ORONO, Maine — The Cape Elizabeth Capers won the school’s seventh swimming and diving championship and first since 1997 collecting 275.5 points Saturday at the University of Maine’s Wallace Pool. Morse High of Bath placed second with 241 points and Mount Desert Island came in third at 229.5 with Ellsworth High fourth in the 24-team field at the boys state Class B championship.
The meet, following a decision this fall by the Maine Principals’ Association to restructure all swimming and diving championships, was conducted as a timed finals meet rather the traditional trials and finals format. As a result, swimmers were seeded in finals based on dual and or conference championship performance rather than advancing to the finals through competing in the trials.
Ellsworth’s Talor Hamilton won two individual gold medals and set a state record. Hamilton, voted Performer of the Meet, established a state record in the 100 backstroke (52.2) after winning the 100 butterfly in 51.7. Hamilton’s back record began with a speedy 25.2 first 50, a second and half ahead of the field. The junior split 24.4 on the backstroke leg of Ellsworth’s first place 200 medley relay of 1:41.6. to claim a third gold.
Harry Homans, who was the backstroker on Cape Elizabeth’s silver medal medley relay, gained his first victory in the 200 individual medley (1:58.7). He was the lone racer who touched under the 2-minute mark. His second gold came in the 500 free when he cruised to a 10-second win at 4:48.1, swimming sub 30 second 50s and closing at 28.9 for his final 50.
MDI’s Will Green, in the 11 dive 1-meter competition, amassed 448.70 points, a new standard. The previous record of 419.30 points was established in 1984 by Belfast’s Michael Marsanskis. Due to an MPA revision in the awarding of team diving points at State Championships, MDI did not receive the points from Bryce DiMauro, who finished second in the two-entry field. DiMauro did receive an individual award.
“Will deserves the win. We have decisions that have been made that need to be reconsidered at various levels. It appears as though there are some who want to kill it,” Tony DeMuro, coach of MDI, said of the MPA’s position on diving.
The Capers held a one-point lead (108-107) on the Shipbuilders after the meet’s first five events. Fourth- and eighth-place finishers from the Shipbuilders’ butterflyers moved Morse ahead of Cape 133-112 following the sixth event. Actually, the Capers slipped to third with the 100-free results as the Trojans raced into second behind Morse.
Homans’ gold and teammate Alex Mukai’s silver in the 500 free pushed the state champions into second place, six points behind the Shipbulders with four events remaining. Cape with a fifth-place finish, and a Morse disqualification, regained the lead after the 200 free relay, an event won by Camden Hills in 1:31.1. MDI slid into second and Morse to third.
Morse retook second place and cut the Cape lead to 208-204 in the 100 backstroke. Cape’s third, fourth (tie), and ninth-place finishes in the 100 breaststroke netted 39 points and advanced the Capers to a 247.5 to 209 lead with one event remaining. Homans moved Cape from sixth to fifth in the 400 free relay with a 49.1 anchor split for the 28 points. Morse raced third for 32 points. In winning their second relay, Camden Hills closed at 3:21.5.
Camden Hills’ Julian Abaldo defended his 200 free title and continued to remain undefeated in the event cruising to a 1:49.5 win. Teammate Mark McCluskey won the 50 free (22.0), an event where MDI scored fifth and sixth and Old Town’s Jake Ketch touched third. Tucker Banger of Morse 22.4 was second. Another Camden freestyler, Kyle Crans (48.3) claimed the 100 free. Belfast’s Alex Lind (49.4) was second and Banger third.
Ellsworth ‘s 100-yard breaststrokers Cooper Holmes (59.8), Hayden Sattler (1:03.9) and Austin Baron (1:08.7) scored first, second, and eighth respectively.
Orono’s Noah Burr received a silver medal in the 100 back (54.6) and a bronze medal in the 200 IM at 2:00.9
This year’s state meets have been dedicated to David Bright, a former swimmer and New England champion while at Colby College. Bright has coached at Colby, Bates, Lewiston High and currently coaches Brunswick High.