Christopher Seawell started his junior season with a record-breaking performance.
Seawell, who qualified for the 3A State Championships last year, set a new Cedar Ridge record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 57.61 seconds. Seawell qualified for the Central Regionals in two events as the Red Wolves men’s team opened the season with dual match wins over Seaforth, Northwood and Durham School of the Arts at the Orange County Sportsplex on Tuesday night.
It was a lofty start for Cedar Ridge, which defeated a Seaforth squad that finished third at the 2A/1A State Championships last February at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary.
In the women’s meet, Cedar Ridge swept Seaforth, Northwood and DSA. Wren Brand opened the season by winning the 50 yard freestyle (23.31) and 100 butterfly (1:01.60).
For Red Wolves head coach Amanda Jones, it was the start of a new chapter after the graduation of Sophia Stinnett, who is already competing for Division I Le Moyne College in DeWitt, New York as a freshman. Stinnett finished fourth in the 3A State Championships in the 100 backstroke.
It was also the first meet without Quinn McCrimmon, a co-Captain who qualified for the state championships individually and in various relay events over the past two years.
In the men’s meet, Seawell also captured the 50 freestyle at 23.31, beating out Quinn Hepburn of Seaforth (25.43). Seawell also finished first in two relay events.
Seawell, who started his third year at the varsity level, swam the anchor leg in the 200 freestyle relay. Teaming with J.E. Sandor, Zion Green and Simon Salazar-Coronado, the Red Wolves finished at 1:43.18. The Durham School of the Arts team of Charles Buchacek, Gage Steffens, Wade Dailey and Vincent Battaglini came in second (1:46.55).
In the opening men’s event of the season, Seawell, Sandor, Green and Davis Golden captured the 200 yard medley relay at 1:57.09. Golden, a senior, swam the anchor leg. Seaforth’s team of Quinn Hepburn, Isaac Lindgren, Thaddeus Dasher and Aden George came in 2nd (1:58.64).
Sandor, a sophomore, also qualified for regionals in two events. He finished second in the 200 freestyle (1:59.71), finishing behind Battaglini (1:48.99).
Sandor, who finished 11th in the 3A State Championship in the 100 butterfly as a freshman, opened the year second in the butterfly with a time of 58.73. Battaglini finished first at 55.34.
The overall men’s team scores had Cedar Ridge beating Seaforth 47-39; beating Northwood 55-28 and topping Durham School of the Arts 46-36.
In the women’s meets, Cedar Ridge edged Seaforth 48-45; defeated Northwood 78-30 and outscored DSA 52-42.
Junior Margaret Payton won the 500 yard freestyle at 5:50.50, beating Jocelyn Ritchey of DSA (5:56.78) for first place.
The women’s meet had the three tightest races of the night. Payton also won the 100 breaststroke at 1:20.51, beating Seaforth’s Gillian Eriksen by .37 of a seconds. Payton automatically earned a spot in regionals in both events.
Red Wolf sophomore Natalie Kunz came in second in the 200 freestyle in a photo finish. Seaforth’s Sydney Haire beat Kunz by .11 of a second.
Kunz also earned a spot in regionals in the 100 backstroke with a third place finish at (1:13.50). Seaforth had a 1-2 finish in the event with Haire finishing first (1:08.07) and Natalie Hinde coming in second (1:12.56).
Kunz, Payton, Brand and sophomore Eden Pollard teamed to win the 200 medley relay at 2:04.30, also qualifying for regionals. Ella Werley, Peyton Walker, Ellie Norman and Emmerson Topete finished second (2:11.12).
Payton, Kunz, Brand and Hala Zafar won the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:50.84. The DSA team of Richey, Norman, Werley and Anji Landry finished at 2:02.18.
Pollard came in fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:13.62) and second in the butterfly (1:11.56). She qualified for regionals in both events.
Zafar, a senior, earned an automatic spot in regionals after a fourth place finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:23.43).
