A small but can-do squad of Bromfield swimmers medaled in seven events in last weekend’s, Feb. 8, Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Central/West sectional swimming and diving championships. The annual event was held at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Eliana Laham. (Courtesy photos)
Topping the list was freshman Eliana Laham, who won the girls 100-yard freestyle race, earning a personal best in the event and setting a new school record of 53.48 seconds. Laham also placed third in the 200-yard freestyle and helped power the girls 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams, both of which have qualified for the state championship.
Co-captain and senior Vance Petrossi led the boys with a third-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1 minute, 2.04 seconds. Petrossi was sixth in the 100-yard freestyle and anchored the 400-yard freestyle relay team, which finished seventh.
Due to the impending weekend storm, the sectionals had been moved up a day, a change that deprived the girls 400-yard freestyle relay team of its lead-off swimmer, senior Gracie Hanss. Fortunately freshman Sarah Pudans was available to swim the second leg as an alternate, swimming her laps in 1:04.89, a personal best. Veteran senior Kiera Fallon, who typically swims the second leg, stepped up to the lead-off position, and the team finished ninth, just missing a spot on the podium, but qualifying for the states.
Senior co-captain Vance Petrossi swims to a third-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.
The day was not without its challenges. The Springfield public address system was unable to play the National Anthem, so the hundreds of parents and fans present at the Art Linkletter Natatorium sang the Star Spangled Banner a capella. And a false start by the anchor of the boys 200-meter medley relay team resulted in a disqualification and shut down what appeared to be a certain fifth place finish for the Bromfield foursome.
To earn a medal and a spot on the podium a swimmer or team must place among the top eight in their event. Points are awarded to the top 16 finishers in any event.
Despite having fewer entries than other schools, the Bromfield boys finished 15th with 76 points among 27 participating schools.Grafton won the boys Central/West championship with 258 points.
The girls placed eighth among 26 schools with 90 points. Minnechaug Regional won the girls championship with 289 points.
Next up is the MIAA Division 2 state championship, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center.
Three individuals and four relay teams have qualified. Eliana Laham will compete in the girls 100-yard and 500-yard freestyle. Vance Petrossi will swim the 100-yard boys freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke. Bowen Clarke will compete in the boys 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle races. And the boys and girls 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams will both be joining them.
MIAA Central/West sectional championships, Feb. 8, Top 16 finishers
Girls
- 100-yard freestyle: Eliana Laham, 53.48 seconds (PR), first
- 200-yard freestyle: Eliana Laham, 1:55.09, third
- 1-meter diving: Riley Dasch, 293.2, seventh
- 200-yard medley relay: Charlotte Miling, Niamh Fallon, Eliana Laham, and Kiera Fallon, 2:1.83, eighth
- 400-yard freestyle relay: Kiera Fallon, Sarah Pudans, Sophia Andrade, and Eliana Laham, 4:02.25, ninth
- 100-yard backstroke: Charlotte Miling, 1:07.73 (PR), 15th
Boys
- 100-yard breaststroke: Vance Petrossi, 1:02.24, third; Daniel Belin, 1:09.10, 16th
- 100-yard freestyle: Vance Petrossi, 51.00, sixth; Bowen Clarke, 51.30, ninth
- 400-yard freestyle relay: Bowen Clarke, Isaac Xu, Daniel Belin, and Vance Petrossi, 3:33.41, seventh
The 400-yard freestyle relay team poses for a photo. From left: Vance Petrossi, Isaac Xu, Bowen Clarke, and Daniel Belin.
