Lakeside teams outswim Greenbrier at dual meet
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Lakesides Sierra Morris competes in the 200-yard medley relay during the Lady Panthers' dual meet with Greenbrier on Tuesday at the Augusta Aquatic Center. The Lady Panthers picked up a win to improve their record to 3-0.
Photo by Mike Howell
The weather outside was frightful, but the water was so delightful during the dual meet between the Lakeside and Greenbrier high schools swim teams last week at Augusta Aquatics Center.
With a misty rain and the temperature hovering in the low 40s Tuesday, the Columbia County squads didn't mind being inside warming up in the competition pool, which checked in at 80.3 degrees.
And the Lakeside swim teams certainly didn't mind picking up a pair of wins, as the Panthers and Lady Panthers each remained unbeaten this season.
"We have a pretty good team," said Lakeside swimmer Peter Caruana, who won two individual events and contributed to a relay win.
The Panthers outscored the Wolfpack 140-115, which improved Lakeside's record to 3-0, and all three victories were by narrow margins.
"We're excited to come out on top against Evans and Greenbrier," Caruana said. "I hope we can do that for the rest of the year."
The Lady Panthers took advantage of superior numbers to post a 190-100 win over the Lady Wolfpack. The Lakeside girls feature 53 swimmers this season, while Greenbrier has 35 total swimmers on the girls and boys teams.
With that disparity, a Lady Panther win was a foregone conclusion, but that didn't bother Greenbrier freshman Stephanie Fransoso.
"I'm just trying to do the best I can, because this is my first year swimming competitively for a school," she said after placing first in two events Tuesday.
Greenbrier swimmer Tim Murray is on his way to winning the 100-yard backstroke event in Tuesday's meet.
Photo by Mike Howell
Unlike most high school sports, swimming features two ways to win: beating the opponent or beating the clock.
"Swimming is an individual sport and a team sport," Greenbrier coach Allison Dixon said. "We're trying to win the meet, but was also have individuals going for their state times."
Several Lakeside and Greenbrier swimmers qualified for the state championships by meeting a specific time in their individual events during the dual meet.
For instance, Lakeside's J.R. Barrett beat Greenbrier's Michael Hawkins in the 500-yard freestyle, but both made the state cut time.
With the Tuesday meet complete, the Lakeside and Greenbrier swim teams will take a hiatus from competition until after the new year.
Lakeside coach Bryan Wells plans to put that downtime to good use.
"They'll be here practicing almost every day during the break," Wells said. "This is the point of the season where they will be training their hardest. We do our most rigorous yardage in December, then they taper off in January to get ready for state."
INDIVIDUAL EVENT WINNERS
GIRLS:
Greenbrier: Stephanie Fransoso, 50-yard freestyle (:27.86) and 100 breaststoke (1:15.21); Mary Frances Gunnels, 200 individual medley (2:29.30)
Lakeside: Sarah Caruana, 100 freestyle (1:02.11); Erica Mankin, 200 freestyle (2:25.71); Rebeccah Houston, 500 freestyle (5:52.96); Sara Davison, 100 backstroke (1:13.86); Brandy McCauley, 100 butterfly (1:11.85); Lorin Harter, 1-meter diving (162.25)
Relay winners:
Greenbrier: 200-yard freestyle (1:59.29) Lakeside: 400 freestyle (4:21.87) and 200 medley (2:09.42)
BOYS:
Greenbrier: Tim Murray, 100-yard backstroke (:58.57) and 200 individual medley (2:09.50); Michael Hawkins, 100 breaststroke (1:09.76)
Lakeside: Michael Gibson, 50 freestyle (:24.05); Peter Caruana, 100 freestyle (:51.60) and 200 freestyle (1:57.38); J.R. Barrett (5:13.84); Eric Hauff, 100 butterfly (:57.70)
Relay winners:
Greenbrier: 200 freestyle (1:39.97)
Lakeside: 400 freestyle (3:38.98) and 200 medley (1:54.85)