New School Record, Multiple DIAA State Qualifying Times & Personal Bests Highlight SCHS Loss to Sussex Tech

Boy’s Meet Wrap-Up - Sussex Central: 64, Sussex Tech: 99

The SCHS Golden Knights boy's swim team brought their A-game as they faced off against 2019 Henlopen Conference Champions Sussex Tech. The Golden Knights ended up losing the meet by a final score of 99-64 despite multiple individual event wins, state qualifying times, personal bests and a new school record. Central’s first win of the afternoon came in the opening event, the 200 medley relay. Central’s team of Breyden Wright, Peyton Harmon, Jordan Pritchett and Tyler Herbster won with a time of 1:52.13, which is just under 3 seconds off of their 14th place showing at the DIAA state meet last year. 

In the next event, the 200 freestyle, Harmon grabbed 2nd place points with a time of 2:14.04. Fellow sophomore teammates Michael Sullivan (4th) and Austin Campbell (5th) posted personal best times of 2:38.41 and 2:47.93. In the boy’s 200 IM, freshman phenom Wright placed first with a DIAA state qualifying time of 2:08.47 which is just 0.69 off the SCHS record set in 2008 by Brian Taylor. Pritchett finished the 200 IM in 3rd place with a time of 2:33.08. 

In the 50 freestyle, senior and team captain Herbster swam to a second place finish with a time of :25.83. Senior co-captain Ronan Dutton placed 4th in the heat with a time of :27.71. Both are near personal best times. Pritchett was up next in the 100 butterfly and delivered a 2nd place finish in 1:06.44. SC would earn a first place finish from Harmon in the 100 freestyle who finished the race in a near DIAA qualifying time of :56.91. In the 500 freestyle, Herbster and Campbell would finish 1st and 3rd place to bring SC back within 6 points of Tech. 

Having just finished the 500 free, Herbster anchored Central’s 200 freestyle relay team of Wright, Harmon and Pritchett to a 2nd place finish. In his leadoff leg of the 200 free relay, Wright notched his second DIAA qualifying time of the afternoon in the 50 freestyle in a time of :25.37, but he wasn’t done there. In the next event, the boy’s 100 backstroke, Wright would go 3 for 3 in qualifying for the DIAA state meet on his way to crushing the SCHS school record in the process. His time of :56.83 bested the previous record of :58.10 set in 2002 by Matt Eckrich by 1.27 seconds. 

In the final event of the evening, SCHS team consisting of Dutton, Sullivan, first year junior Isiah Brittingham and sophomore Jackson Dutton held off a late-charging Sussex Tech team to hold on to 3rd place in the 400 freestyle relay. 

The Knights are back in action on Friday as they travel to Lake Forest to take on the Spartans. 

Girl’s Meet Wrap-Up - Sussex Central: 64,  Sussex Tech: 107

The SCHS Lady Knights faced off against perennial powerhouse Sussex Tech and came away with multiple personal best times and state qualifying times despite losing by a final score of 107-64. In the first event of the evening, the SCHS squad of Maddie McTeer, Maggie Walker, Carolyn Munoz and Steph Wilson touched the wall in first with a time of 2:08.19. McTeer would go on to win the next event, the girl’s 200 freestyle in a near DIAA state meet qualifying time of 2:17.08. Senior co-captain Meg Smith clocked in with a personal best time of 3:00.12. In the next event, the girl’s 200 individual medley, SC would make it 3/3 with Carolyn Munoz touching the wall first to win in a time of 2:35.23. 

In the girl’s 50 freestyle, senior co-captain Steph Wilson swam to a second place finish in a time of :30.23. Teammates Emma Brewington and rookie Aubrey Johnson turned in times of :33.36 and :42.23 to finish 5th and 6th, respectively. In the girl’s 100 butterfly, Munoz swam a tightly contested race against Tech’s Molly Dopler and placed 2nd with a DIAA state qualifying time of 1:08.30. Junior Lilly Taylor finished the 100 fly in 6th place with a time of 1:55.79. McTeer was up next in the 100 freestyle, and raced to a first place finish in a DIAA state qualifying time of :58.99. Teammates Maggie Walker and Lilliana Stump finished 5th and 6th with times of 1:16. 02 and 1:34.05. 

Wilson was up next, and turned in a personal best time in the girl’s 500 free placing 2nd in a time of 7:12.06. Sophomore Jane Warren also competed, and placed 3rd in a time of 7:38.27. Wilson would go on to join SCHS’ team of McTeer, Walker, and Munoz to a 2nd place finish in the 200 freestyle relay. In her leadoff leg, McTeer would go on to notch her 2nd DIAA state qualifying time of the afternoon by touching the wall in :26.27. Brewington would lead SC’s Lady Knight backstrokers by placing 2nd. In the 100 breaststroke, Maggie Walker would swim to a 2nd place finish, while her sister, Emma, would go on to place 4th. 

In the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, the team of Brewington, Warren, Smith, and E. Walker would go on to place 3rd. The team of Pinkerton, Stump, Johnson, and Taylor finished the event in 4th place.

The Lady Knights are back in action on Friday as they travel to Lake Forest to take on the Spartans.