MPHS Swim Team Competes in Third Meet of Inaugural Season

The third meet of the Manassas Park High School swim team's inaugural season wasn't victorious, but head Coach Sam Olbes said great strides continue to be made on both the team and individual levels. 

The MPHS team competed against Strasburg High School on Friday at 7:30p.m. at the Manassas Park Community Center and lost to the Rams by a combined score of 196 to 103.

Here are the boys and girls team scores:

Girls – 117 Strasburg High School to 41 MPHS

Boys – 79 Strasburg High School to 62 MPHS

Despite the defeat, there are many accomplishments to celebrate through personal best times, Olbes said.

Team members have been working on their starts, turns and finishes, Olbes said. The practice contributed to the group looking polished during its meet on Friday, Olbes said.  Assistant Coach Kim O'Brien was absent from the meet, but volunteers were on hand to aid the team; the Cougars would not have had a successful meet without them, she added.

 One boys 200-yard medley relay team placed second in the meet. This team was comprised of freshman Thomas Smith, sophomore Justin Sheard, junior Daniel Smith and sophomore John Anthony Serrano-Garcia.  A second relay team comprised freshman David Hanggi, freshman Matthew Gillespie, sophomore Nick Gonzalez and sophomore Faysal Shaikh placed fourth during the meet.  

 Freshman Shaina Williams and sophomores Olivia Carros, Taylor Geer and Sierra Sotelo represented the girls in the medley relay and placed second in the match. Carros placed second with a time of 3:17.17, while Sotelo obtained her personal best by 8.13 seconds and a time of 3:01.55 with a third-place finish in the 200-year individual medley (IM.)

 Thomas Smith also placed second with a time of 3:13.65 in the individual medley.

 In the boys 200-yard freestyle, senior Michael McFarland placed third and obtained a personal best by 5.41 seconds with a total time of 2:48.03, while freshman Matthew Min placed fourth with a time of 2:59.44.

 For the boys 50-yard freestyle, Serrano-Garcia placed third with a time of 30.74 seconds. Min placed fourth and obtained a personal best by 9.39 seconds with a time of 32.05. In fifth place, freshman Austin Ponsart had a time of 34.62 seconds—his best time by 9.38 seconds.

 For the girls 50-year freestyle, Williams placed second with a time of 31.24 seconds while freshman April Day placed fifth with a time of 40.65 seconds, a personal best by 5.68 seconds.

 In the 100 yard butterfly, Daniel Smith placed first with a time of 1:21.52. For the girls, Geer also placed first with a time of 1:18.77.

 For the 100 yard freestyle,  Daniel Smith placed first with a time of 1:02.75, down 3.47 seconds.

Sheard dropped 20.58 seconds and earned second place with a time of 1:04.59.

Shaikh placed fifth and earned a time of 1:30.63, his personal best by .76 seconds.

Hanggi swam exhibition and earned a time of 1:25.57, 7.38 seconds less than his previous time.

 Gillespie swam the event in 1:27.30 and dropped 6.07 seconds.

For the girls, freshman Kaylynn Semple placed fourth with a time of 1:31.79, her personal best by 16.23 seconds. Day placed fifth with a time of 1:33.21, her personal best by 11.47 seconds.

Eighth-grader Alexi Kerey swam exhibition and dropped 6.76 seconds with her personal best of 1:32.46.

 In the 500-yard freestyle, McFarland placed first with a time of 7:57.93. Geer represented the girls and placed second with a time of 7:55.48

 The 200-yard freestyle relay team comprised of Serrano-Garcia, Gillespie, Ponsart and Min placed third with a time of 2:12.30. Another team consisting of Shaikh, Hanggi, May and McFarland swam exhibition and earned a time of 2:27.18. The girls team of Day, Kerey, Semple, and Sotelo swam exhibition and earned a time of 2:33.84.

 For the 100-yard backstroke, Thomas Smith placed second with a time of 1:22.30, down 9.29 seconds from time trials in November. Hanggi placed fourth and dropped 9.95 seconds, his personal best time of 1:35.56. Carros swam the event for the girls in 1:28.09 and placed second.

 For the 100-yard breaststroke, Sheard placed first with a time of 1:21.74, his personal best by 15.79 seconds from time trials. Ponsart placed fourth with a time of 1:32.45, his personal best time by 41.55 seconds and the biggest drop of the week. For the girls, Williams placed second with a time of 1:37.67.

 For the final event of a 400-yard freestyle relay, the boys team of Min, Thomas Smith, Sheard, and Daneil Smith placed second with a time of 4:51.59. The second team comprised of Gonzalez, Gillespie, Ponsart and Serrano-Garcia placed fourth with a time of 5:22.51. The girls team of Carros, Sotelo, Geer and Williams placed second with a time of 5:09.34.

 The Manassas Park swim team will face George Mason High School and William Monroe High School at its next meet on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 6:30p.m. at the Manassas Park Community Center.