BATH — Too much talent. Just enough depth.
The Belfast boys and Lincoln girls won Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B swimming and diving championships Friday, overwhelming the field with impressive performances throughout the night.
“Nobody was touching them,” said Waterville coach Bob Johnston, whose boys finished second and girls third.
The Belfast boys scored 355 points to crush the field. Waterville was second with 247 points while Winslow (158) was third.
Waterville sophomore Adrian Rivas won the 100-yard breaststroke for the Panthers.
The Lincoln girls scored 241 points to edge Belfast, which had 228. Waterville was third with 227 points.
If you were looking for drama at the Bath YMCA, there was little to be found.
Belfast and Lincoln entered as favorites — each featured the top seed in nine of the 12 events — and neither disappointed.
Belfast senior Ben Shepherd earned boys swimmer of the meet honors by winning the 200-yard individual medley and 100 backstroke. He also helped the 200 medley and 400 free relay teams to victories.
“We had some great, great swims,” said Belfast coach Bob Winslow, whose team won its fifth consecutive KVAC B title.
Valeska Vaughn won the 100 free and 50 free to lead the Lincoln girls.
There were still several tight races that generated a buzz in the pool, including the boys breaststroke and 500 freestyle.
Rivas won the breaststroke despite being seeded second in the event. He finished in 1 minute, 10.79 seconds. Jerahmy Clapp of Belfast was second in 1:11.07.
“It was really intense,” Rivas said. “I didn’t know where (Clapp) was. You can’t look back, you just have to go straight ahead. It felt great.”
Waterville junior Sam Zarfos came in as the No. 1 seed in the 500 free but his closest pursuer, Belfast senior Taylor Ottman, was the defending KVAC B champ in the event. The race lived up to the hype, with Ottman catching Zarfos in the final lap to pull out the victory.
“He beat me in the last 150 (yards) last year with the same move and I was determined to not let that happen again,” said Zarfos, who also finished second in the 200 individual medley. “You have to give him credit. He got me at the end, but I can’t be upset. I swam a personal best and he swam a personal best.”
Ottman, who beat Zarfos in the 500 by more than four seconds at the KVAC B meet last season, finished in 5:10.77. Zarfos swam it in 5:10.92.
“My plan was to get him in the last 100,” Ottman said. “He told me he would get revenge this year. It was a lot of fun. I love swimming with him. I wouldn’t work that hard if it weren’t for him.”
Zarfos finished second in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:11.35. He shaved 22 one-hundredths of a second off his best time, but it wasn’t enough to catch Shepherd, who in 2:07.79.
Also Friday, the Waterville girls and boys each finished second in the 200 medley relay. Waterville’s Will Hoffman was second in the 100 butterfly (1:00.47) and 100 backstroke (58.47).
Brianna Bernier, Sarah Ringer and Annesley Beringer had strong meets for the Waterville girls. Bernier was third in the 200 IM (2:28.44) and Beringer was third in the 50 free (28.92). Ringer finished second in the 100 free (1:03.33) and third in the 100 breaststroke (1:16.66).
“We had some good times,” Johnston said. “We haven’t tapered yet so this was good. We’re looking forward to states.”
Griffin Davis and Gabe Smith paced the Winslow boys. Davis finished third in the 200 free (2:02.70) while Smith was third in the 200 IM (2:24.66). Davis was also third in the 100 butterfly (1:01.01).
Bill Stewart – 621-5640
bstewart@centralmaine.com
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