Sherando girls capture City-County Sprints swimming title

WINCHESTER — Six days after dominating the rest of the Northwestern District schools at the Holiday Hundreds Invitational, the Sherando girls’ swimming team showed its pretty special in an even faster event format on Friday.

The Warriors won the City-County Sprints at Jim Barnett Park for the fifth straight year, scoring 748 points. Runner-up James Wood had three individuals win two events each (junior Kimberly Warnagiris in the 50-meter butterfly and, sophomore Paige Simko in the 100 free and 50 breast and freshman Lauren Masters in the 100 IM and 50 free) but finished a distant second with 503 points.

Millbrook was third with 381 points and Handley was fourth with 290 in the meet that features events that are half the distance of what they would be in a regular meet.

The top 16 in each event scored points, ranging from 20 points to one for individuals. The top team in each relay event scored 40 points. None of the relay events went deeper than nine places (ninth was worth 18 points for relays).

Sherando only won three of the 11 events, but the Warriors’ depth and overall talent helped them cruise one week after the Warriors scored 327 points to beat two-time defending Class 4 Northwestern District Kettle Run at the Holiday Hundreds at Colgan High School in Manassas. That meet featured 12 of the 13 Northwestern District swimming programs and only 100-yard individual events and 200-yard relays.

Of the 33 possible top-3 places, Sherando grabbed 19 of them. The Warriors’ ‘B’ relays had two third-place finishes.

The Warriors’ 23-girl roster has been buoyed by the addition of eight freshmen. Freshmen made up half of Sherando’s two victorious relays.

“It’s been really fun to be around the freshmen and sophomores and have support from them as well,” said Sherando junior standout Emma De Jong. “It’s great to see them have the same enthusiasm as I did as a freshman and follow my steps in a way. It’s fun getting to watch them do that.

“They’re all like younger sisters to me. We’re all together all the time.”

Winners on Friday for Sherando were the 100-meter medley relay team of freshman Chelsey Jones, De Jong, freshman Taylor Smith and sophomore Natalee Tusing (1:02.95, won by 2.08 seconds), the 200 free relay team of freshman Lexee Schellhammer, Tusing, Jones and De Jong (1:58.94, won by 2.88, just 0.35 off a state cut) and Tusing in the 200 free. She beat senior teammate Jordyn Jones — Chelsea’s sister — by 2.11 seconds to win the 200 free.

De Jong noted that she and Chelsey Jones were each a little fatigued after practicing with Valley Swim Team Phoenix in Strasburg on Friday morning, as both had to settle up for runner-up finishes individually.

De Jong swam the 50 free in 29.08 (Masters won in 28.75) and 50 backstroke in 33.42 (Warnagiris won in 32.99). Jones recorded a 1:02.75 in the 100 free (Simko edged her by 0.11 with a 1:02.64) and also had a runner-up finish to Warnagiris, recording a 30.67 to the James Wood’s junior’s 30.14 in the 50 fly.

Sherando coach Joe Knight said winning the Holiday Hundreds was a good measuring stick for the team and showed the Warriors what they’re capable of, but added that it will be key for the Warriors to come out on top in tight races over the remainder of the season after what happened Friday.

“The better swimmers on James Wood’s girls’ side took six out of the eight [individual] events from us, which we’re not too happy about,” Knight said. “It seemed like all day long, we were getting out-touched there right at the wall. They were all good races, they were very competitive races, but in the final analysis we want to be the team winning those touch-outs on the wall, not one of our competitors.

“[Today] was an eye-opener in terms of what we need to work on and finish on going forward. Clearly finishes are one of those.”

Other close losses to rival teams came from Smith (36.59 in the 50 breast to Simko’s 36.20) and Jordyn Jones (14.78 in the 25 free to Handley freshman Sullivan Morefield’s 14.48).

Knight said there were plenty of things to be pleased about, especially Tusing’s performance.

“Natalee looked really good in the 200 free,” Knight said. “Jordyn Jones was right in there and Natalee turned a better last 50 in than Jordan did. Natalee told me at the beginning of the year she wanted to focus more on distance races. We swam in a 500 free two weeks ago and she swam very well and very competitive in that race. For her to come back like she did was very encouraging.”

Warnagiris was definitely encouraged by what she’s seeing from James Wood. The Colonels didn’t have any of Friday’s double-event winners at the Holiday Hundreds meet because of U.S. Swimming team commitments for the Winter Championships meet at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.

“Our girls are doing amazing,” Warnagiris said. “We have a lot of them and we’re all positive. I’m so proud of Lauren and Paige. We’re really looking forward to districts and regionals.”

Masters showed she’s clearly one of the area’s elite on Friday. She won the 100 IM by an impressive 4.1 seconds.

“I wanted to still go fast in racing with the older kids and still place high,” said Masters, who considers the 100 free her best event. “I was pretty nervous going in [to the 50 free], since I had to race Emma and she’s pretty good. It was a fun race.”

James Wood coach Jessica Barr said she’s not surprised by what Masters is doing.

“She’s a natural racer,” Barr said. “I know she’s a good go-to swimmer, especially in the sprint events. “he can pretty much swim anything for us. She’ll just put her head down and go.

“Paige had been sick for a few weeks coming into today, and for her to win that 100 free was really impressive.”

Millbrook was led by its winning 100 free relay team of Olivia Webster, Mia Ford, Emma Shipp and Lyddie Esslinger (1:02.14 to win by 0.36).

Morefield has had two older sisters (Haley and Quincy) compete previously at a high level for Handley, so Judges coach Tag Grove knew that Morefield had the capability of making an immediate impact this season. Morefield did not have a seed time and won the event out of the slowest of the five heats in the 25 free

“I was surprised that she won it, especially coming out of that first heat,” Grove said. “But she’s got the same kind of ability and drive as her sisters. She’s been swimming well in the 50 this year because she’s a drop-dead sprinter.”

As for both his entire girls’ and boys’ teams, Grove said the Judges still need to gain more experience, but he likes what he sees.

“Looking at their times, we’re not at the level that we’re used to,” Grove said. “But from where they started a month ago at the beginning of the season, we can see weekly progress. They’re continuing to get better, and that’s exciting.”

Other top local performances:

Sherando: 100 free: 3. Schelhammer 1:07.78, 100 IM: 2. Kyra Schultz, 1:15.86, 3. Lindley Armel 1:16.79; 25 free; 2. Jordyn Jones, 14.78; 50 fly: 3. Smith 32.14; 200 free: 3. Stella Wallin 2:43.33; 100 free relay: 2nd in 1:02.50; 50 breast: 3. Armel 39.61.

James Wood: 100 medley relay: 2nd in 1:05.03; 100 free relay: 3rd in 1:05.92.

Millbrook: 25 free: 3. Abby Ready 15.27; 50 free: 3. Esslinger 29.91; 50 back: 3. Esslinger 33.55.

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