Champion Home

Swimming: Dunwoody girls break Lakeside’s hold on county title

The girls competing last weekend in the 2011 county meet weren’t in the first grade yet, the last time a team other than Lakeside won the girls county swimming championships team title.

With strong performances in the relay events and big contributions from a sophomore, Dunwoody snapped Lakeside’s 13-year reign and won the girls county swimming title. Dunwoody had placed second in the team standing in nine of those seasons. Lakeside won the boys title for the eighth year in a row.

“We were feeling like the Buffalo Bills (who lost four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s),” said Dunwoody coach Rae Colley. “To be able to break the 13-year curse is awesome. I’m so proud of the girls.”

Dunwoody outpointed Lakeside 398-386 while Chamblee was third in the girls standings with 327 points.

Sophomore Shawn Pyne was Dunwoody’s only double winner, claiming first place in both the 50- and 100-meter freestyle races. Lakeside’s Anna Ewing was second to Pyne in both events. Pyne swam the anchor leg in both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay events, which Dunwoody won. Dunwoody capped the victory in the 400 freestyle relay, which was the final event of the meet.

“A lot of us are on the same club team, so it’s a friendly rivalry, but it’s really exciting,” Pyne said. “I was nervous and excited before the 400. I was jumping around trying to get my heart rate up. I was half a body ahead going into the final turn but I wasn’t comfortable until it was over. I was swimming against the same girl I swam against in the 50 and the 100, and I really wanted to beat her.”

Lindsay Calderella, Maggie Joyce and Pyne all were on the two winning relay teams for Dunwoody. Rebekah Passow joined the trio for the medley relay win while Stephanie Stadnick swam on the winning 400 freestyle relay team. Joyce also won the 100 breaststroke for Dunwoody.

In individual events, Mary Kate Leary of Druid Hills won the 200 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. Chamblee’s Nathane Cheung won the 200 individual medley by nearly 6 seconds over runner up Lizzy White of Lakeside and placed first in the 100 butterfly by nearly 5 seconds over teammate Erica Seifried.

Lakeside won the boys meet with 427 points and Dunwoody was second with 372. Chamblee also placed third in the boys standings with 275 points.

The Lakeside boys won all three relays and claimed first place in all but one individual event. Jack Lane won both the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly; Cesar Acosta won both the 200 and 500 freestyle; Jason Arne won both the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke; and Hayes Burdette-Sapp finished first in the 50 freestyle. Alex Kemenov of Chamblee won the 100 breaststroke.

“I was confident with the leadership and depth of the boys team,” said Lakeside coach Trish Newmyer. “We knew we were capable of going 1-2 in several events.

Lakeside boys swimmers placed first and second in the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. Arne and Wilson Couture were the top two in the 100 freestyle, and Arne and John Ewing were first and second in the 100 backstroke.


Comments (1)

Steve Barton
Said this on 2/5/11 At 10:47 pm
Congrats to Dunwoody, Lakeside, and all schools and athletes competing!

New comments are currently disabled.


Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon Sign up for News Alerts