Out In Front: The Severna Park boys edged their rivals at Broadneck on the meet’s final relays, setting up what is sure to be an exciting rematch at this week’s county championship. Photos by Colin A.J. Murphy

By Colin A.J. Murphy

The always-strong swim teams from Severna Park and Broadneck were at the Arundel Olympic Swim Center along with South River and Annapolis for a quad-meet on January 27, providing each other a valuable late-season test in preparation for the county championships the week of February 6. The Severna Park boys managed to edge the Bruins for first place, 161-152, after the neck-and-neck meet went down to the wire and was decided on relays. The Broadneck girls topped their Falcon counterparts, 164-133. South River’s boys placed 3rd, their girls 4th; and Annapolis’s boys placed 4th, their girls 3rd.

As the final score indicates, the Severna Park and Broadneck boys teams together provided the top two finishers in virtually all events. In the 200 freestyle, Bennett Bean (SP) took 1st, while Vadim Jacobson (BHS) and Noah Yanchulis (BHS) took 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Bean also took 1st in the 100 free, besting Broadneck’s Cody Edwards and Remington Maurer. David Thornton placed 1st for Broadneck in the 200 individual medley, while John Bachkosky (SP) and Max Madden (BHS) took 2nd and 3rd. Severna Park’s Kevin Huntley beat out Maurer in the 50 free, while Jacobson and Paxton Paganelli owned the 500 free, taking 1st and 2nd. Jared Wasserman took 1st in the 100 backstroke, besting runner-up Edwards and 3rd-place John Bachkosky. Severna Park’s 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams—each manned by Bachkosky, Huntley, Wasserman, and Bean—scored critical points with 1st-place finishes in both events. Severna Park is now 9-0 and dealt Broadneck their first loss; the Bruins are 10-1.

On the girls’ side, Erin Dougherty paced the Bruins in the winning effort. Dougherty took 1st in both the 200 and 500 freestyle and combined with Anja Benson, Jeanne Luning Prak, and Rachel Armstrong in winning the 400 freestyle relay. Armstrong also took 1st in the 100 backstroke, while Severna Park’s Sophie Dietrich and Lauren Belloff finished 2-3 after Dougherty in the 200 free. The Falcons received big points from Marissa Hand, who took 1st in the 50 free and 100 butterfly.

The Broadneck girls now stand at 11-0, while Severna Park sits at 7-2.

Broadneck’s Rachel Armstrong swims breast stroke for the Bruins on January 27. Armstrong took first in the 100 backstroke in helping the Bruins to the meet victory. Photos by Colin A.J. Murphy

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