BOSTON — Oliver Schalet never considered himself a 100-yard freestyler.
The Northampton sophomore dabbled all around the swim meet program before settling on the events that gave him the best chances at the Division 2 boys state swimming championships.
He entered Sunday’s meet with the top seed, but when Northampton coach Sherry Wingfield asked him if he was ready and would win the 100 free earlier in the week, Schalet responded, “I hope so.”
After the starting horn sounded at Boston University on Sunday, Belchertown junior Christopher Chumbley charged into the lead after the first 50 yards.
“I knew I needed to go out fast. I didn’t think I would go out quite that fast,” Chumbley said. “I think there were some nerves going into it, too.”
Schalet stayed steady and caught him at the final turn before taking the race home. He finished first in 47.59 seconds, his best time. It didn’t hit him at first. He took a moment to survey the scoreboard and double check his lane.
“If you told me last year I’d be a sophomore state champion, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Schalet said. “I’m really happy with how far I’ve come this year. I’m surprised but overjoyed.”
It was Schalet’s first individual state title. He swam on Northampton’s school record-setting 400 freestyle relay last season that won a state title, and training with former seniors Nick Whitcomb and Quinn Nortonsmith, and current senior Brendan McBride pushed him to keep improving.
“They’ve really been an inspiration. It was hard not having them this year, but they were great role models,” Schalet said.
Schalet also placed third in the 200 individual medley in 1:58.83. He entered the event with one goal: break two minutes. He wasn’t worried about placing or the other racers and cut a second and a half from his seed time. Westborough’s Justin Papgelis won in 1:55.56.
“This morning I woke up with a cough and a stuffy nose, wasn’t expecting anything,” Schalet said. “When I looked up at the clock and saw a 1:58, that was such a great feeling.”
And the sophomore is just getting started.
“He’s totally not done,” Wingfield said. “He can swim pretty much anything, so it’s going to be fun. He’ll probably pick something else next year.”
Chumbley came from out of the blue to take second in the 100 backstroke. He threw down a 53.07 swimming in the third heat, whereas winner Anthony Xue of Wayland turned in a 52.74 from the fourth, faster heat.
Chumbley’s best time would have been the second seed in the event, but he decided to swim other events at the Western/Central championships last weekend and didn’t post a tapered time.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking (watching the last heat). I thought I was going to get first at one point, but then the guy had a better finish than I did,” Chumbley said. “If it was a one-on-one, me vs. him, we both would have gone faster.”
He led off the Orioles’ 200 freestyle relay that placed second in 1:31.24 with Matthew Stelmokas, Kagan Sherson and Nathan Dragon. Wayland won in 1:29.36.
The Orioles’ 400 freestyle relay of Dragon, Aidan Endress, Stelmokas and Chumbley finished in third (3:19.33). It capped a fourth-place team finish for Belchertown, the best among western Mass. teams. The Orioles accumulated 162 points. Wayland won with 368.5.
“We just look at the depth that we have, and our youth, and we’re excited to see how we progress,” Belchertown coach Bill Wheeler said.
Dragon was fourth in the 500 freestyle in 4:48.64. He also took seventh in the 200 freestyle (1:47.27) to cap a strong distance freestyle day.
Stelmokas was right behind him in both events. Selmokas finished the 200 in eighth (1:48.4), dropping eight seconds off his seed time. He cut nearly 20 seconds off his 500 seed time to place fifth (4:55.28) despite swimming in the first, slowest, heat rather than the faster third.
“I saw what he was capable of all season,” Wheeler said. “He had a rough patch where he was sick, but he persevered and did what we all knew he was capable of.”
Freshman Evan Harrington also scored for Belchertown out of the 500 by placing 14th (5:08.54).
Endress finished 10th in the 100 butterfly (55.49).
McBride took 14th for Northampton in the 50 freestyle (23.52). The Blue Devils placed 16th with 39 points.
South Hadley senior William Gagne scored in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 16th (1:05.94).
Easthampton’s Chris Vayda was 21st in the 500 freestyle (5:23.73).
Northampton junior Ruby Gottlieb didn’t see Ava Yablonski of Dover-Shearborn coming in the final stretch of the 100 butterfly. Gottlieb hit the wall in 57.87 seconds at the girls Division 2 state championships Saturday, but Yablonski out-touched her by .48 seconds to win the state title.
Gottlieb knew the racers around her were close, but Yablilsnki came out of an outside lane to snatch the state title.
“I had no idea she was there. I focused on myself the last few strokes. I lost my legs at the end,” Gottlieb said. “It’s a sport where fractions of a second make a huge difference.”
Gottlieb finished fourth last year and second as a freshman, but Saturday’s time was her fastest at the state meet and 0.01 seconds off her high school best time.
“I’m proud of the time. I wish I had gone a personal best, but that’s OK,” Gottlieb said. “I know I have bigger time drops in my future.”
Northampton put two on the 100 fly podium, as Abbie Murphy, also a junior, was seventh (1:00.44). Murphy additionally took 11th in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.48).
“Abbie Murphy could not stop smiling,” Wingfield said.
Jordyn Vandergrift scored 370.4 points to place 11th in diving. She was fifth after the semifinals.
Gottlieb and Murphy teamed with Cecelia Ripley and Renee Lussier to take 16th in the 200 medley relay (1:58.77). Gottlieb also was 16th in the 50 freestyle (25.69).
Northampton placed 17th with 44 points. Wayland won with 253.5.
Amherst Regional tied for 13th with Dover-Shearborn at 58 points.
The Hurricanes were led by their fifth-place 200 medley relay of Maggie Thibault, Vianka Acosta-McKenzie, Lucy Smith and Adda Hennessey (1:54.2). Acosta-McKenzie also took sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.84) and 10th in the 100 butterfly (1:01.54). Smith, an eighth-grader, took 12th in the 50 freestyle (25.46) and 15th in the 100 freestyle (56.55).
Thibault, Acosta-McKenzie, Sophie Schilling and Hennessey placed 15th in the 200 freestyle relay.
Easthampton placed 26th with 25 points.
Saige Harper finished fifth in the 100 freestyle (54.4) for the Eagles.
Belchertown tied for 30th with Westwood and East Longmeadow with 14. Nicole Beaumont finished 11th in the 100 butterfly (1:01.55) and 14th in the 100 backstroke (1:02.6).
Beaumont, Elyssa Wrona, Katherine Wrona and Brooke Podsiadlo placed 15th in the 400 freestyle relay (3:55.36).
Podsiadlo was 16th in the 500 freestyle in 5:32.16.