Lady Sea Lions cap off 2nd straight season with perfection in the water, outlasting Pal-Mac, Livonia once more to go back-to-back in Class C
WEBSTER — The goal for the Lady Sea Lions of Wellsville at the beginning of this season was simple — repeat last year’s success.
It was a success that the program had never experienced before. A perfect 10-0 regular season record, and their first Section V, Class C championship in the swim team’s history. It was a mark that the team set once again going into this season, and perhaps some more along the way.
Along with their highest of hopes to repeat as Section V Champions, the Lady Sea Lions did it last season but not as Livingston County League Champions. Flip the calendar to this postseason, Wellsville made it one of their biggest priorities, and accomplished that feat two weeks ago.
Now the dinner table was set for Friday night in Webster.
It was clear that the Lady Sea Lions were once again the team to beat going into the Section V, Class C Championship meet. Later that night, they would make it official.
Out of 17 total Lady Sea Lions that made the Sectional cut, all of them helped record points for the team all throughout their final trip into the water, with Tiernee Brandes leading the charge behind a pair of Section V patches, followed by a slew of top three finishes that would help propel them back to the top in 2021, as they repeated in Class C as Champions with a 438-point, first place finish over second place Palmyra-Macedon and third place Livonia to win it all.
“It’s hard to put into words the emotions of winning Sectionals,” said Lady Sea Lions coach Steve Hand. “The girls knew what the season was shaping up to be there. We’ve kept a close eye on Pal-Mac and Livonia, and this year, the team’s first goal was to win our first LCAA League title. They did. Next on the list was to qualify as many girls for the Sectional meet as we could. 17 out of the 21 girls managed to make a Sectional Diving or swimming cut, most girls making several. The girls put in at least three hours at night, and two hours every Saturday defending the title, and they did an outstanding job. Putting up a 10-0 regular season, beating six teams for the LCAA title, and 11 teams for Sectionals.”
Brandes led the front of the pack for the Lady Sea Lions with a Sectional patch in both the relay department, and individual, starting the championship meet out with a bang alongside her Sectional champions in the 200 medley relay — Hayden Waldon, Grace Kinnicutt and Morgan Mattison, as they all swam toward a dominant victory that saw them record a new school record to begin the night, a 1:46.87 time.
It was the perfect splash that Hand had hoped for.
“Tonight’s meet started out with a hug win and a new school record in the 200 medley. Tiernee reset the mark with Hayden, Grace and Morgan, and that really got us going,” he said. “Just about everyone tonight dropped time and that’s what they work hard for. Ellie (LaBenne) had a personal best in the 500 freestyle, Hayden broke the 200 individual record in a great race, Morgan and Kaylee (Oswald) had good races in the 100, Reegan (Perkins) had a great drop in the 500, Isabelle (Hart) and Kaelyn (Crawford) had great times, and Grace picked up a solid third place with Emily (Budinger) adding her fourth place finish. It was outstanding all around.”
Brandes would add her individual Sectional title patch toward the tail end of the meet for the Lady Sea Lions, helping put a wrap on the team’s back-to-back team titles with a first place finish in the 100 backstroke behind a time of 1:05.69. The Lady Sea Lions were able to scavenge multiple secondary finishes to add in massive points to help build their lead all night long.
Hayden Waldon recorded a pair of second place finishes in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle, while Morgan Mattison had second and third place triumphs in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, respectively. Grace Kinnicutt followed with third place finishes in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.
In the relay department, the team of Kennedy Ewing, Isabelle Hart, Kaelyn Crawford and Kaylee Oswald converged to bring together a strong third place finish in the 400 freestyle relay to end the evening.
To help fuel the victory even more, the Lady Sea Lions also garnered strong third and fourth place finishes off the diving board from Ashley and Kaylee Oswald last week in the Championship Diving meet.
But it was a season that the Lady Sea Lions meshed together everything possible to come away with their second straight Class C title in the water, as their 2021 season now comes to an epic conclusion. The team will graduate five Seniors that have proved to be paramount pieces to their puzzle in Crawford, Ellie LaBenne, Cameron Gordon, Lindsey Slocum and Stephanie Oswald.
Hand says it’s upsetting that the brilliant ride is over, but is excited to do it all over again come next Fall.
“It’s sad that it’s over, and that we have to say goodbye to five Seniors that have really shape and build our team to what it is now,” the longtime Wellsville coach said. “This team was incredible, and everyone’s support around the community has been amazing all season long, and it’s helped us to get to where we are now. We are definitely not going to stop here.”
