Taconic's Bencivenga Runner-Up at Central/Western Mass Meet

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Taconic’s Mia Bencivenga placed second in the 200-yard freestyle at Sunday’s Central/Western Massachusetts Championships at Springfield College.

 

Bencivenga swam a time of 2 minutes, 5.20 seconds in the finals, lowering her seed time by more than four and a half seconds.

 

She finished behind Easthampton’s Natalia Robak, who won the 200 in 1:54.99 as well as winning the 100 in 53.21.

 

Bencivenga also swam to a third-place finish in the 500 free, touching the wall in 5:33:04. Chicopee Comp’s Ella Smith won that event in 4:59.03 and the 100 back in 58.12.

 

Taconic’s Mia finished third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:11.90. Northampton’s Sydney Abild won the event in 1:04.61.

 

Together, Bencivenga and Zuccalo helped Taconic place 13th in the 28-team field at the sectional championship with 58 points. Amherst-Pelham won the meet with 280 points.

 

Monument Mountain placed ninth with 85 points with Pittsfield just behind with 81 points in 10th place.

 

Monument Mountain’s Zoe Holmes placed fourth in the 200 individual medley in 2:18.05, behind champion Megan Kelly of Chicopee Comp (2:11.95).

 

Holmes also swam a leg on the Spartans’ third-place 200 free relay quartet. She, Carolina Chassi, Annabel Holmes and Maddie Fife finished in 1:47.29. East Longmeadow won that relay in 1:44.51.

 

Monument Mountain’s boys placed 14th out of 27 teams in their sectional on Sunday with 63 points. Longmeadow was the boys Central/Western Mass champion with 306 points.