Pittsford S'Women
  2009 Brighton-Pittsford Post Article


The Panthers face off with Rush Henrietta Thursday

Last Saturday, the Pittsford S’Women opened their 2009 season competing at the Owego Invitational. This particular meet, located just south of Ithaca, New York, featured five other teams from around the state and has served as the Panthers season kick-off for many years.
By the end of the day, Pittsford had won its first competition of the fall beating Ithaca, Shenendehowa, Valley Central, Owego and Johnson City with a score of 685 points.
Setting the tone early were veteran swimmers Sarah and Shannon Dempsey, Erica Bryson and Danielle Phillips, who won, in convincing fashion, the 200 Medley Relay with a time of 1:57.18.  The other veteran group of Jennifer Proper, Mallory Ward, Amanda House and Elizabeth Maier had a strong fifth place finish with a time of 2:01.78, just hundredths of a second shy of either a third or fourth place spot. Placing 13th was the relay team of Emily Carroll, Andrea Meyer, Sydney Ryan and Audrey Hunt with a time of 2:11.64.  In 14th was the team of Kaelan Fennell, Mackenzie Ward, Lydia Hunt and Lainy Hummel with a time of 2:11.70. 
In the 200 Freestyle, Maddie Ashworth placed fourth with a time of 2:07.16.  Danielle Proper (seventh), Katie Hart (ninth), Jennifer Conklin (tenth), Audrey Hunt (fourteenth), and Anna Grazulis (sixteenth) all scored additional points for the team.
Over two seconds faster than the second place finisher from Valley Central, Sarah Dempsey was the winner of the 200 IM with a time of 2:17.57. Also placing in the top sixteen were Danielle Phillips (fourth), Amanda House (sixth) and Jennifer Proper (seventh).
Kala Wilkins won the 50 Free event with a time of 26.33 while Shannon Dempsey came in fourth and Jenny Riley placed fifth with times of 26.66 and 26.75 respectively.  Other members of the team contributing to the victory were Elizabeth Maier (ninth), Erin Connolly (fourteenth), Jane Zhu (fifteenth) and Isabella Joynt (sixteenth). 
In the 100 Butterfly, Sarah Dempsey placed third with a time of 1:03.23 while Erica Bryson placed fourth, Sydney Ryan thirteenth and Jennifer Conklin fourteenth.
Placing sixth, seventh, ninth, twelfth, thirteenth and sixteenth in the 100 Freestyle were Kala Wilkins, Shannon Dempsey, Elizabeth Maier, Mallory Ward, Erin Connolly and Kaelan Fennell.  With six out of the top sixteen places going to Pittsford swimmers, the Panthers depth proved invaluable.
Danielle Proper and Olivia Holodnik significantly reduced their seeding times in the 500 Freestyle by going 5:31.44 and 5:38.48 to place fourth and fifth while others finishing in the top sixteen were Katie Hart (ninth) and Lainy Hummel (fifteenth).
In the 200 Freestyle Relay, the “A” team of Shannon Dempsey, Jennifer Conklin, Elizabeth Maier and Kala Wilkins finished third with a time of 1:48.70 while the “B” relay (Hart, Ashworth, Proper, Riley) finished sixth, the “C” (Connolly, Ward, Holodnik, House) ninth, the “E” (Ryan, Grazulis, Zhu, Andrews) eleventh, the “D” (Fennell, Ward, Carroll, Hunt) thirteenth and the “F” relay (Joynt, Petishnok, Branch, Mattina) sixteenth. 
Pittsford then went 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the 100 Backstroke as Jenny Riley, Erica Bryson and Maddie Ashworth finished with times of 1:05.84, 1:06.34 and 1:07.60.  Other top sixteen finishers were Olivia Holodnik (eleventh), Kaelan Fennell (twelfth), Anna Grazulis (fifteenth) and Lydia Hunt (sixteenth). Depth proved a factor once again in the 100 Breaststroke where Mallory Ward finished second with a time of 1:11.95 and Danielle Phillips placed fifth, Amanda House, eighth, Mackenzie Ward, tenth, and Jane Zhu sixteenth.
In the day’s final event, the 400 Freestyle Relay group of Sarah Dempsey, Kala Wilkins, Erica Bryson and Madeline Ashworth placed second against a fast Shenendehowa group with a time of 3:52.73.  Other Pittsford relays scoring points were the “C” group of Riley, Hart, Holodnik, and Connolly (seventh), the “B” group of Conklin, Phillips and the Proper sisters (ninth),  the “D” group of Hummel, Hunt, Grazulis and Zhu (thirteenth), and  in fifteenth place the “E” relay group of Mattina, Petishnok, Stern and Gaffney.
Finally, in the diving competition held earlier that morning, Carrie DeMoulin finished 7th overall.
Both the Varsity and the Junior Varsity are away at Rush-Henrietta on Thursday (4:30pm) and then at Pittsford-Mendon Sunday for their first Home meet (1:00 pm) against Christian Brothers Academy of Syracuse.



The Pittsford S’Women Take First at the Owego Invitational
9/16/09 Article:
Since September 16, 2009