After the Mt. Ararat swim team completed its virtual portion of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships on Feb. 27, senior Sam Wright said he was eager to know the full meet results.

“It’s going to be a long two weeks until those results come in,” said Wright after the Eagles submitted their times. “I’ll be checking my email several times a day until they officially come in.”

The grueling wait came to end Wednesday, when the KVAC swim results were finalized.

Wright and the Mt. Ararat boys swim team edged Edward Little to win the KVAC A title. The Eagles finished with 171 points, while the Red Eddies checked in with 167. Messalonskee (166 points) finished third. Brunswick, Lewiston, Gardiner/Hall-Dale, Cony, and Leavitt followed. 

The Cony girls once again turned in a dominant performance, winning their fifth straight KVAC A crown. The Rams finished with 268 points, while Brunswick was a distant second with 181. Edward Little (180) finished third. Mt. Ararat, Lewiston, Messalonskee, Gardiner/Hall-Dale, and Leavitt followed. 

“We don’t have to big a group (on the girls swim team), but they’re fast, so that helps,” Cony coach Bob Johnston said.

“I felt really proud of our team,” Cony senior Amanda Jorgensen said. “We worked really hard to get to where we were. It was a lot of pushing ourselves to be the best that we can without any competition around except ourselves. Some of us were racing ourselves. It really proved our dedication and hard work for the season, committing to getting the championship.”

In KVAC B, the Morse girls and Belfast boys earned titles.

The Morse girls finished with 304 points while Belfast (281), Camden Hills (269), Waterville/Winslow (155) and Erskine (62) followed. The Belfast boys had 282 points to edge out Morse (240). Camden Hills (205), Erskine (85), Waterville/Winslow (71) and Oceanside (22) followed.

The Jorgensen sisters — Amanda and Tessa —  stood out for Cony in the KVAC A meet. Amanda Jorgensen won the 50 free (26.12 seconds) and the 100 free (57.46). Tessa, a senior, won the 200 individual medley (2:21.22) and finished second in the 100 backstroke (1:03.36). Both were members of Cony’s 200-yard medley relay (1:56.31) and 400 freestyle relay (3:54.94) that also captured first place finishes. Johnston said the 200 medley time is the top time in the state this season.

“The kids got pretty pumped up (for the meet),” Johnston said. “They put their tech suits on and pretended like it was a championship meet. They got each other hyped. That first event (the 200 medley) that’s the No. 1 time in the state right now, from Class A or B. I think another team has swam since, but that includes the Penobscot Valley Conference. As of March 5, that was the fastest in the state, that 1:56.”

“It feels great,” said Tessa Jorgensen. “With it being such a weird season, just having relays was such a team aspect. For us to do that — we didn’t have enough boys to do a men’s relay (team) race us, I think we were all just really excited to start off the meet strong. Coming out at the top, or near the top, was really a great accomplishment.”

Lunden Dinkel (1:03.72) also picked up a win for Cony in the 100 butterfly, and the team of Dinkel, Morgan Henderson, Grace Roderigue and Emma Thomas earned a victory in the 200 free relay (1:53.54).

In KVAC B,  the Morse girls finished with 304 points while Belfast (281), Camden Hills (269), Waterville/Winslow (155) and Erskine (62) followed. The Belfast boys had 282 points to edge out Morse (240). Camden Hills (205), Erskine (85), Waterville/Winslow (71) and Oceanside (22) followed.

“It’s been a few years since we’ve had one of these, but the feeling is never any different,” said Morse head coach Todd Marco. “I hope we don’t ever have to wait like this for the results again.”

Added Mt. Ararat swim coach Steve Butts: “It feels great that our hard work during the season has paid off. I just wish that we could be together as a team to celebrate our accomplishment.”

The Mt. Ararat boys received several strong performances.

Caleb Williams, Aidan Saunders, Sam Wright and Keegan Rowe won two relay races for the Eagles — the 200-yard medley (1:50.41) and the 200 free (1:36.95). Rowe also won the 200 individual medley (2:07.93) while Williams won the 50 free (23.37). 

“After we raced that day we knew that we had swam the best that we could’ve,” Butts said. “We felt so proud of our performance after we finished up, to see these results now is just icing on top of the cake.”

Mt. Ararat standout swimmer Cora Spelke won the 200 free (1:57.71) and the 100 backstroke (57.33). 

The Morse boys also had several standout performances. Evan Willertz won the 200 free (1:47.76) and the 100 back (53.30). Teammate Andrew Leighton won the 100 butterfly (57.61).

Fionna Cashman, Natalie Emerson, Elena Trundy and Eliza Marco won two relays for the Morse girls, including the 200 free (1:49.74) and the 400 free (3:59.55).

Grace Tetreault also won the 100 freestyle (1:01.24).

“We just feel fortunate that we had a good day and improved through the year up until that point,” Marco said. “I’m proud of everyone involved and what they went through to not just make this season a possibility, but to perform the way we did.”

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