It was a strange day on Thursday (Sept. 17) for Xavier Prep’s swimming and diving team.
The Gators
had their first meet of the season at next-door Brophy Prep, but their opponent
was nowhere to be found.
The reason
was safety protocols and lessening the chances of the spread of the Covid-19
virus.
So
Chaparral, the Division I state champion the last two years ahead of Xavier, swam
its portion of the meet at its home venue, Cactus Pool in Scottsdale.
Numbers from
both teams’ races were combined and when the results floated to the surface,
Chaparral and its truckload of Olympic-caliber athletes scored a comfortable
129-58 victory.
“I guess you
could say we did OK for the opener,’’ said Xavier head coach Mark Rankin before
learning how Chaparral fared due to a later start time.
This was the
first true competition in quite awhile for many of the Xavier swimmers.
“Some of
them really haven’t raced in months, and that includes club,’’ Rankin said.
He lamented
the number of rules and protocols the teams must deal with, such as keeping
masks on when not in the pool. That part of it has not completely been
installed in the girls’ memory banks, or in those of their Brophy brethren, for
that matter.
“It’s
something we all have to learn to do. You have to keep reminding them,’’ Rankin
said.
Brophy’s
crew did a good job sanitizing the blocks (platforms) after each race with a
disinfectant spray.
Xavier had
some noteworthy swims.
Rankin liked
his sprinter, senior Kelly Scott, in the 100- and 50-yard freestyles.
“She was respectable.
I am very pleased,’’ he said.
He also
liked the work of junior Ashleigh Baros, who competed in two individual
freestyle events as well as a couple of relays.
Senior Mia
Rankin was slowed by an ear infection, but the coach expects the Ohio State commit
to return to her competitive self soon.
Xavier
finished 3-4-5 in diving, all by a group of promising sophomores.
Michelle
Mierzwa led the way with 179.55 points, followed by Claira Chong at 162.75 and
Libby Surgent at 154.20.
Xavier’s
next meet will be at Brophy on Thursday (Sept. 24) against Mesa Mountain View.
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