SMAC stays solid at Games

The second day of the Commonwealth Games on Saturday at Ridgeview Park solidified the SMAC presence. SMAC didn’t steal the competition with force but a few swimmers crossed new thresholds on by shaving seed times and walking away with more confidence.
“Go Keegan, go Keegan, come on, push it,” yelled SMAC swimmers Anna Corley and Katie Keefer across the eight-lane pool from their home tent.
Keegan Abar did punch it harder in the girls 13-to-14 200-meter. She moved from a sixth seed and placed third in the eighth heat at 2:40. She cut her time by three seconds.
“It was long but it was good. I worked hard on my butterflies, it’s not my stroke,” Abar said. The sophomore from Stuarts Draft High School said she found her motivation. “I didn’t have a good day yesterday, so today I’m making sure that I have a good day.”
The support from her teammates didn’t hurt either.
Assistant coach Kurt Sprenger said the hard work was paying off.
“They been working really hard, for as hard as we are working right [in] this meet we are doing very well,” Sprenger said. “Keegan just dropped three seconds off her time. That’s great in this meet to see best times.”
In the girls 15-and-over 200 meter, Carolyn McFarling accomplished her personal best of 2:54.84 from 2:57.22.
“That was really exciting, I can’t say I wasn’t expecting it, after yesterday I was really tired,” McFarling said.
McFarling raced in the 100-meter freestyle. It was not just any competition, McFarling competed against her best friend, Heather Fritz, from R.E. Lee in the next lane. The pair was neck-and-neck. McFarling pulled ahead of Fritz and picked up the win. But there were no hard feelings.
“We were in sync,” McFarling said. “It was really great to swim along with one of my friends.”
For the first time SMAC’s Daniel Corley swam the 200 meter. He finished 2:21.00 and said he is looking to do it again.
“I kinda like swimming like that, with no competition really,” Corley said. “I really have to challenge myself because I have no one to push me. That is problem on of my favorite events.”
In the boys 11-to-12 50 meter
backstroke, Nate DaCruz placed first for the Tide in 34.53. Pierce Harrison of the Tide squad placed first in the 100-meter freestyle at 1:05.53 in the boys 11-to-12 group. Amanda Carner for Coast Guard placed first in the girls 13-to-14 group to advance in the 50-meter butterfly.
Elizabeth Spicuzza of SMAC placed 37.30 at 19th place. In the boys 13-to-14 50 meter butterfly, Mike Camper clocked in at 29.40 for the Rays. Emman Crescimbeni of QDD placed first in the boys 15-and-over 50-meter butterfly at 26.56. SMAC’S Daniel Corley was in sixth place at 28.15.7. Teammate Sean Flink was 16 with 31.56. Tyler Randolph finished placed twenty-first for SMAC with 33.77. In twenty-sixth place for SMAC Tim Bihl clocked in at 40.59.
RAYS Paula Motsenbocker was first in the girls 13-to-14 50-meter breaststroke at 37.73. The girls 15-and over QDD’s April Livingston finished the day in first at 36.79. Katie Keefer finished in eleventh place for SMAC with 42.96, and Carolyn McFarling followed in twentieth with 44.10. In the girls 15-and-over 50 meter breaststroke was April Livingston of QDD placed first at 36.79. For the boys 15-and-under 50-meter breastroke