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District swimming: Lecanto sweeps Class 2A, District 7

 
Published Oct. 29, 2016

CLEARWATER — For Lecanto, this season is all about sharing. The girls team repeated as Class 2A, District 7 champion Saturday at the Long Center while the boys team, which won a district title in 2013, also won for the school's first-ever district sweep.

"It's sweet," Lecanto coach Matt Bouthillier said. "I thought it was going to be a rebuilding year for the boys. I thought we were going to be good, but the boys surprised me."

Not so surprising to Bouthillier was the girls repeating as district champions after winning their first title ever last season: "This is probably the most talented girls team we ever had."

The Lecanto girls scored 476 points, well ahead of runnerup Crystal River's 310 and third-place Pasco, which tallied 288. The Lecanto boys won handily as well with a 423 score. Springstead, which last year won its first district title, was second at 348 and Citrus took third with 268.

No team had more victories than the Lecanto girls with six, which marked just one more than the Crystal River boys and two more than Springstead's boys.

Lecanto's Macaisa sisters figured in four first-place finishes. Lauren and Sophia teamed with Cassandra Swartz and Ellie Royalty to win the 200-yard medley relay and 200 freestyle relay in one minute, 58.52 seconds and 1:45.32, respectively. Lauren won the 200 free in 2:03.55 and Sophia took first in the 200 individual medley in 2:17.82.

Swartz won the 100 breaststroke in 1:19.08 and teammate Senecia Werling was the top diver with a 228.40 score.

Another notable achievement in the girls competition was two-time state champion Abbey Duncan returning to Wesley Chapel from Ohio to win the 100 butterfly in 58.44 and 100 backstroke in 57.71.

The lone win for the Lecanto boys came in diving with Rick Belilla scoring 305.50.

Crystal River, which had won three straight district titles before finishing as the runnerup last season, placed fourth at 265 despite its five victories on Saturday.

Ethan Kennedy and Steven Penn each had two individual wins for the Pirates before teaming up with Ryley Price and Lee Longo to win the 400 free relay in 3:44.12. Kennedy won the 200 free in 1:50.80 and 500 free in 5:02.17; while Penn took firsts in the 200 IM and 100 back in 2:19.95 and 1:01.86, respectively.

As for Springstead's four wins, two came in relays. Zack Starz, D.J. Lemke, A.J. Borg and Kyler Gray led the Eagles in the 200 medley (1:54.90) and 200 free (1:40.30). Borg also won the 100 fly in 1:01.21, and Starz was first in the 100 free at 50.07.