By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
FORK UNION – The Jefferson District boys championship proved to be a race to the finish. Orange County and Charlottesville battled back and forth for the top spot all afternoon, but the Black Knights won the final event – the 400-meter freestyle relay — to prevail over the Hornets, 168-164. Western Albemarle took third with 141 points.
“The guys were keeping score throughout the meet, so it was fun for them to go from event to event and know that we’re 10 points up or four points down and it put pressure on some of the kids that were coming up,” Charlottesville coach S.L. Price said. “It made it a fun meet, and of course the outcome makes it even more fun. But even if it didn’t go our way, it would have been a good meet.”
Charlottesville’s relay team of Michael Veale, Bryan Hancock, Austin Nelson and Nathaniel Bullard posted a time of 3:53.32 in the event, well under the Group AA qualifying time to bolster the team to its first district title in seven years. But just as important was the Charlottesville ‘B’ team of Liam McCarthy, Jacob Bryant, Daniel Zschatzsch and Jack McCarthy, which finished fifth in the event.
“Our ‘B’ relay stepped up, and that gave us the points we needed to come ahead,” Price said. “It comes down to it’s a team effort, and it took two relay teams to pull it off.”
The win came without a key member of the team, Eli Haden (wrist injury), one of Charlottesville’s top sprinters and a part of the relay teams. But Bullard’s win in the 50-meter freestyle, along with Veale’s second-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle provided a boost for the Black Knights.
The Hornets’ relay teams also gave strong performances, winning both the 200-meter medley and 200-meter freestyle. Alex Montes de Oca, a member of the 200-meter freestyle relay, was a multiple-event winner, claiming the top spot in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM. Teammates Justin Barden (100 fly) and John Marquis (100 breaststroke) also posted wins.
Monticello’s Ryan Mitchell, who was named the boys district swimmer of the year, claimed wins in the 100 and 200 freestyle with state qualifying times.
Alex Rayle, Western’s lead distance specialist, outpaced the field for a win in the 400-meter freestyle.
Orange County’s Jake Roth earned district coach of the year honors.
The top six in each event and those with qualifying times advance to the Region II meet, which will be held Saturday at Fork Union.
