NEWARK — The Salesianum swim team seems to be as deep as the pools they compete in, and those numbers helped the Sals to a 10th consecutive Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship on Feb. 28 at Rawstrom Natatorium at the University of Delaware.
The Sals won just one individual title, but they captured two of the three relays, and they had multiple finishers in several events to distance themselves from the competition. Salesianum handily outdistanced runner-up Wilmington Charter, while Saint Mark’s was just behind the Force in third place. It marked the Sals’ 42nd state title in the sport.
The 500-yard freestyle is a good snapshot of Salesianum’s road to the title. Senior Tim Hanway won the event by five seconds over his teammate, Bradley Woolpert. Another Sals swimmer, Seamus Walstrom, came in fourth place. Patrick McGraw competed in the consolation final, which includes the ninth- through 16th-fastest qualifying times. McGraw was 12th overall, scoring a few more points for his team.
The two relays won by the Sals were the freestyle relays. The 200-yarder consisted of Dylan Ristenbatt, Hanway, Woolpert and Emery Hess. In the 400-yard relay, the quartet comprised Hanway, Woolpert, Ian Chan and Hess.
Wilmington Charter opened the evening with a win in the 200-yard medley relay, getting the Force off to a good start. Salesianum’s team of Ristenbatt, Nolan Burns, Chan and Carson Nagle were a second and a half behind them. Hanway and Woolpert were second and third, respectively, in the 200 free, while Chan was second in the individual medley. Ristenbatt and Hess came in second and third, respectively, in the 50 free. Hess was third in the 100 free, and Ristenbatt placed second in the 100 butterfly.
Saint Mark’s continued its strong showings in recent state championship meets. Spartans junior Aidan Walsh had himself a night, taking the individual state titles in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke.
