In the first meet of the season, Bromfield swimmers took Westborough by surprise, challenging every race to the finish. Although Westborough’s strongest swimmers won a number of the races, Bromfield’s strength and depth came from having three swimmers score points in eight of the nine individual events. Westborough could not match the steadily accruing points in the end, and Bromfield came out on top, 95 to 91.
Westborough leapt into the lead with winning performances in the first four events. Bromfield stayed within reach with the team of Taylor LeBlanc, Declan Dean, Sam Sprague, and Eric Hazoury taking second, and Kaya Phillips, Sean LeRoy, Clara Wang, and Katherine O’Shea placing third in the medley relay. Heidi Nocka touched out her opponent at the wall for second place in the 200-meter freestyle and was followed closely by teammates Kelly Russell and Nick Walker.
Sam Carlson was Bromfield’s top performer in the 200-meter individual medley, with Hannah Wharton and Casey Sherman nabbing fourth and fifth place respectively. Sean LeRoy, Katherine O’Shea, and Taylor LeBlanc scored for Bromfield in the 50-meter freestyle, resulting in a score of 36 to 26 in Westborough’s favor at the diving break.
Outstanding performances by diver Kelly Sherman, who won the diving event, and newcomers Trippy Brown and Casey Sherman narrowed Westborough’s lead to just two points.
The two teams wrestled for the lead over the next few events. Nick Walker took first in the 100-meter butterfly, with Sam Sprague and Kelly Sherman leaving few points behind for the Westborough crew.
Westborough reversed the point stealing in the 100-meter freestyle; Eric Hazoury and Heidi Nocka kept the Bromfield team in reach, placing second and fifth respectively.
Gutsy swims in the 500-meter freestyle distance event from Alyson Codner and newcomers Melissa Shea and Julia LeBlanc maintained the two-point spread.
The tide turned for Bromfield and the swimmers took control of the meet when the team of Taylor LeBlanc, Nick Walker, Sean LeRoy, and Eric Hazoury won the 200-meter freestyle relay, resulting in a tie score of 70 points for each team.
In the 100-meter backstroke, Katherine O’Shea led her teammates Sam Carlson and Kaya Phillips in a Bromfield blockade, placing second, third, and fourth, respectively, and gaining a two-point lead for the Trojans.
The trio of Taylor LeBlanc, Declan Dean, and Sean LeRoy virtually sealed the deal with first-, third-, and fifth-place finishes in the 100-meter breaststroke.
With the final relay remaining, the score was Westborough 83, Bromfield 89. Westborough would have had to place first and second to win and first and third to tie. Bromfield swimmers were up to the challenge, however, and churned through the water in an exciting final event.
The team of Katherine O’Shea, Clara Wang, Eric Hazoury, and Nick Walker placed a very close second. Alyson Codner, Hannah Wharton, Kelly Russell, and Heidi Nocka finished decisively in third place. The two-three punch ensured the first victory the Bromfield swim team has ever had over Westborough, the team that has dominated the Midland-Wachusett League standings in recent years.
Bromfield will swim against Tantasqua and Leominster this week.
