Local swimmers shine in state meet

DURHAM, NH – Competing in front of hundreds of parents, peers and fans at the University of New Hampshire’s Swasey Indoor Pool, several Queen City athletes produced standout performances.

Central (Division I)

Manchester Central High School junior Alexei Avakov led the Little Green, who finished seventh among both boys and girls at the Feb. 11 event.

He topped the field in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.33 seconds, and then won the 100-yard breaststroke at 55.24 seconds.

Avakov’s senior teammate, Mirza Kruscica, came in 4th in the 100-yard butterfly by finishing in 58.21 seconds.

Like Avakov, Abigail Gowern led the Central girls to a seventh-place finish with wins in both her races. She was first in the 200-yard freestyle – with a time of 1 minute, 54.09 seconds – and also topped the 500-yard freestyle at 5minutes, 3.70 seconds.

The Little Green also finished 8th in the girl’s 400-yard freestyle relay.

Memorial (Division I)

Senior Joshua McDonald was was victorious in the 100-yard butterfly at 53.27 seconds and earned runner-up behind Avakov in the 50-yard freestyle event with a time of 22.73 seconds.

Sophomore Ryan White won her heat and placed sixth overall with a time of 1 minute, 26.06 seconds in the girls 100-yard butterfly.

Tiago Mendes, with a time of 57.19 seconds, came in ninth in the boys 100-yard freestyle event.

Derryfield (Division II)

Freshman Garrett Lande placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke at 58.66 seconds. He also topped his heat and finished sixth overall in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.53 seconds.

Sophomore William Dainiak was sixth in the 500-yard freestyle at 6 minutes, 5.33 seconds and 11th in the 100-yard butterfly at 1:09.45.

For the Derryfield girls, freshman Liesel Gregor took 4th in the 100-yard breastroke at 1 minute, 13.44 seconds.

Senior Skylar Walker earned a top-eight finish in the 100-yard butterfly at 1 minute, 04.90 seconds.

She was also eighth in the 50-yard freestyle at 26.85 seconds, and freshman teammate Mia Chen came in 12th at 28.02 seconds.

Gregor finished eighth in the 100-yard freestyle at 59.59 seconds, and Chen edged classmate Lindsay Collins in the 200-yard freestyle, 2:14.39 to to 2:15.18.

Collins came in 11th in the 100-yard backstroke at 1 minute, 10.54 seconds.

Senior Ava Young placed fifth in the 500-yard freestyle at 5 minutes, 41.05 seconds.

Freshman Isabella Mailloux was 13th in the 200-yard individual medley at 2 minutes, 29.05 seconds and 11th in the 100-yard breastrike at 1:17.17.

The Derryfield 400-yard freestyle relay team came in 4th at 4 minutes, .34 seconds.

Trinity (Division II)

Senior Michael Dormer placed fifth in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes, 17.61 seconds, and he took sixth in the 100-yard freestyle at 55.32 seconds.