County's Swimmers Head to Sunday Sectional in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Junior Asa Stone leads the county contingent at Sunday’s Central/Western Massachusetts Swimming Championships at Springfield College.

 

Stone of Monument Mountain enters the sectional seeded in medal position in two events.

 

In the 100-yard butterfly, she has the fastest seed time, 1 minute, .50 seconds -- four-tenths of a second better than senior Ruby Gottlieb of Northampton.

 

In the 100 backstroke, Stone is seeded third with a time of 1:02.25. Amherst-Pelham’s Sara Baxter is seeded first in the event with a time of 1:01.31.

 

Stone is one of three Monument Mountain girls to qualify for the sectional in two events.

 

Maddie Fife is qualified in the 200 free and the 500 free. Zoe Holmes earned spots in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly.

 

Monument Mountain also qualified relay quartets in the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay.

 

The Berkshire North Division Champion Pittsfield girls are sending three relays and five individuals to the sectional meet.

 

Freshman Kiera Devine leads the way with a No. 2 seed in the 500 freestyle. Her seed time of 5:35.48 is six seconds behind top seed Natalia Roback of Easthampton (5:29.58).

 

Devine also is slated to compete in the  200 freestyle.

 

Pittsfield’s Jordan Bradford is the No. 5 seed in the 200 free with a time of 2:05.21. Minnechaug’s Samantha Van Zandt is the favorite with a time of 1:59.84 that is more than three seconds faster than the field.

 

Bradford also is qualified in the 100 back. Pittsfield’s Caitlin Hall, Szofia Lewis and Jackie Roccabrunna also are qualified in two events apiece. For Hall, it’s the 50 free and the 100 free. Lewis is qualified in the 100 fly and 100 breaststroke. Freshman Roccabrunna is qualified in the 50 free and 100 free.

 

Pittsfield’s girls 200 medley relay is the third seed in the field with a time of 1:59.41 entering the meet. Amherst-Pelham’s MR quartet comes in with a time of 1:52.62.

 

Taconic freshman Mia Bencivenga qualified in two events. She will swim in the 200 free and 500 free, where she has the eighth-best seed time in a field of 23 qualifiers.

 

In the boys sectional, the county’s best hope for a medalist may be Monument Mountain sophomore Sam Cybulski. He is seeded ninth in the 100 backstroke. He also qualified for the sectional in the 200 free.

 

He is joined at the sectional by Spartan teammates Harry Albert, Ethan Dean and Colin Thorp.

 

Albert qualified in the 200 free and 500 free. Dean is entered in the 50 free and 100 free. Thoris qualified in the 100 breaststroke.

 

Monument Mountain’s boys also have entries in all three relays.

 

Pittsfield qualified in three relays on the boys side as well. The Generals’ Conor Mooney qualified as an individual in two events, the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke. Pittsfield’s Connor Hayford qualified in the 100 back as well.

 

Wahconah’s boys are represented by two competitors in four events.

 

Fred Sears qualified in the 50 free and 100 free. Jacob Kunzmann qualified in the 100 fly and 100 back.

 

Taconic’s Stevie Zucalo qualified for Central/Western Mass in two events, the 50 free and the 100 free.