OBERLIN, Ohio -- The Rocky River Pirates -- your one and
only Great Lakes Conference Swimming & Diving champions. Quite literally.
On Saturday, River's boys' and girls' teams swept titles in
the 2020 league championship meet, held at Carr Pool on the campus of Oberlin
College. The boys scored 209 points, best by more than 50 in the field of seven
teams. Normandy carded 154 points to place second. The River girls scored 233
points, besting Bay (115) and five other squads.
And that performance backed up a River sweep of the
championships in 2019. And 2018. And 2017. And 2016. Five conference titles in
the five years this conference has existed.
On the boys' side, Rocky River won just three events, but
the Maroon & White made its way to steps two and three on the podium a
combined 16 times. Freshman Michael Edson won the GLC title in the 500-yard
freestyle race. Edson won nine points for the Pirates by touching in with a
time of 5:11.39, a half-minute before runner-up and teammate -- and fellow
freshman -- Philip Carter. For good measure, River freshman Matthew Stankivicz
took third in an all-frosh medal sweep. The Rocky River boys also won the
200-yard and 400-yard free relays. Sophomore Aidan Carter was in on both of
those winning efforts.
In the girls' competition, the Pirates won 10 events. Senior
Anna Skapoulas won the league crowns in the 200 free and 100 butterfly while
also performing as a member of two winning relays (200 medley, 400 free).
Skapoulas set a new GLC Championship record in the 100 fly (58.41 seconds).
Both relays she was in also set new meet records, and the River senior was
tabbed as the Great Lakes Conference MVP.
Freshman Gianna Miller won two individual events with
meet-record times. Miller clocked in at 24.43 seconds in winning the 50 free;
she won the 100 free with a time of 53.88 seconds.
The girls (six) and boys (one) combined to set seven new
marks in the GLC title meet.
Girls Head Coach Emma Peck and Boys Head Coach Mark Harris
each earned GLC Coach of the Year honors. Normandy's Brandon Stoia was named
Boys' MVP.
The event sends Rocky River into its postseason stretch.
Five titles in a row for the Pirate boys; five in a row for the River
girls. However you refer to that -- Two
five-peats? A 10-peat? -- call it what it is ...
... impressive.
by Skip Snow
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