Swimming
Boys Outscore Stonewall Jackson and
Strasburg; Girls Come Up Short

By Kelly Casteel (February 2, 2006)

The nascent swim team participated in its third and final meet of the season on Tuesday, January 17, against teams from Strasburg and Stonewall Jackson. Collectively, the boys’ team won the meet; many of the swimmers placed first in their individual events.  The Mason boys further demonstrated their talent by winning every relay event in which they competed.

Sophomore Kyle Nette breastrokes his way to the finish line. (Photo by Janice Nette)	Sophomore Krissy Southern and senior Eva Berthold take a break during pool side during their team’s final meet. (Photo by Janice Nette)

The girls also swam well, but ultimately lost the meet, mainly due to the Mason team having fewer members than either of its opponents.  The results of this meet closely mirrored the outcome of the Mason swimmers’ previous two meets of the season (one held in both December and January), with the boys winning and the girls coming up short because of their smaller numbers.

The key events in last week’s meet were the 500-yard freestyle (won by Gr8 Sam Parker for the boys and junior Kelly Casteel for the girls) and the 200-yard individual medley, another victory for the girls thanks to eighth grader Kelley Frank. During the 50-yard freestyle, which was possibly the most exciting event, sophomore Kyle Nette came in a very close second to a Stonewall Jackson swimmer who expects to swim at the State meet. Sophomores Colin Lauer and Jeff Williams, freshmen Carlos Clark and Jack Cashin, and senior Andy Parker also earned points for the boys.

Junior Mariam Al-Shagra, sophomore Krissy Southern, eighth grader Jenny Piperno, and seniors Eva Berthold, Lauren Moore, and Ouda Baxter all swam strong races, but fell short of winning the girls enough points for a team victory.

The meet included a number of very challenging events, including the 500-yard freestyle, a 20 lap race; the 200-yard individual medley, in which competitors swim two laps of each stroke; and the exhausting 100-yard butterfly. Each swimmer is allowed to participate in a maximum of two individual events and two relays, giving everyone a chance to swim. Despite the four-event maximum, some Mason swimmers completed upwards of 30 laps (750 yards) during the course of the meet.

This meet marked the completion of the swim team’s second season, which began at the end of November with practices at the Dunn Loring YWCA. The team was coached by 1997 Mason graduate Jon-Michael Lemon and was greatly aided by Mrs. Janice Nette, who arranged everything from the practice schedule to the spirit packs. Next year, the team hopes to become recognized as a varsity sport, which would allow the swimmers to compete in the district and regional meets.