Led by Maren Taylor's diving title, the Yorktown girls finished 14th in the State Meet with 58 points.  For the boys, Brian Coonce and Andrew Leach combined for 13 points to finish in a tie for 34th with Lake Braddock.

Click on the links below for more details and press coverage:

Taylor Three-Peats as State Dive Champ - Sun Gazette
Washington Post coverage of the meet
Virginia AAA State Meet Results - PVS site
Meet Coverage with Video - Digital Sports
Swimming World coverage

The Yorktown girls finished in seventh place in the Northern Region with 140 points.  The 200 Medley and 200 Free Relay teams obtained or improved their State Meet qualifying times. The relay teams will join the individual event qualifiers, Maren Taylor (Diving and 50 Free), Abigail Ortmayer (200 IM and 100 Breast), and Kaitlin Wolla (100 Fly), at the State Meet.  Kaitlin Wolla set a new Team Record in the 100 Fly with her 57.08 time (breaking 1986 record of 57.20 by Christine Smith).  The boys team finished in 23rd place in the Region and Andrew Leach advanced to swim at the State Meet in two events (200 and 500 Free). Andrew joins Brian Coonce (Diving) on the State team.

Click on the links below for more details and press coverage:

Sun Gazette article on Arlington swimmers
Sun Gazette article on Region Meet
Arlington Connection - Arlington Swimmers Solid at Regions
Virginia AAA Northern Region Championships - full results on PVS site  
2009 Northern Region Championships (Boys) - Digital Sports (with videos)
2009 Northern Region Championships (Girls) - Digital Sports (with videos)
Fairfax Sports Network (FSN) Coverage - results and interviews

01/30/2009

Yorktown and W-L Split Final Dual Meet of the Season

The pool building was rocking on Friday night when the Yorktown Patriots traveled down the road to face their cross-county rival, the Washington-Lee Generals, in the final dual meet of the season.  Energy and enthusiasm were plentiful, seniors were recognized, and both schools left with a victory.  The W-L boys claimed a long-sought victory over the Patriots by a 103-83 score.  The Yorktown girls completed an undefeated dual meet season by defeating the Generals 132-54.

The boys’ meet started off with the 200 medley relay and it was a photo finish with the top three finishers separated by less than one second.  The W-L team took first by 0.04 seconds and Yorktown finished second and third.  This staked W-L to a two-point lead that they never relinquished.  The Yorktown boys hung tough and never fell far behind, but an inspired Generals team met the challenge, took nine firsts, and won the meet.  Yorktown event winners included Scott Benoit (50 free), Matt Essig (100 free), and Andrew Leach (500 free).  The boys completed the dual meet season with a 5-2 overall record and a 5-1 record in the National District.

The Yorktown girls also started off the meet with a 200 medley relay victory and totaled nine first place finishes with four sweeps (diving, 50 free, 100 free, and 100 back).  Individual event winners for Yorktown were Maren Taylor (diving, 50 free), Lydia Carpenter (100 free), Annemarie Wamsted (500 free), Kaitlin Wolla (100 back), and Abigail Ortmayer (100 breast).  The winning relays were the 200 medley (Andrea Oaxaca, Ortmayer, Hilary Stetekluh, and Taylor), the 200 free (Ann Carpenter, Lydia Carpenter, Stetekluh, and Taylor), and the 400 free (Molly Merkel, Ortmayer, and the Carpenter twins).  The 132-54 victory capped an undefeated dual meet season for the Yorktown girls (7-0 overall, 6-0 National District).

The Patriots move on to the National District Swim & Dive Championship Meet to held at Providence Rec Center.  Diving events are held on Thursday 2/5/09 beginning at 6 pm.  Swimming prelims are Friday 2/6/09 with a 5:30 pm start.  Swim finals begin at 5:30 pm on Saturday 2/7/09.  The boys finished a close second to Edison last year and another close meet is expected with several teams in the running.  The Yorktown girls have never lost the National District meet and hope to continue that streak.

01/23/2009

Patriots Split Swim & Dive Meet with Fairfax Rebels

In Friday night swim & dive action, the Yorktown Patriots split with the Fairfax Rebels from the Concorde District in a meet held Friday, January 23, at the Audrey Moore Rec Center.  The Yorktown boys fell to Fairfax by a 222.5-84.5 score, while the Yorktown girls won a very close meet, 161-153.

The Fairfax boys took control early and never let up to win in convincing fashion and hand the Patriots their first loss of the season.  The boys fought to the end and, while not victorious, they did have some noteworthy highlights.  Jack Wilson claimed first place in the 100 breaststroke event.  Andrew Leach contributed two second place finishes (100 free, 100 back) and Brian Coonce finished second in the diving event. Third place finishes came from Will Tarkenton (200 IM and 500 free) and Greg Crosswell (100 breast).  The dual meet record for the boys stands at 5-1 for the season.

The girls’ meet matched the schools that have produced the last three Virginia AAA state team champs and it was a fight to the very end.  In dual meets, particularly meets in 8-lane pools, team depth is often the deciding factor and this meet was no exception.  Of the 12 swim and dive events, Yorktown won only two.  Molly Merkel touched the wall first in the 200 free and Lydia Carpenter won the 100 free.  In the nine individual events, the Yorktown girls picked up these two first place finishes and added eight seconds, eight thirds, and five fourth places to actually score more total points in eight of the nine events.  It was the Yorktown depth and advantage in the individual events (148-112) that enabled them to overcome the large Fairfax edge in the relays (41-13) and secure the victory for the girls. Their dual meet record improved to 6-0.

The Patriots finish the dual meet portion of the season with their annual showdown with the Washington-Lee Generals.  The meet will be held at W-L pool on 1/30/09 with diving starting at 6:30 pm.

01/16/2009

Yorktown Swim & Dive Teams Improve to 5-0 with Sweep of Falls Church

The Yorktown Swim & Dive teams continued their march through the National District with a sweep of the Falls Church Jaguars in a meet held Friday, January 16, at the Yorktown pool.  The boys’ meet was a close one with the Patriots holding a slim two-point lead with three events remaining.  They finished strong in the 100 back, 100 breast, and the 400 free relay to win by a 101-85 score. The girls trailed after the first relay event, but dominated the rest of the meet, including four sweeps, to claim a 132-54 victory. 

Brian Coonce staked the boys to an early lead with a win in the diving event.  In the swimming events, Yorktown boys won three of eight individual events and two of the three relays.  Event winners included Andrew Leach (200 free and 500 free) and Jack Wilson (100 breast).  The boys took first place in the 200 Free Relay (Scott Benoit, Mathew Essig, Leach, and Wilson) and the 400 Free Relay (Wren Rudolph, Will Tarkenton, Benoit, and Essig). 

Maren Taylor led off the girls’ effort with a diving victory.  The girls won seven individual swim events and two relays.  Event winners included Kerry Sutherland (200 free), Abigail Ortmayer (200 IM), Hilary Stetekluh (50 free), Emma Leheney (100 fly), Lydia Carpenter (100 free), Annemarie Wamsted (500 free), and Kaitlin Wolla (100 breast).  The girls were winners in the 200 Free Relay (Ann Carpenter, Lydia Carpenter, Carly Hinkle, and Ortmayer) and the 400 Free Relay (Liana Tai, Carla Vazquez-Ramos, Sutherland, and Wamsted).

01/09/2009

Patriots Sweep Wakefield to Remain Undefeated

The new year began with a bang as the Yorktown boys and girls swim and dive teams swept the Wakefield Warriors in a meet held Friday, January 9, at the Yorktown Pool. The boys cruised to a 126-53 victory and the girls triumphed by a 143-26 score.  Both teams now have 4-0 dual meet records.

The boys took first place finishes in eight of nine individual events and all three relays.  Event winners included Andrew Leach (200 free and 500 free), Greg Crosswell (200 IM), Scott Benoit (50 free), Brian Coonce (diving), Matthew Essig (100 free), Jimmy Linek (100 back), and Jack Wilson (100 breast).  The boys took first place in the 200 Medley Relay (Benoit, Essig, Leach, and Wilson), the 200 Free Relay (Wren Rudolph, Benoit, Linek, and Wilson), and the 400 Free Relay (Essig, Rudolph, Leach, and Benoit). 

12/19/2008

Yorktown Continues March through National District with Stuart Sweep

Both the Yorktown boys and girls swim and dive teams improved their dual meet records for the 2008-09 season to 3-0 by defeating the Stuart Raiders in a meet held Friday, December 19, at the Providence Rec Center. The boys won by a 178-136 score and the girls cruised to a 225-74 victory.

The boys swam to first place finishes in five individual events and two relays.  Event winners included Matthew Essig (200 free and 500 free), Andrew Leach (100 fly and 100 back), and Jack Wilson (100 breast).  The boys took first place in both the 200 Medley Relay (Scott Benoit, Essig, Leach, and Wilson) and the 200 Free Relay (Wren Rudolph, Benoit, Essig, and Leach). 

12/12/2008

Patriots Continue Winning Ways vs Mt Vernon Majors

The Yorktown Swim & Dive teams kept their National District records unblemished by sweeping the Mount Vernon Majors in a meet held Friday, December 12, at the Yorktown pool.  The boys won by a 110-75 score and the girls posted a 116-70 victory.  Both teams improved their dual meet records to 2-0. 

The divers continued their steak of dual meet victories that includes all of last season. Brian Coonce placed first for the boys and Carson Barry finished second.   For the girls, Cameron Hancock finished first and Haley Barry was second. 

The boy swimmers captured first place finishes in six of eleven events.  Event winners included Connor Healy (200 free), Greg Crosswell (200 IM), Jimmy Linek (500 free), and Jack Wilson (100 breast).  The boys took first place in both the 200 Free Relay (Wren Rudolph, Scott Benoit, Wilson, and Healy) and the 400 Free Relay (Scott Liddell, Benoit, Healy, and Linek). 

The girls won eight of the eleven swimming events.  Event winners included Liana Tai (200 free and 100 free), Hilary Stetekluh (50 free), Kaitlin Wolla (100 fly), Annemarie Wamsted (500 free), and Abigail Ortmayer (100 breast).  The girls were winners in the 200 Medley Relay (Andrea Oaxaca, Ortmayer, Wolla, and Stetekluh) and the 400 Free Relay (Katie Gentsch, Stetekluh, Ortmayer, and Wamsted).  The 200 Medley Relay team qualified for the State meet with their time and Northern Region qualifying times were obtained by Stetekluh (50 free), Wolla (100 fly), and Ortmayer (100 breast).

Patriots Sweep Edison Eagles to Begin Season

The Yorktown Swim & Dive teams began the 2008-09 season on a winning note by sweeping the Edison Eagles in a meet held Friday, December 5 at the Yorktown pool.  The boy’s team swam to a 129-56 victory and the girls won by a convincing 140-46 score.  Both teams are looking to duplicate their accomplishment of last season where they were undefeated against National District competition in dual meets. 

Once again, the divers staked their teams to early leads. Brian Coonce placed first for the boys and Maren Taylor won the girls competition.  In fact, the trio of Maren Taylor, Cameron Hancock , and Haley Barry swept the top three places for the girls. 

The swimmers won early and often.  Yorktown boys won nine of the eleven events including all three relays.  Andrew Leach led sweeps of both the 200 and 500 freestyle events for the boys.  Andrew’s time of 4:50.47 in the 500 free is a state meet qualifying time.  The girls won ten of the eleven swimming events, also winning all three relays, and recorded four sweeps.  Molly Merkel and Angela Slevin obtained Northern Region qualifying times while winning the 500 free and 100 back, respectively.