New School Records & Stellar Senior Performances Highlight SC Swimming's Split Against IRHS

The SCHS Golden Knights swimmers split on senior night against cross-district rivals, the Indian River High School Indians. The lady Knights bested the Indians by a score of 91-75, while the Knights fell to IR by a final score of 102-65. SC seniors, Megan Smith, Stephanie Wilson, Ronan Dutton, Tyler Herbster, Jordan Pritchett and Ben Warren suited up for their final dual meet of their careers against the Indians and were honored during the intermission by their families and friends. 

In their win, the Lady Knights showed up big against the Indians, with nearly every swimmer posting a personal best time. Most notable of those best times were put up by sophomore Maddie McTeer, whose PR’s broke a pair of SC school records. McTeer would break the SC school record in the 50 free by touching the wall in a time of :25.43, then go on to post a winning time, and new SC record, of :55.89 in the 100 freestyle. The previous marks of :25.53 and :55.93 were both set by Julie Macklin in 2005.

In the first event, the 200 medley relay, McTeer would lead off her team of Maggie Walker, Carolyn Munoz and senior captain Stephanie Wilson as they won the event in a season best time of 2:04.98. Munoz would grab second place points in the next event, the 200 freestyle, in a season best time of 2:16.52. Teammates Jane Warren (3rd, 2:28.19) and Lilliana Stump (4th, 3:13.66) also put up season best times in the event. 

Wilson would grab the next win for the Lady Knights, winning the 200 IM in 2:49.68. Fellow senior and co-captain Megan Smith would place 3rd in 3:09.39, and junior Lilly Taylor would grab 5th in a time of 3:33.66. In the 50 free, McTeer’s record setting swim was followed by season best times for teammates Aubrey Johnson (4th, 30.99) and Emma Brewington. Munoz would win the 100 fly in a season best time of 1:06.89, and Wilson would follow in 2nd with a season best time of 1:17.37. 

In the 100 free, McTeer’s record setting swim was followed by a 3rd place finish by Johnson in a PR time of 1:10.84 and a 5th place by Stump in a time of 1:30.01. Freshmen Jane Warren (6:46.16) and Emma Walker (7:41.77) would place 2-3 in the 500 free, with both posting season best times in the event. SC’s 200 free relay team of Wilson, Johnson, Munoz and McTeer would win the event in a season best time of 1:53.09, followed by a 3rd place finish from teammates Maggie Walker, Helena Pinkerton, Stump and Warren. 

Brewington, Smith and Taylor would all turn in season best times in the 100 backstroke, while the Walker sisters and Pinkerton would place 2-3-4 in the 100 breaststroke. In the final event, Johnson, Smith, Warren and E. Walker would take 2nd, and Stump, Taylor, Brewington and Pinkerton would touch the wall in 4th to seal the victory for the Lady Knights.

For the boys, SC’s 200 medley relay team of freshman Breyden Wright, sophomore Peyton Harmon, and seniors Jordan Pritchett and Tyler Herbster took first place in a season best time of 1:49.92 - just 0.83 off of SCHS’ school record set in 2004. IR would come back to sweep the next event, the 200 freestyle, despite lifetime best performances by sophomore Mike Sullivan (2:20.64) and senior Ben Warren (2:22.37). In the 200 IM, SC would respond with Wright taking first place (2:08.90), followed by a battle for second which saw Pritchett emerge victorious over IR’s Peterson in a time of 2:27.20. 

In the 50 free, Herbster would get 3rd place points (:25.37), while junior Isiah Brittingham would place 5th with a season best time of :27.61. Wright and Pritchett would again go 1-2 for the Golden Knights in the 100 butterfly, with Wright clocking in at :57.47 and Pritchett touching the wall in 1:03.66. Peyton Harmon placed second in the next event to avoid another IR sweep in the freestyle events by dropping a lifetime best time of :54.19. In the 500 freestyle, Warren would post another massive PR by turning in a 6:29.53 in his last high school dual meet. 

SC’s foursome of Herbster, Harmon, Pritchett and Wright would place 2nd in the 200 free relay in a season best time of 1:37.28. Sophomores Austin Campbell and Caleb Ceballos represented SC in the 100 back, with Ceballos placing 3rd in a PR time of 1:28.71. Harmon, Herbster, and senior Ronan Dutton went 1 (1:12.63), 3 (1:14.22), 5 (1:26.08) in the 100 breaststroke to out-score the Indians 10-6 in the event, but IR’s lead proved to be too much. Sullivan, Brittingham, Warren and Dutton would wrap the meet with a 3rd place finish in the 400 free relay.

Both squads are now gearing up for championship season. The Henlopen conference meet will be held this Saturday at Sussex Academy, with the first event beginning at 10:00 AM. After conferences, the Knights will shift their focus to the DIAA state championships.