Lady Mounts, Eagle boys closing in on swim titles

Ephrata swim coach Mickey Molchany checks his sheet during a recent meet held at the Ephrata Rec Center. Photo by Preston Whitcraft

The Ephrata girls swim team can finish no worse than in a tie for the Section two title after improving to 5-0 Tuesday night with a 90-80 win on the road at Elizabethtown.

Ephrata knocked off the Bears behind Sydney Dundon, who was part of four event wins on the day. With the victory, Ephrata can wrap up the title with a win Thursday (4 p.m.) at home vs. L-S, or a loss by Lancaster Catholic, which has two meets remaining.

Dundon won both the 200 free (2:05.21) and 500 free (5:44.25) Tuesday, and swam anchor on a pair of relay wins.

She, along with Ashley Zimmerman, Maya Chedraoui and Mary Campbell, won the 200 free relay in a time of 1:51.40. She also teamed with Sydney Morgan, Campbell, and Zimmerman to win the 400 free relay with a time of 4:01.84.

Last Thursday, the Ephrata girls also captured a hard-fought 90-79 victory over visiting Conestoga Valley the Ephrata Rec Center.

The Lady Mounts only won four events on the day but their depth was enough to knock off the Buckskins by a 90-79 decision.

Dundon led the way for Ephrata with three wins on the day, including two individually. Dundon captured both the 100 fly (1:05.91) and 100 back (1:05.37), and swam the third led of the victorious 200 medley relay squad, which also included Leah Weaver, Morgan and Campbell.

That foursome finished first in a time of 2:01.76.

Morgan captured the other Ephrata win on the day, claiming the 200 IM with a winning time of 2:27.58.

While the Ephrata girls were making waves, so too were the Cocalico boys who inched closer to a possible section title Monday with a victory at Lampeter-Strasburg.

Monday night at L-S, the Cocalico boys’ improved to 4-0 in Section Two (5-2 overall) as they broke a pair of pool records in a 108-61 victory over the host Pioneers at the L-S YMCA.

The 200 medley relay team of Zach Sherk, Hunter Keck, Colin Higinbotham and Michael White captured first place with a time of 1:45.34 to snap the former pool record (1:46.52) set by Conestoga Valley in 2014.

The other record to fall also came in the relays where Higinbotham, Jake Musselman, Keck and White set the 400 free relay record with a winning time of 3:28.89. The old record was 3:30.59.

Individually, Musselman had a pair of wins to pace his squad. Musselman captured the 200 free in a time of 2:00.29, and also won the 500 free (5:34.70).

Other Eagles to win individual events included: Sherk in the 200 IM (2:19.19); Higinbotham in the 50 free (22.99); White in the 100 free (50.99); and Keck in the 100 breast (1:08.37).

In the girls’ meet Monday at L-S, Cocalico earned the boys/girls sweep with a 107-63 victory over the Pioneers.

Senior Morgan Haines led the way with a pair of individual wins for Cocalico. Haines took the 200 IM with a time of 2:16.46, and also captured the 100 fly in 1:05.71.

Other individual winners for Cocalico included: Katie Carrasco in the 200 free (2:15.91); Elise Westhafer in the 500 free (5:43.93); and Olivia Taylor in the 100 back (1:07.32).

Cocalico also claimed all three relays on the day to improve to 2-2 in Section Two (3-4 overall).

The Ephrata boys came up short in last Thursday’s meet with CV, falling to the Buckskins by a score of 97-71.

Kyle Emmerling and Darren Schlemm led the way for the Mounts as both won a pair of individual events.

Emmerling claimed both the 200 IM (2:10.76) and 100 fly (1:00.94) while Schlemm was a winner in the 50 free (24.33) and 100 free (53.14).

Luke Emmerling was also an individual winner, claiming the 100 breast in a time of 1:05.58, while the Mounts’ 400 free relay squad of Schlemm, Kyle Emmerling, Dawsen Miller and Luke Emmerling was victorious as well with a winning time of 3:35.36.

The Mounts also dropped a 93-77 decision to E-town Tuesday.

Ephrata (2-3) was paced by Kyle Emmerling’s individual wins in both the 100 breast (1:12.94) and 200 IM (2:11.00). Other individuals to claim wins for Ephrata were: Miller in the 50 free (24.77); Schlemm in the 500 free (5:24.12); and Luke Emmerling in the 100 back (59.27).

Ephrata added a pair of relay wins to close out the night.