New Lebanon's Sotek Sets Two School Records in Win over Taconic

NEW LEBANON, N.Y. -- New Lebanon freshman swimmer Alex Sotek Tuesday continued her assault on the program’s record book.

 

Sotek went into the dual meet against Taconic with four New Lebanon/Berlin marks as either an individual or part of a relay.

 

She came out with two more program marks in lead the Tigers to a 51-38 win.

 

In the boys meet, New Lebanon swept three uncontested relays on the way to a 47-24 victory.

 

Sotek was the big story, taking the 200-yard freestyle in 2 minutes, 7.33 seconds and the 100 free in 57.50.

 

“I did not think I was going to do that today,” Sotek said. “I was hoping, but I did not think I would.”

 

She broke with her usual program on Tuesday, substituting the 100 butterfly, where she already owns the school record, with the 100 free.

 

“I was thinking I might get the record [in the 100 free], but I wasn’t completely sure,” she said. “I was trying to get the best time today. It was good. I was happy about it.”

 

Sotek Tuesday displaced Rachel Ferris by comfortable margins in the 200 and 100.

 

Ferris owned a program-best time of 2:15.28 in the 200 set in 2011 that Sotek beat by nearly eight seconds. In the 100, Ferris swam 59.94 in 2010; Sotek shaved nearly 2-½ seconds off that mark.

 

New Lebanon coach Tim Christiansen said that having Sotek, a year-round club swimmer with USA Swimming and the YMCA, helps motivate the entire team to strive for improvement.

 

“It raises everyone else’s level to try to get to her level,” he said. “They work really hard to try to be more competitive with her.”

 

He said it’s not unusual on a squad that typically draws one-season swimmers to see big improvements throughout the winter, and this year was no different.

 

“Abby Seyerlein took a huge jump,” he said. “We didn’t see that coming, and she’s one of our top swimmers now. So it’s really great to see come along. [Like Sotek], she’s a ninth-grader, so she really stepped up well.

 

“And Chloe Meyers keeps dropping times. Sasha Truax is doing well this year. Amelia McDonald, she was hurt all last year, so having her come back as a senior has helped us out a lot this year.”

 

Seyerlein, Truax and McDonald teamed with Sotek to win the 200 medley relay on Tuesday. Meyers, McDonald and Sotek joined Carol Kirsimingi to finish the meet with a win in the 400 relay.

 

In between, Kirsimingi, McDonald and Truax teamed with Alayna Haviland to win the 200 free relay.

 

Taconic’s girls got a pair of wins from Natalia Argelo, who took the 50 free (32.36) and 100 backstroke (1:23.70).

 

It’s been a good season so far for the coach Marisa Plant’s Taconic girls, who took New Lebanon right to the wire on Tuesday when Rain Hajjar (1:32.30) and Brodiann Magner finished 1-2 in the penultimate event, the 100 breaststroke.

 

“We were down a girl today, so we only had seven girls, and we only lost by less than 20 points,” Plant said. “At one point, it was tied. I think we did a really good job. There were a lot of close races. They pushed really hard. We had a ton of best times.”

 

Mia Bencivanga, who has qualified for states in the 500 free and Western Mass in the 200 free, won the 500 on Tuesday in 5:51.22.

 

Taconic’s Stevie Zuccalo is a Western Mass qualifier in the 50 freestyle already this winter and is close to hitting the qualifying mark in the 100 free. He won both events on Tuesday in times of 25.19 and 57.05.

 

“Stevie is just getting over the flu, so some of his times are a little off, not swimming in over a week,” Plant said.

 

Taconic’s boys won all the contested events but lacked the numbers to compete for a team win. Benjamin Bradway won the 200 free (2:15.20) and 100 breaststroke (1:18.26). Peter Foley won the 100 back (1:14.05).

 

To date, New Lebanon has just one swimmer, Matt Kluck, qualified for New York’s Section 2 sectional meet. Christiansen said a couple of other boys are close to qualifying for the sectional.

 

Girls swimming is a fall sport in New York, and since New Lebanon swims in the Berkshire County League in the winter, all Sotek and her teammates have to look forward to are the remaining duals and the league’s season-ending Individuals Meet on Feb. 1 at Taconic Hills in Craryville, N.Y.

 

Of course, Sotek also can look forward to seeing her name etched on the wall at the school’s pool a couple more times.

 

“That means a lot to me that people can look up there and see that I’m up there,” she said. “It’s a nice feeling to have.”