Aidan Iannello swims the 7-8 Boys backstroke at the first meet of the season on June 12.
The Eagle Ridge Soaring Eagles are in the water for another TSA summer swim season. Due to their success as undefeated Southern Division 7 champions last summer, Eagle Ridge moved up to Division 6 this year and has faced some tough competition in the first three meets.
“From the first day of practice to now the swimmers have been working hard and have accepted a bigger work load than last year. This helps with their endurance through the meet and through their events. As they continue to work hard, they have been doing a great job remembering the small but bigger things such as two-hand touches,” third-year coach Megan Nelson said. “They are just doing it without being reminded, which is awesome and shows their maturity as swimmers. We’ve been racing some tough teams and the Eagle Ridge swimmers have done a great job stepping up and racing.”
The first meet of the season was on June 12 at home against Oxford Hunt, and the Eagles lost by a score of 215-299. Despite the loss, there were a number of great swims that night, and new pool records were set by Lindsay Day (6U freestyle), Erin Sarkus (7-8 girls backstroke), Hannah Marie Santos, Katie McKinney, Erin Sarkus and Hailey Neal (7-8 girls medley relay), Scott Barbeau, Payton Nugent, Gerard Chamra and Zak Stewart (11-12 boys free relay), Peyton Leischner (11-12 girls freestyle), Zack Leischner (13-14 boys freestyle, backstroke and butterfly) and Matt Smothers, Bradley Yount, Bilva Sanaba and Zack Leischner (15-18 boys free relay). In addition, Lindsay Day (free and breast) and Burke Tribble (free and breast) were double winners in the 6 and under age group, and Erin Sarkus (free, back and breast) and Zack Leischner (free, back and fly) were triple winners.
Seventeen team records were broken in this meet, evidence of the hard work, endurance and maturity that Coach Megan has seen through the first half of the season.
At the second meet, on June 19 at Medfield, the Eagles started to close the gap, losing by a score of 232-281. On an evening marked by multiple weather delays and an unusually late finish, Burke Tribble was again a double winner in the boys 6U freestyle and breast. Erin Sarkus was a triple winner in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. Zack Leischner was a triple winner in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, and Mila Korobkina was a triple winner in the 15-18 girls freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly.
The third meet on June 26 against Weatherstone was a “nail-biter” as the two teams were virtually deadlocked through the butterfly races. In the end Weatherstone edged out the Eagles by a score of 258-245. Erin Sarkus set a new pool record in the 7-8 girls backstroke, and Zack Leischner set a new pool record in the 13-14 boys backstroke. Eagle Ridge’s triple winners were Max Rucker (7-8 boys free, back and fly), Erin Sarkus (7-8 girls free, back and fly), Peyton Leischner (11-12 girls free, back and fly), Zack Leischner (13-14 boys free, back and fly), Matt Smothers (15-18 boys free, breast and fly), and Mila Korobkina (15-18 girls free, breast and fly).
The Eagles are looking to continue their progress in the remaining three meets on July 3, 10 and 17, and they are hoping to add some team victories to the individual wins that they have accomplished so far. A number of the Eagle Ridge swimmers are also looking forward to swimming in the Southern Wake Invitational Meet on July 8. Go Eagles! Swim hard, swim fast!
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