Trailing in from the entrance of Mary Wayte Pool, the Mercer Island boys swim team engulfs the pool deck, chanting, pounding drums, making sure everyone in the building knows where they are. That’s just in case spectators and opponents ever forget that Mercer Island has the records, times and hardware to back up its opening statement.
The team, undefeated this season, will soon begin to look past the regular season into the postseason, but before they get there, the Islanders still face some strong competition.
During the holiday break, the team traveled to Minneapolis, Minn., for an invitational, going up against some of the best teams from the Midwest.
The swim team took first place in the Gold Division at the 2010 Maroon and Gold Invitational during the weekend after New Year’s. The Islanders won with 608 points, beating second-place finisher Edina High School, located in the suburbs of Minneapolis, by 37 points.
Last week, after dominating at Mary Wayte against Woodinville, a meet the Islanders won 139-46 the Islanders headed to the Kentridge Invitational, which they also won, beating second-place Kamiak by 414 points.
Head coach Chauntelle Johnson said they hope the pack the stands at Mary Wayte Pool during the Bellevue meet next week, as the team considers Bellevue to be on of their biggest league rivals during the season.
The swimmers traveled to Lake Washington on Tuesday, after Reporter deadline, and will host Bellevue on Jan. 19
Mercer Island at Maroon and Gold Invite
200 medley relay – Mercer Island (Eric Benca, Jimmy Deiparine, Kyle Moline, Ian Fisk), 1:39.96; Mercer Island B (Quinn Markwith, Andy Wingerson, Robbie Homchick, Duncan Howard) 1:41.94. 200 freestyle – Matthew Wiens, 1:49.73; Brian Williamson, 1:51.07; Michael Bower, 1:53.50. 200 IM – Wingerson, 2:01.90, Kyle Moline, 2:05.73. 50 free – Fisk, 21.99; Homchick, 23.03; Howard, 23.15. 100 fly – Kyle Moline, 55.06; Markwith, 55.69; Homchick, 58.29. 100 free – Benca, 50.44; Theo Danciu, 50.79; Williamson, 51.75. 500 free – Fisk, 4:47.62; Wiens, 4:51.67; Bower, 4:58.86. 200 free relay – Mercer Island (Will Voit, Homchick, Kyle Moline, Howard), 1:31.45; Mercer Island B (Williamson, Deiparine, Danciu, Evan Moline), 1:35.05. 100 back – Wingerson, 55.73; Benca, 56.47; Markwith, 57.72. 100 breast – Deiparine, 1:01.79; Evan Moline, 1:04.93; Danciu, 1:08.61. 400 free relay – Mercer Island (Howard, Markwith, Wingerson, Fisk), 3:17.54; Mercer Island B (Voit, Benca, Bower, Wiens), 3:25.48.
Kentridge Invitational
Team scores: Mercer Island – 829.5, Kamiak – 415.5, Bellevue – 353.5, Mount Rainier – 327.5, O’Dea – 319
200 medley relay – Mercer Island (Taylor Seidel, Deiparine, Kyle Moline, Howard) 1:41.13. 200 free – Fisk, 1:44.68. 100 free – Fisk, 47.90. 200 free relay – Mercer Island (Fisk, Homchick, Voit, Howard) 1:30.80.
Mercer Island 139, Woodinville 46
200 medley relay – Mercer Island (Fisk, Samuel Chong, Misha Terentjev, Gabriel Tse) 1:46.28; 200 free – Danciu, 1.53.25; 200 IM – Dan Simons, 2:07.29; 50 free – Taylor Seidel, 22.97; 1 meter diving – Marcus Nelson, Woodinville, 200.50; 100 butterfly – Fisk, 55.88; 100 free – Seidel, 49.71; 500 free – Williamson, 5:15.57; 200 freestyle relay – Mercer Island (Kyle Nakagaki, Lorenzo Molinari, Howard, Voit) 1:34.65; 100 backstroke – Chong, 59.12; 100 breaststroke – Fisk, 1:05.07; 400 freestyle relay – Mercer Island (Danciu, Williamson, Howard, Kenny Trowbridge) 3:26.58.
