ORONO — For weeks, Cheverus swimming coach Kevin Haley wrestled with a dilemma: Go for a record-setting finale in the 400-yard freestyle relay at the Class A state meet, or spread the wealth and ensure a fourth straight state championship.
On Monday afternoon at the University of Maine’s Wallace Pool, the Stags played it safe and walked away winners for a fourth consecutive year.
“It was an easy sell to our kids,” Haley said. “They’re not selfish. They’re more team-oriented.”
Cheverus clinched the meet before the final relay and beat runner-up Brunswick by a score of 339.5 to 275. Bangor was third with 207.5 points followed by Scarborough (169.5) and Falmouth (162).
Cheverus senior Michael O’Donovan won two individual events and swam on both winning freestyle relays, including a meet record-setting 200 free relay (1 minute, 28.21 seconds) that included classmates Jacob Griffin and Kevin Kane and junior Shane Moore.
“We were all very upset about what happened with Southwesterns,” said O’Donovan, referring to last week’s weather-delayed prelude to the state meet that ultimately was held despite only three of eight schools taking part because of travel concerns. “So we all wanted this.”
O’Donovan won the 200 free and 500 free in 1:43.50 and 4:41.42, respectively. He will continue his career at Marist College, as will Kane, who took third in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly.
Griffin, runner-up in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 50 free, will swim at Providence College. Those three swam the 400 free relay, but instead of completing the quartet with Moore – the 100 free champ in 47.19 – Haley asked his speedy junior to anchor the opening 200 medley relay.
That move helped Cheverus move up to third behind winner Bangor and runner-up Brunswick, but meant Moore could swim only one other relay, the 200 free. Junior Ben Tomkins swam a leg of the 400 free relay, which the Stags won by three seconds over Brunswick in 3:19.39 – five seconds off a state record that has stood since 1999.
“We were nervous coming in here,” said Haley, whose premeet scoring showed Brunswick within three points of Cheverus. “At one point, we thought we were going to be down 46 points from diving alone.”
Splashing in the pool and chanting “S-T-A-G-S!” after yet another state title, the boys from Cheverus didn’t seem to mind the missed opportunity for a relay record.
“It’s been the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Kane said. “I never imaged I’d win one, let alone four.”
Tompkins contributed a pair of fourths, in the 500 free and 200 IM. Thomas Nappo, a senior, was fifth in the 100 backstroke. Moore took third in the 50 free. Phineas Underwood, a freshman, was eighth in the 200 free.
Junior Raymond Le (11th butterfly), junior Gus Anderson (10th breast, 12th 50 free) and freshman Jeremy Baker (10th 500 free, 11th 200 free) also contributed to the Cheverus cause.
“They’re all through the top 16,” Brunswick Coach Dave Bright said of the Stags. “If you’ve got a second or a third kid who’s scoring, it adds up.”
O’Donovan was one of three individual double winners. Brunswick senior Nate Samson tied a meet record of 21.41 seconds in the 50 free and also won the 100 butterfly in 51.04. Bangor sophomore Colby Prouty set a state record of 57.31 in the 100 breast stroke. He also won the 200 IM in 1:56.90 and was named Performer of the Meet.
Some coaches already had voted on the award before Samson led off Brunswick’s 400 free relay with an opening split of 46.24 seconds to set a state record in the 100 free.
“The first three swims weren’t exactly the times I wanted to be, but you come to a big meet like this and it’s really about getting your hand on the wall first,” said Samson, who plans to continue his career at Florida State.
“The last swim, I found a great way to finish my high school career, to go out with a bang.”
Other individual winners included Windham senior Josh Labrecque in the 100 backstroke (56.05) and Bangor senior Kyle Adams in diving (449.65 points).
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