After suffering a disappointing loss to Royal Oak, the Oxford Girls Swim/Dive team rebounded by edging out Lapeer 93-92 at an Oct. 28 where two new school records were established.
The final score proved to be a true nail biter for Oxford as seven finishes were decided in the final second.
In three of those finishes, less than a half second was the margin of difference between the finishers. Ellen Saville’s fourth-place finish in the 100-Yard Freestyle at 1:06.33 was only a tenth of second less than the third-place Steph Morris of Lapeer.
Allison Woonton’s second-place finish at 2:11.37 in the 200-Yard Freestyle broke her record of 2:14, set earlier this season.
Swimming in the 400-Yard Freestyle Relay, the Wildcat A Relay Team of Anna Daves, Claire Patrell, Woonton and Jenna Mallard finished first with a time of 4:08.73.
This easily broke the previous school record–set earlier this year–by five seconds.
The girls also helped out their cause by placing first, second and fourth in diving. Olivia Martin finished first by scoring a 160.70 for six total points, Lindsay Sutherland placed second at 151.90 for four total points and Molly Bonfiglio placed fourth at 127.60 for two points.
Martin has qualified for regionals while Sutherland and Bonfiglio were looking to qualify at an upcoming Flint Metro League meet.
Woonton, Mallard, Patrell and Daves swam to another A Relay Team victory, this one in the 200-Yard Medley Relay as they finished first at 2:15.09.
The B Relay Team of Jennie Sunman, Emily Gilmore, Kristin Simmers and Sarah Skelton finished third at 2:26.45.
Besides Woonton’s record-breaking swim in the 200-Yard Freestyle, Skelton swam to fourth place at 2:31.82 while Kaitlyn Kimmel swam to fifth at 2:34.20.
In the 200-Yard Individual Medley, Patrell finished third at 2:50.50 while Gilmore finished fourth.
Oxford took third, fourth and fifth place in the 50-Yard Freestyle as Daves, Saville and Rikki Jarvis finished in that order.
Patrell finished second in the 100-Yard Butterfly with a time of 1:16.72 while Simmers and Sunman finished fourth and fifth.
In the 100-Yard Freestyle, Daves finished less than a second behind Lisa Noelle of Lapeer for second place at 1:04.66.
Saville and Jarvis finished fourth and fifth.
Mallard, living up to her aquatic bird surname, finished first in the 500-Yard Freestyle at 6:05.50–nearly three seconds faster than the second-place finisher.
Skelton finished fourth while Kimmel swam to fifth.
In the 200-Yard Freestyle, the A Relay Team of Jarvis, Brittany Dietrich, Caroline Kerbelis and Saville finished second at 2:06.54; third-place Lapeer B Relay Team finished at 2:07.66.
Oxford took first and second place in the 100-Yard Backstroke as Woonton finished first at 1:08.70 while Sunman finished second at 1:18.78–again, outdistancing third-place Sarah Crittenden of Lapeer by less than a second. Kara Charles finished fourth.
In the 100-Yard Breaststroke, Oxford took third through fifth places as Mallard, Gilmore and Brianna Pastewski finished in those respective places.
Lapeer’s team was a combined squad of Lapeer West and East swimmers.