Seahawks Split Two, Improve To 6-1

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s girls’ varsity swim team split a pair of meets this week to improve to 6-1 on the season with two dual meets left.

Last week, the Seahawks routed Kent County, 132-25, followed by a 100-70 loss to Delaware powerhouse Cape Henlopen on Tuesday. Since the holiday break, the Decatur girls are 4-1 including other wins over Queen Anne’s and Cambridge-South Dorchester.

The 100-70 loss to Cape Henlopen on Tuesday was the first of the season for the Decatur girls. Despite the outcome in the scorebook, Coach Kristina Watts the meet was the toughest of the season and while the wins were few, the team was driven by the ramped-up competition. Against Cape, the Seahawks took first in three events including a first-place finish by Natalie Canham in the 100-backstroke, a first in the 100-breaststroke and a win in the 400-freestyle relay by the team of Farrah Brown, Kayden Hamby, Gracie Coker and Canham.

“This was the Decatur girls’ first loss of the season, but to the hardest competition we’ve swum yet this year,” she said. “Our girls swam the best races of the year tonight. Multiple girls had season best times and even personal best times powered by the awesome competition.”

Tuesday’s first loss of the season came on Tuesday came on the heels of a 132-25 rout of Kent County last week. Against Kent County, the Seahawks won every event, took second in every event and placed third in five of the events. Emma Coyman took first in the 200-freestyle, Canham took first in the 200-individual medley and the 100-breaststroke, and Emma Perry took first in the 50-freestyle and the 100-butterfly.

Hamby took first in the 100-freestyle, Katelyn Pizo took first in the 500-freestyle and Coker took first in the 100-breaststroke. The team of Canham, Coyman, Sperry and Brown took first in the 200-medley relay, Brown, Kayden Hamby, Coker and Canham took first in the 400-freestyle relay and Sperry, Coyman, Kayden Hamby and Kiley Hamby took first in the 200-freestyle relay.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.