Liberty boys knock off Freedom in pool
In arguably the friendliest rivalry in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, Freedom and Liberty’s swim teams went head to head on Feb. 5 when Liberty’s boys won, 107-79.
Liberty’s Andrew Bays, Malcolm Collins, Wade Wu, and Ben Raineri led off with a 1:46.64 win in the 200 medley relay.
Christian Hackett took first place in the 200 freestyle in 2:01.21 for the Hurricanes, and Wu was first in the 200 IM in 2:13.52.
Collins won the 50 free in 22.71, and Freedom’s AJ Black and Micah Lawser picked up second and third place points for Freedom.
Freedom’s Cody Smith won the diving event with a score of 203.50.
Wu placed first in the 100 butterfly in 56.42, and in a close 100 free, Raineri pulled out the win in 54.78, Freedom’s Giovanni Camaione was second in 55.45, and Liberty’s John Cornish came in third in 55.68.
Hackett won the 500 free in 5:41.11.
In the 200 free relay, Wu, Everett Collins, Malcolm Collins, and Hackett came in first in 1:47.67.
Cornish took first place in the 100 backstroke in 1:06.84, and Malcolm Collins won the 100 breaststroke in 59.83.
Freedom’s boys saved the best for last when Black out-touched Raineri in the 400 free relay.
“I turned my head to take a breath, and all I heard was noise,” said Black. “All I heard was screaming. It’s really incredible. There’s nothing else like it.”
Lawser, Matthew Gould, Camaione, and Black won with a time of 3:44.33, and Hackett, Logan Malozi, Cornish, and Raineri came in second in 3:44.47.
“Every time I took a breath, I’d look at [Ben Raineri] and I’d be like, ok, he’s this far back, and in that last 25, he started catching up, and I’m like, I gotta pick it up,” Black said. “He’s one heck of a swimmer. This is his Senior Night, and I wish the best for him going forward.”
Black earned the Ted Martz Award, given each year to the outstanding boy and girl swimmer of the Liberty-Freedom meet.
“I especially had no idea that it would be presented to me,” said Black. “I’d like to thank everybody, all my coaches, all my teammates. It’s been a heck of a year and a way to go out.”