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December 18, 2001
Fairport, NY - Fairport's fourth meet of the season was
against the Pittsford Panthers. This year's meet was another
close and exciting duel between two perennial New York State
High School swimming powerhouses.
The past two years Fairport and Pittsford each won once,
so both teams came in ready for a tough competition. In the
end, Fairport prevailed 94-92 in front of an enthusiastic
Fairport home crowd.
Fairport opened with a convincing win in the 200 medley
relay. Jim Wood, Jon Roberts, Andy Amyot and Pete Kaemmerlen
won in 1:40.71, while the team of Matt McGraw, Vijay
Parthasarathy, Kurt Schwarz, and Keith Schanck placed third
in 1:46.38, contributing critical points to the team effort
and getting the Red Raiders off to a confident start. The
team of Jeff Kaemmerlen, Doug Potvin, Jeff Melvin, and Chris
Hamlin finished in 1:49.80.
Next was the 200 free, won by freshman Jeff Wood in an
impressive 1:46.74. Jeff overcame a body-length lead by one
of Pittsford's best swimmers with an incredible second 100
to touch out his opponent at the wall. Cyrus Salehi came in
fifth in 1:58.95, and Adam Craghead was sixth in 2:01.33.
Then Roberts, also a freshman, won the 200 individual medley
against another of the best Panther swimmers with a very
fast 1:58.57. Jim Wood placed third in 2:04.45 and Schwarz
was fifth in 2:11.10. Fairport continued its streak of close
wins in the 50 free, with Amyot scoring a critical victory
in yet another very close race with a top Pittsford swimmer
in a time of 22.68 seconds. Tim Stockton was third in 23.37,
and Schanck was sixth in 24.63.
Going into the diving Fairport's lead was only 10 points, so
they were looking for a strong showing by their divers. The
divers were up to the challenge, senior Pete Crane winning
with 283.65 points, and Ryan McLaughlin scoring an excellent
240.70, good for second place. Bill Gustafson came in fifth,
contributing to Fairport's point total, and helping the team
extend its lead to 47-31.
The 100 butterfly was another very close race, with Amyot
making up ground in the second half for another huge win in
a very fast 54.04 seconds. Melvin was fifth in 59.39, and
Schwarz sixth in 1:00.43. The 100 free was the first Panther
victory, with P. Kaemmerlen finishing second in 50.86,
Stockton third in 50.89, and Salehi sixth in 53.77.
The 500 free was the next nail biter. Jeff Wood finished a
very close second to the Pittsford swimmer in an excellent
time of 4:48.02. McGraw was fifth in 5:13.02, and J.
Kaemmerlen sixth in 5:24.99.
The 200 free relay followed, with the Fairport team of
Amyot, Salehi, Stockton, and Jeff Wood claiming critical
second place points in 1:32.07. Parthasarathy, Hamlin, TJ
Obenauf, and Schanck finished fourth in 1:37.36. At this
point the meet was tied at 70-70.
The Red Raiders came up big in the next race with a 1-2-3
finish in the 100 back. Junior Jim Wood continued his
unbeaten streak in this event with a strong 55.43, followed
by McGraw in 57.70 and P. Kaemmerlen in 1:00.04. Fairport
continued strong in the 100 breast, won by Roberts in
1:00.44. Parthasarathy was fifth in 1:08.54, and J.
Kaemmerlen sixth in 1:08.79.
Fairport needed a second-place finish in the final event,
the 400 free relay, to win the meet. Pittsford split its
best swimmers between their two teams, trying for a 1-2
finish. But Jeff Wood, Stockton, Jim Wood, and P. Kaemmerlen
came through, barely touched out by the Panthers in 3:22.81
for second, and easily beating their third place team.
McGraw, Schwarz, Salehi, and Hamlin finished in 3:36.30, and
Obenauf, Corey Stark, Carl Adair, and Ian Phillips swam in
3:45.22.
After the meet, Fairport coach Mike Kennedy said, "this was
a class meet, another in class tradition, with great
sportsmanship and great performances by both teams".
The crowd agreed, many seeming as worn out with the
excitement as the swimmers were with the swimming. It was a
total team effort by the Red Raiders, with 15 of Fairport's
swimmers and divers scoring points that led the team to
victory.
The Fairport Red Raiders are now 4-0. Their next meet is
Jan. 8 at home vs. Greece Olympia/Arcadia.
Originally published in the Perinton-Fairport Post
2002
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