BANGOR, Maine — Four pool records, five league records, one state record, and seven gold medals highlighted Ellsworth High School’s dominating title performance at the Penobscot Valley Conference boys swimming and diving championships Monday night at Husson University.
Ellsworth’s title, the Eagles first PVC crown, ended Bangor High’s seven-year championship reign. Coach Jim Goodman’s squad amassed 325 points. The Trojans of Mount Desert Island claimed the runner-up spot at 211 points. Old Town scored third with 195 points and Bangor finished fourth at 148 points.
In the first event, Ellsworth’s Talor Hamilton’s 23.7-second opening leg in the 200-medley relay gave the Eagles a two and half second lead that teammates Cooper Holmes (26.8), Ritchie Matthews (25.4), and Camden Holmes (22.6) extended to PVC and pool records at 1:38.7. Old Town touched second at 1:47 and Hampden third at 1:51.5.
Hamilton kept up his record-setting pace in the next event, the 200 freestyle. Swimming aggressively, he turned the first 50 in a 23.2 and swam away from the field to a speedy eight-second win for a PVC and pool-record finish of 1:42.4. Teammate Samual Alvarado claimed second at 1:50.6. MDI’s Pierce DiMauro placed third. (1:55.7).
The Bangor Rams’ Colby Prouty, who led for each leg of the 200 individual medley, won the gold medal in 2:01.3, three seconds ahead of silver medalist Liam Sullivan of MDI. Ellsworth’s Sam Pelletier nabbed the bronze.
After just four events the Eagles had totaled 117 points for a commanding 36-point lead over Old Town.
Bangor’s talented senior diver Kyle Adams tallied 504.45 points for 11 dives to win the Rams’ second event by 157 points . DiMauro finished second and Bucksport’s Anthony Wardwell was third.
Cooper Holmes collected another first place for the Eagles in a 54.1 finish in the 100 butterfly to open the meet’s second half. Old Town’s Nick Gould, at 55.6, scored second and Matthews added to the Eagles’ medals with a bronze (56.6).
In a sizzling 100-free performance, Hamilton established state, pool, and PVC records in the 100 free at 46.45, turning a 21.9 at the 50. Jake Ketch’s 50.7 scored second for Old Town and DiMauro’s 53.3 third for MDI.
Hamilton’s teammates Alvarado (4:59) and Camden Holmes (5:15.3) followed Hamilton’s swim with first- and second-place finishes in the 500 free.
Swimming the second half of the 100 backstroke in 29 strokes, Cooper Holmes (52.9) sprinted to PVC and pool records for the victory. MDI’s Jacob Mitchell (60.5) placed second and Nate St. Jean (61.2) third.
Prouty, a sophomore, won the 100 breaststroke for his second individual title with a PVC record of 58.7 after turning a quick 27.2 at the 50. MDI’s Liam Sullivan (1:01) finished second while Ellsworth placed third, fourth, fifth and tied for sixth.
Alvarado (51.6), Camden Holmes (51.0), Cooper Holmes (48.0) and Hamilton (46.3) closed the meet with PVC record of 3:16.9 in the 400-free relay eclipsing the previous record of 3:22.2 set by Bangor in 1998.