Top-end talent could deliver the Belchertown boys swim team a sectional championship. The Orioles will bring five top-two seeds out of 12 events at Sunday’s Central/West Championships at Springfield College.
The boys meet begins at 4 p.m.
The Orioles have fared well individually and as relay teams in recent years, but haven’t cracked the top two that Longmeadow and Minnechaug have occupied. They took third last year behind the strength of two relay victories but believe that top echelon – and even a title – is possible.
Belchertown beat Longmeadow in a dual meet for the first time in January, and the difference between the Orioles and Minnechaug was the 12 points the Falcons earned from diving. There are no Belchertown divers. But the spread out nature of championship meet scoring might aid the Orioles if they can deliver top of the podium finishes.
Nathan Dragon has the top seed in the 500-yard freestyle at 4 minutes, 51.99 seconds. He’s almost five seconds clear of Minnechaug’s Chase Kontodiakos (4:56.37). Dragon’s teammate, Matt Stelmokas, is No. 3 at 5:04.37.
Dragon also holds the second seed in the 200 freestyle (1:46.82 ) with Stelmokas fourth (1:52.25).
Chris Chumbley owns the top mark in the 100 backstroke (54.62). He placed second in the event at last year’s state championships but didn’t swim it at the sectional meet.
The Orioles are also the defending champ and top seed in the 400 freestyle relay (3:21.20). They also trail Minnechaug by .07 seconds on the seed sheet for the top spot in the 200 medley relay (1:43.95). That race could help determine the title, as relays are worth double points compared to individual events.
Northampton likely won’t factor into the overall team standings, but junior Oliver Schalet is hunting for hardware. He won the 100 freestyle at the 2019 Division 2 state championship but didn’t capture any firsts at the sectional meet. Schalet is the No. 1 seed in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.83) and trails Agawam’s Shama Priedenyuk by .01 seconds for the top line in the 50 freestyle.
Amherst Regional senior Noah Labich is also a contender for two individual victories in his return to the sectional championships after two years away from high school competition. He’s far and away the top seed in the 200 individual medley (1:57.44), almost six seconds clear of the field. Labich has the second seed in the 100 butterfly (51.22). He’s only .09 seconds behind Westborough’s Justin Papagelis.
Every February she’s been in high school, Northampton senior Ruby Gottlieb has won the 100-yard butterfly sectional championship. She’ll need a slight upset to make it a four-peat.
Gottlieb is the second seed (1:00.91) for Sunday’s Central/West championships, which begin at 9:30 a.m. at Springfield College. Monument Mountain’s Asa Stone clocked in at 1:00.50 during the regular season. It’s the first time Gottlieb hasn’t been the top seed at the sectional meet in her high school career.
She’ll also swim the 100 backstroke and is the No. 7 seed (1:03.64).
Amherst Regional clocked the top 200 medley relay time during the regular season at 1:52.62. The Hurricanes are more than five seconds faster than the field on paper.
Sara Baxter earned the No. 1 slot in the 100 backstroke (1:01.31) for Amherst. Teammate Vianka Acosta-McKenzie is second in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.43).
Easthampton freshman Natalia Robak holds the top seed in the 500 free (5:29.58). She’s also the No. 2 seed in the 200 IM (2:16.20).
Courtney Ross, of Easthampton, has a shot at a top-five finish in 1-meter diving. Ross had the fourth-best score in the Pioneer Valley during the regular season at 226.85 points. Minnechaug had the top three spots. Ross averaged 192.09, the eighth best in the Pioneer Valley.
Scores during the regular season are based on six dives. Divers have 11 at the sectional meet.