She Sharks capture two state titles
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She Sharks capture two state titles |
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November 21, 2004 On Thursday, Nov. 18, Fairport proudly sent five swimmers and two divers to join with Section 5's contingent of 30 other athletes competing in the NYSPHSAA 2004 Girls State Championship Meet. The girls were joined by coaches Mike Kennedy and Dave Salmon. This meet was held at the Goodwill Pool at Eisenhower Park on Long Island. After a long bus ride down state and a grueling day of preliminary swimming and diving Fairport was poised to do it's part in helping Section 5 defend last year's state championship title. Before finals began, time was taken to honor all the seniors competing at the meet. Marlys Fuqua, a four year state qualifier, was Fairport's lone senior competitor. Good sportsmanship honors were also awarded with Section 5's selection being senior Megan Reisig from Victor. Sophomore Erin McGraw and Marlys Fuqua started out for the She-Sharks in the 200 freestyle. McGraw posted a time of 1:54.12 good for fourth place and Fuqua touched in 1:55.28 and seventh place. Lauren Dufault, a sophomore, competed next in the 200 individual medley with a strong showing hitting the wall in 2:14.76 good for 10th place. Section 5 sent five divers to the meet this year and all five made it back for the final round of diving, proving the depth and quality of diving in this area. Fairport sophomores Becky Bersani and Gretchen Schroeder represented the She-Sharks with pride. After the final round of dives, Bersani captured eighth place with 424.20 points while Schroeder took 17th place with 379.55 points. The 100 butterfly was the next event to see a Fairport competitor. McGraw came out strong and placed fifth in the event with a time of 58.34. The 500 freestyle saw two of the She Sharks faring well. Fuqua placed eighth with a time of 5:10.13 and Dufault garnered 18th place honors in 5:20.24. Immediately after swimming the 500, both Dufault and Fuqua joined McGraw and freshman Devina Tyagi for the 200 freestyle relay. The pressure was on the girls as they were seeded first in the event. McGraw exploded off the blocks giving Dufault a slight lead going into the second leg. The lead was maintained by Dufault and given to Tyagi, who swam a personal best time in her leg. Fuqua entered the water and brought the relay home for a first place finish in 1:38.96 - just .14 second off of Automatic All American time. The She-Sharks second freshman competitor, Andrea Hageman, swam the 100 breast stroke. She finished in 28th place with a time of 1:10.20 in an event that saw a new state record set. The final event for the day was the 400 freestyle relay. Once again, the team of McGraw, Dufault, Tyagi and Fuqua took to the blocks, this time seeded in third place. McGraw once more led off with a blistering time of 52.87 again giving Dufault a small lead. Dufault held off the other competitors and touched giving the lead to Tyagi. The freshman swam a strong leg keeping the team in contention. Fuqua hit the water and matched McGraw's split giving Fairport the win in 3:36.10. Fairport's contingent of swimmers and divers garnered 199 points for Section 5, aiding the section to it's second consecutive state title. In large team scoring, Fairport took second to Pittsford's 203 points.
Originally published in the Perinton-Fairport Post
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