Staples Girls Swim and Dive Team in Strong CIAC Showing

In a nail biter, the Staples Girls Swim and Dive team took third place tonight at the CIAC State Open at Yale, with 326 points behind first-place Cheshire, 428 points, and second place Greenwich, 420 points, just 2.5 points ahead of Darien. The meet began with the 200-yard medley relay team of Esme Hunter, Annie Bowens, Ella Alpert, and Sophia Mechanic placing third. The 200-yard freestyle saw Jessica Qi place 7th and Morgan Lenoce take 8th. In the 50 yard- Freestyle, Esme Hunter placed 2nd, and Annie Bowens took 9th. The diving saw Addie Costello place 19th and Lucy Arrow 25th. In the 100 yard butterfly, Ella Alpert placed 18th and in the 100-yard freestyle, Lenoce took 8th, Qi 13th, and Hannah Strauss 24th. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Hunter, Bowens, Qi, and Lenoce placed second. Esme Hunter won the 100-yard backstroke. In the 100 yard breaststroke, Annie Bowens placed 21st. The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Qi, Mechanic, Strauss, and Lenoce took 5th. Contributed photo