push, push and don’t breathe.’ And then I just squeaked it out, barely.”
Additionally, the Pioneers’ boys were led by Julich, who won the 100 fly at 1:09.11, and Truong, who placed first in the 100 breast at 1:16.47. Millbrook head coach Will Sigler said his lineup “stepped up and performed very well,” and was aided by having a clean bill of health.
Though Millbrook’s girls placed third, they still had standout performances. Sophomore Haley Butler bested Handley’s Shane Kim by 0.6 seconds in the 50 free before later winning the 400 free at 5:11.84.
Butler said she knew she had to “push and win one for my team” when she saw Kim from the corner of her eye. She was also part of the Pioneers’ winning 400 free relay team alongside Ayelen Arias, Aline Truong and Riley Pillo. They won with a time of 4:35.97.
“It’s interesting with Haley, because this was the first time she swam the 50 for this meet, and she [also] swims the distance,” Sigler said. “So those are two totally different spectrums of swimming, but she’s one of those [athletes] that, when she gets behind the block, she gets focused, she’s very competitive and gives it all she’s got.”
Truong was her team’s other first-place finisher, recording a 2:47.98 in the 200 IM. With both Truong siblings competing in that event on Saturday, Sigler said this served as another example of their “fun family dynamic” that allows them to push each other routinely.
Sherando saw seniors Savannah Judy and Gracie Sims place first in the 100 free (1:08.67) and 100 breast (1:23.00), respectively. Warriors head coach Christine Welch said these performances further encouraged her that both could reach states, with Judy looking to qualify for the first time in her career.
“I’m expecting [Gracie] to go far again this year. She puts in the work, and she’s seeing the results,” Welch said. “[Savannah’s] whole goal this season is to hit states. The last two seasons, there’s always been something that’s gotten in her way, like an injury or a relay [not qualifying] … she’s been working extra hard, and she’s really doing a nice job as a captain for the team this year.”
Sherando also placed first in two relays. The 200 medley team of Molly Eanes, Sims, Judy and Sienna Forrer won at 2:18.90, while the 200 free relay of Eanes, Forrer, Judy and Sims finished at 2:04.18.
In addition to barely losing in the 50, Handley’s Kim, a junior, took first in the 100 fly with a time of 1:12.51. Kim remains the area’s top performer in the event with a top yard time of 1:05.50.
“She’s a very well-rounded swimmer,” Hilliard said. “I would say her stronger events are probably a little longer than the 50. I thought she did really well for being in that event, but she’s strong in a lot of distances related to freestyle and then also very strong in the butterfly.”
— Contact Joe Tuman at jtuman@winchesterstar.com
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