Hawks boys, Bucs girls show strength

By Jay Edwards
Correspondent

Posted: Friday, Feb. 10, 2012

The Charlotte Latin boys' swimming team has had its ups and downs this season with only 10 swimmers on its roster.

But all 10 of the Hawks boys' came up big when it mattered most, as Charlotte Latin rolled to a 39-point win (256 to 217) over defending state champion, Charlotte Country Day to win the CISAA swimming championships at Mecklenburg Aquatic Center (MAC) on the Latin campus.

Meanwhile, on the girls' side, Country Day, also the defending state champion, fought off a pesky Latin girls' team by only two points for the league title, 258 to 256, in one of the closest meets in the history of the archrivals.

"This is like the Duke-North Carolina basketball game," Charlotte Country Day swimming coach Bob Peterson said. "We know we are going to get Latin's best every time we swim against them and vice versa."

The Latin boys' started strong, winning the first six and eight of 11 events overall to control the meet.

Senior Will Gardner and junior Michael Chadwick led the way, each winning both individual events and both relays.

Gardner, who upset Country Day's Tripp Mulligan by .12 of a second in the 50-yard freestyle, also got a win in the 100 freestyle, while also helping win the 200-yard IM and 400-yard freestyle relays.

Chadwick, who got to race in the CISAA meet for the first time in his career after missing the first two with an injury (in 2010) and illness (in 2011) made up for lost time, winning the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke in easy fashion, while helping win both the 200 IM relay and 400 freestyle relay.

Senior William McKinney (200 IM win, 200 IM relay win) and junior Hayes McCullagh (100 butterfly title, 200 IM relay title) were also big for Latin.

Latin now moves onto the Feb. 21 NCISAA 3A state championship at Greensboro Aquatic Center. "This was really important to our guys to win the conference title."

The Country Day boys, who finished second, only won one event, the 200-yard freestyle, while the Providence Day boys' team, which finished third, also got individual titles from Burt Bailey (500 freestyle) and Eddie Cochell (100 breaststroke).

Latin also looked good on the girls' side of the meet early, winning four of the first five events including a few upset victories with the Hawks' Ashley Dyke beating out Sam Frost in the 200 free, while Latin's Hope Dragelin upset the Bucs' Sara Stranick in the 100 butterfly.

But Country Day, also the defending CISAA champions, hung tough three of the final five events to win it, with Sam Frost winning the critical 500 freestyle, while Hayden Bumgardner taking the 100 backstroke and the Bucs also took the 200-free relay.

Charlotte Latin was led by Lindsay Bosek (James Madison signee), who accounted for four wins, including the 50 and 100-yard freestyle and both the 200 IM relay and 400 freestyle relay.

Cannon standout Maija Roses also won the 200 IM title while breaking her own CISAA record to win the 100 breaststroke.

BOYS

1 - Charlotte Latin - 256

2 - Charlotte Country Day - 217

3 - Providence Day - 181

4 - Cannon School - 138

5 - Charlotte Christian - 110

Individual Winners

200 IM Relay - Charlotte Latin (Michael Chadwick, William McKinney, Hayes McCullagh, Will Gardner) - 1:42.50

200 Freestyle - Michael Chadwick, Charlotte Latin - 1:49.55

200 IM - William McKinney, Charlotte Latin - 2:10.90

50 Freestyle - Will Gardner, Charlotte Latin - 23.32