ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Jan. 25, 2023) -- Rocky River Swimming & Diving is back in the water. We check in with River's aquatic athletes with the season's first edition of Lane Lines:
The Pirates opened their season Nov. 30 with a four-way sweep of Great Lakes Conference foes Elyria Catholic and North Olmsted. Rocky River's boys and girls teams got their seasons off to 2-0 starts. Many more wins would be forthcoming.
The Double-R then split a non-conference meet against Hawken Dec. 2, with the boys winning 209-108 and the girls falling 220-103.
Rocky River followed that meet with the Bay High School-hosted Rocket Relays the following night. On the boys side, the Pirates scored 98 points and edged Strongsville to win the event title. On the girls side, River and Strongsville switched positions and the River girls took second.
The Lane Raiders returned to GLC action Dec. 7 with a four-way sweep of the Bay Rockets and Buckeye Bucks. Senior Michael Esdon highlighted the Pirate boys running their record to 5-0 by breaking the North Olmsted pool record in the 200-yard freestyle.
River then swam against Solon in a non-conference get-together Dec. 10. The Pirate girls were upended by the Comets; the boys registered a tie.
On Dec. 17, Rocky River competed in the Viking Invitational at Cleveland State University's Busbey Natatorium. The Pirates took sixth (boys) and seventh (girls) in the quick waters at the CSU facility.
The Raiders swept Westlake in a GLC meet Dec. 21. Esdon touched in with a Rocky River pool record in that dual meet. The senior swam the 500 free in 4:46.03.
Both River squads then swept through Parma and Valley Forge in GLC action on Dec. 29.
The following day (Dec. 30) the Pirates were back at CSU swimming in the Wally Morton Relays. The River boys placed fourth in a field of seven teams; the Pirate girls were third of eight. The Double-R took third in combined scoring. On the boys' side, Rocky River clocked a gold and two silvers. The Pirates won the 400 freestyle relay with the all-senior foursome of Edson, Phillip Carter, Nart Yilmaz, and Matthew Stankivicz posting a time of 3:20.55. On the girls' side, River a win and three runner-up finishes. The Maroon & White took gold in the 400 medley 4x100 IM (Gianna Miller, Carolyn Wanosik, Bode McDougal, Taylor Devorace).
The Double-R opened the new calendar year with a Feb. 4 sweep of the Fairview Warriors. Gianna Miller broke a 10-year-old pool record in that one when she touched in with a 24.53-second performance in the 50 free.
On Jan. 12, the Pirates swept Normandy in a GLC meet.
On Jan. 14, Rocky River got a sneak preview of the site hosting the 2023 OHSAA Championships -- the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton, Ohio -- when it competed in the Northeast Invitational. In the boys competition, the Pirates took ninth place out of 45 teams scoring points. River placed 13th (46) on the girls' side. Michael Esdon highlighted the team's performance with a win in the 500 free. Esdon broke his own program record in that event, touching in with a time of 4:41.1.
On Jan. 18, the Pirates celebrated Senior Night with a pair of home wins over the Lakewood Rangers. River seniors honored during the evening were Philip Carter, Matt Esdon, Michael Esdon, Ely Jenkins, Matt Stankivicz, Nart Yilmaz, Grace Burnham, Meghan Butte, Cora Mathewson, Gianna Miller, and Blair Pichola. Miller punctuated the evening, knocking out a girls pool-record-53.08-second swim in the 100 free.
CANNON FIRE ...
PIRATE CAPTAINS: The Rocky River captains for 2022-23 are boys: Michael Esdon, Matthew Stankivicz, and Nart Yilmaz, and girls: Meghan Butte, Cora Mathewson, and Blair Pichola.
ON THE HORIZON: River had a non-conference meet against Strongsville nixed Jan. 25 due to inclement weather/school closings. The Pirates (Boys: 11-0-1, 10-0 GLC; Girls: 10-2, 10-0 GLC) are scheduled to return to action Jan. 26 (diving--Rocky River High School) and Jan. 28 (swimming--Lakewood High School) in the 2023 GLC Championships. The Maroon & White are the seven-time defending champions on both sides (boys, girls). ... River will then prepare for its participation in sectional qualifying, which will be held Feb. 10-11.
by Skip Snow
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