Katonah Swim & Dive Team traveled to Pleasantville last Thursday evening for the 1st of 5 summer swim meets in NWSC Division I. After sweeping Division II last year with a 5-0 record, they moved up this season to face the best teams in Northern Westchester. No easy task. The two teams seemed evenly matched splitting just about every event. But when the score was announced at the end of the meet, it was a surprised Katonah who took the win!
7-year old Lily O’Shaughnessy led the way by winning the opening 8 & under girl’s backstroke, followed by a 1-2-3 finish by Jay Kramer, Scott Esposito, and Kai Luongo. The usual first event, diving, was waived since Pleasantville does not have a dive facility.
Katonah went on to take 6 of the 10 backstroke events: Jack Buckley and Kevin Crane 1-2 in the boys 12 & under; Hailey Ivey Lauren Wolter, Gianna Rappa 1-2-3 in the girls 14 & under; Sam Sweeney 1st in the boys 14 & under; and Michael Baudinet and Liam Hackett 1-2 in the boys 18 & under.
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Pleasantville came back to take the breaststroke by 2 points, as the two teams split the events. Jay Kramer took another 1st in the 8 & under, with Kate Buckley and Maya Luongo following with a 1-2 finish in the girls 10 & under. The 14 & under girls struck again with a 1-2-3 this time led by Gianna Rappa, Lucy Siegel, and Hailey Ivy. Kaz Sampson was 1st in 14 & under, and Liam Hackett and Greg Markert posted another 1-2 for the 18 & under boys.
The meet moved swiftly to the butterfly and Pleasantville led off with an 8 & under girls win, but Scott Esposito and Michael O’Donnell came back with a 1-2 finish for the 8 & under boys. Both teams battled it out as Pleasantville took the next 3 events until Katonah broke the pattern with three 1-2 finishes by Brian Crane and Jack Buckley in the boys 12 & under, Lauren Wolter and Lucy Siegel in the girls 14 & under, and Kaz Sampson & Sam Sweeney in the boys 14 & under. Michael Baudinet and Greg Markert finished the fly with another 1-2 win, giving Katonah the event by 4 points as the teams split again.
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At this point, you could see everyone doing the math and trying to recount what had transpired, since the score had still not been announced.
The freestyle event always begins with its youngest members in a non-scoring 6 & under event. In their first ever A-meet, Katonah’s Bitsy Gaza and Molly Buckley posted a 1-2 finish to the cheer of the crowd. Not to be outdone, Katonah’s Thomas Brown, also swimming in his first A-meet, took first in the 6 & under boys!
And the team followed their lead. In a strong showing, Katonah took 7 of the 10 freestyle events: Esposito and O’Donnell again 1-2 in the boys 8 & under; Kate Buckley 1st in the girls 10 & under; Jack Buckley and Brian Crane in the boys 12 & under; Hailey Ivey, Gianna Rappa, Lauren Wolter continued the girls 14 & under dominance with another 1-2-3; Sampson again 1st in the boys 14 & under; Lucy Siegel swam up in the 18 & under to lead a 1-2 finish with Katie Liebowitz; and the trio of Markert, Hackett, Baudinet closed the event with a decisive 1-2-3 finish in the boys 18 & under.
Not knowing where they stood coming into the free relay event, Katonah was energized as they stepped up on the starting block. The veterans knew that the high-scoring free relays can make or break a meet. And make it they did! KSDT laid down three 1st’s and a 2nd place. In first: Allie Driesen, Kate Buckley, Claire Gaza, Lily Buckley in the girls 11 & under; Cody Siegel, Oscar Morabito, Kieran Brown, Kevin Crane in the boys 11 & under, Giana rappa Sabine Nix, Lauren Wolter, Hailey Ivey in the girls 15 & under. Brian Crane, Jack Buckley, Sam Sweeney, and Kaz Sampson placed 2nd in the boys 15 & under.
Usually at this point, most of the teams have left, but not on Thursday night. Swimmers and their families stayed on waiting for the score. When the announcement came, Katonah erupted into cheers! Katonah 270 Pleasantville 226. Their first NWSC Division I win in seven years!
“This was a surprise,” said KSDT coach Jessica Frank of the outcome. “We were missing some swimmers and a lot of our new swimmers stepped up. It was a fast meet, we definitely have some personal best times.”
Katonah swimmers will be joined by their diving teammates for their next meet at home on Tuesday July 16 against last year’s Division I champion Chappaqua.
