With two of three postseason swimming-and-diving championship meets now complete, the perennial power Yorktown Patriots girls team has one title and a runner-up finish to its credit.
Yorktown won the Liberty District meet for the ninth straight season. A week later, the four-time defending champions placed second in the 6D North Region tournament.
The one meet remaining is the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state championships, in which the Patriots have won three straight crowns. That competition is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center in Stafford.
At the region meet, Yorktown finished second with 353 points to a deeper Oakton Cougars team (403 points). The Patriots won more races than Oakton, but the Cougars scored more points because they had more swimmers in races throughout the meet.
Yorktown finished well ahead of the third-place Madison Warhawks (239 points).
“Our top swimmers had great times, swam well, won races and did what they were supposed to do,” first-year Yorktown coach Callie Hyder told ARLnow. “Oakton has really good depth. With more swimmers, those extra points added up for them.”
Depth isn’t always as much of a factor at the state meet, since only the top swimmers qualify. The format could work to Yorktown’s advantage and Oakton’s disadvantage.
“If we swim well again, we have a chance to do well in the state,” Hyder said.
Leading Yorktown individually in the region meet were standout swimmers and double winners Lila Sherman, a junior, and senior Sophie Fredericks.
Sherman won the 200 and 500 freestyle races in times of 1:49.9 and 4:51.07. Fredericks, who will swim at the University of Delaware, was first in the 50 free (23.55) and 100 butterfly (53.73).
Sherman’s time in the 500 free was a new school record, breaking the mark of Olympic champion Torri Huske.
Other top finishers for Yorktown were McKenzie Cory with a win in the 100 backstroke (53.98) and a second in the 50 free. Jackie Furches was second in the 200 and 500 free races, and Mary Hecmanczuk, who will swim at Lehigh University, was second in the fly and fourth in the 50 free.
All of those swimmers, along with Emory Haynes and Alex Bristow, were on winning relays: the medley (1:44.89), 200 free (1:34.78) and 400 free (3:30.96).
In addition for Yorktown, Haynes was sixth in the 100 breaststroke, Elizabeth Pilot was 14th in the fly and back and divers Cecilia Yen, Cate Lawler and Jenna Sheetz finished third, fourth and 17th, respectively.
“We have had a lot of great times. Overall, our season has gone as expected,” Hyder said.
Hyder took over as Yorktown’s head coach from Torey Ortmayer, and has embraced the opportunity to continue the squad’s winning ways.
“We want to build on what previously has been done here,” Hyder said.
In past seasons, Hyder coached at Justice High School in Northern Virginia, Wilson High in D.C. and during the summer in the Northern Virginia Swimming League.
At the district meet, the same Yorktown swimmers led the way to victory, winning eight individual races and all three relays. They also had a first in diving.
Sherman won the 200 and 500 free. Fredericks won the breast and fly. Cory was first in the 200 individual medley and back, Furches won the 100 free and was second in the 200 free, and Hecmanczuk won the 50 free and was second in the 100 free. Yen won the diving with Lawler second and Sheetz fifth.
Other point-scoring swimmers at districts for Yorktown were Haynes, McKenna Fredericks, Nicole Nyamgarav, Mary Hardwick, Katie Hardwick, Pax Christensen, Hanna Endo, Evie Wang and Sabrina O’Dea.
For the 11th-place Washington-Liberty girls at the region meet, Sasha Taylor was fourth in the breast and fifth in the IM.
Yorktown boys fifth, W-L seventh in region: In boys swimming and diving, Yorktown finished fifth in the region meet. The Patriots were led by freshman Manu Maher with a victory in the 500 free (4:33.12) and a second in the 200 free.
Also for the Yorktown boys, Mitchell Robinson was third in the fly and fourth in the breast, and Zane Rogers was fifth in the 100 free. The 400 relay of Maher, Robinson, Jacob Owen and Sean Kohno was fourth.
For the seventh-place Washington-Liberty boys at the region, Kedar Kambhampaty was sixth in the IM and seventh in the breast.
