LEWISTON – It’s been 10 months since the Lewiston girls saw their unbeaten record blemished by a young Waterville squad in the KVAC championships. Wednesday night, the Blue Devils and Purple Panthers met in the pool for the first time since then, but revenge wasn’t first on the Devils’ minds.
Looking to measure themselves against some of their top competition, Lewiston impressed, and maintained its perfect record this season, with a 102-67 win at the YWCA.
“We went undefeated last year and so did they, but we never actually got a chance to compete (until the KVACs),” said senior Isla Hanson. “Our expectations were pretty high, and I think we’re pretty happy.” “It’s a real good rivalry, so this could have gone either way,” said Lewiston coach Dave Bright, whose team has already beaten Messalonskee and rival Edward Little this year. “Sometimes, kids fall apart in that situation, but I think they really rose to the occasion.”
Lewiston took two of the three relay events and picked up multiple victories from sophomore Jessica Stocker, who overcame fatigue for wins in the 100 fly (1:09.35) and 100 back (1:09.18) and had a hand in the two relay prizes.
“I didn’t expect to go 1:09 in the 100 fly just because I’m really tired,” Stocker said.
The Devils are deep this year, but they still rely on Stocker for points, especially when a team like Waterville can counter with a Sarah King, who won the 200 and 500 freestyles.
Caitlyn Robitaille (50 freestyle), Allysa Thomas (100 breaststroke) and Hanson (200 IM) also picked up six points apiece for their wins. Sarah Elwell, Nicole Grant, and Hanson all picked up second-place finishes worth four points each.
“Caitlyn Robitaille winning the 50 freestyle was a real good win,” Bright said. “Isla’s 200 IM was a good one for us. And there were a lot of kids who were in the middle of the pack who had best times.”
Hanson (6:04.85) finished a little over three seconds shy of King in the 500 freestyle and said being pushed by her, as a number of her teammates were pushed for the first time this year by the Waterville swimmers, will only help the Devils as the season unfolds. “It really helps to have another team that has the same ability level as us,” she said. “I got second on my 500 free, and I’m still pretty happy with where I finished.”
The Lewiston boys warmed up for their big test Friday against Cony with a 109-43 showing against undermanned Waterville. Jacob Chaloux (200 IM), Travis Dyke (100 butterfly), Derek Morris (500 freestyle), Jacob Chaloux (100 backstroke) and Justin Lemay (100 breaststroke) picked up first-place finishes.
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