ORONO — As Bangor High School prepared to cruise to a sixth straight Class A boys swimming and diving championship, the Rams handicapped themselves, a little.

After appearing to finish first in the opening medley relay, the Rams were disqualified for a false start.

Cheverus won the race in 1:43.49 and took the team lead. The Stags held it briefly. But the powerful Rams machine took over by the fourth event.

Bangor won its sixth straight title Tuesday night at the University of Maine’s Stanley Wallace Pool, with 384 points. Cheverus took home the runners-up plaque with 280 points. Cape Elizabeth finished third with 245.5

Cheverus junior Trebor Lawton was named Performer of the Meet. He was the only double-winner, with victories in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke. Plus he swam on the winning medley relay and on the second-place 400 free relay.

“He’s been preparing for this and ready for this. He’s a competitor,” Cheverus coach Kevin Haley said. “He never lets the team down.”

Even with Bangor’s slip-up at the start, the Rams were too strong to catch. They had 15 swimmers in the final, 10 in consolations and four divers.

The second race saw some of that Bangor strength as sophomore David Swallwood reeled in Windham’s Nick Sundquist on the final stretch of the 200 freestyle, winning in 1:44.76, 0.43 ahead of Sundquist. Brunswick’s Henry Ditzel was third.

And that was just the start of an evening of highly-contested races.

Sundquist (100 free), Cape junior Evan Long (50 free), Brunswick senior Joey Blair (100 butterfly), Messalonskee junior Arthur Conover (500 free), and Deering sophomore Eric Delmonte (100 breast stroke) all took home gold medals

Tyler Goulden of Thornton Academy defended his diving title with 395.75 points, followed by Cape’s Kevin Flathers and Deering’s Dylan Farber.

After the 200 freestyle sizzler, the 200 individual medley topped it. Lawton took a small lead after the butterfly. Conover nudged ahead on the backstroke, and then Delmonte took the lead after the breast stroke.

The trio took off on the freestyle, with Lawton winning in 1:57.94, following by Conover (1:58.00) and Delmonte (1:58.52).

“I was behind for a lot of the race,” Lawton said with a shrug. “I guess I just got it back.”

In the 50 free, Long nudged teammate Marcus Cloutier, 22.13 to 22.19.

Blair won the butterfly, staying ahead of Bangor’s Smallwood the whole way, winning in 52.81, to 52.99. Defending champion Tyler Wright of Massabesic was third.

Sundquist led from the start in the 100 free, finishing in 47.69. Cape’s Cloutier got his second runners-up medal with a 48.65 time.

After so many close races, Conover defended his 500 freestyle title with a 28-second win, in 4:40.37. Windham’s Joseph Paluso was second.

Cape’s 200 free relay defended its state title, with the team of Noah Backer, Long, Griffin Thoreck and Cloutier, winning in 1:32.30. That put the Capers briefly in second place.

“We swam great, a lot of best times,” Cape coach Ben Raymond said. “Our goal was to try and catch Cheverus, but Cheverus swam really well. It was good meet.”

Cheverus re-took the lead with four swimmers in the backstroke – Lawton winning in 53.08, and three others in the consolation finals.

In the 100 breast stroke, Delmonte led a tight bunch halfway, and then broke away in 1:00.31. Cheverus senior Lars Murphy (fourth) and Drew Fernandez (eighth) secured the Stags in second place.

Cheverus’ winning medley relay team was comprised of Lawton, Murphy, Reed Fernandez and Connor Pothier.

In the 400 free relay, Bangor won in 3:21.64, with no DQ. Cheverus (Reed Fernandez, Lawton, Lukas Temple and Pothier) was second, followed by Cape (Tom Robinson, Long, Thoreck and Cloutier).

 

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