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Pittsford swimmers dominated "the long and the short of it" as they won the sprint relay, took first and second place in the 50 free and first and second in the 500 distance event to lead the way to their seventh straight Section 5, Class A crown.  The Panthers used their trademark blend of speed and depth, veterans and younger swimmers, to outscore their nearest rival, Fairport, by more than 100 points (455 to 352.5). 

Andrew Maier, Morgan Marin, Brandon McManus and Tyler McCrobie opened the meet by taking third place in the 200 Medley Relay with a State qualifying time of 1:41.05.  McManus came right back in the 200 free, taking fourth place with 1:48.53, just 1/100th of a second ahead of teammate Emmett Jacobi (1:48.54) in fifth.  Pittsford’s Alex Branch also scored points for the team, coming in 13th (the top 16 individual swimmers all contribute points at Sectionals).   

In the 200 Individual Medley (IM), which features the most versatile swimmers because they swim all four strokes in one race, A. Maier took third with 2:02.50.  Also doing well for Pittsford in the IM were Matt Tanchick, fourth for the Panthers with 2:05.15, and Lee Silverstein, right next to him with 2:06.13 for fifth place.  Charlie Harrington also scored points for the Panthers in the IM. 

Pittsford’s sprinters got to “strut their stuff” in the 50 free, with Dan Locke taking first (21.87) and John Lyman second (21.97), matching each other stroke for stroke, and both making State cut times.  McCrobie won the consolation heat (ninth place) with 22.98.  Marin followed with another medal for the Panthers, second place in the 100 fly with 54.12, another State qualifying time, and Ryan Horey was 10th in the event. 

Lyman’s 47.93 in the 100 free took third place honors, with Locke right next to him in fourth with 48.17 (both State cut times), as the two freestylers continued their friendly competition that stretched out all season.  McCrobie was seventh in the event and Kevin Maier also scored points for the Panthers in the freestyle. 

As it went all season, the lead kept changing hands in the 500 free between Pittsford’s two distance aces, Jacobi and McManus.  They both had outstanding times, Jacobi in first with 4:48.25, McManus next to him in second with 4:50.92, both qualifying for States in the event.  One of Pittsford’s up and coming young swimmers, Shea Ransford, took eighth place and Josh Kapilivsky turned in a personal best time of 5:11.73 for 10th overall in the 500.   

Lyman, McCrobie, A. Maier and Locke turned on the afterburners for the 200 free relay, slicing through the pool and the competition with a time of 1:27.26 for first place, a State cut time and All America consideration. 

“The highlight of the meet was the 200 free relay and to make All America consideration was awesome,” Locke said. 

Following the sprint relay, A. Maier took sixth for Pittsford in the 100 back (57.72), with Chris Wideman eighth, Alan Chuang 10th and Ransford 13th.   

In the 100 breast, Marin was third with a time of 1:04.83.  In yet another Pittsford match-up, Tanchick was fifth in the breaststroke with a time of 1:05.49, just 5/100ths of a second ahead of teammate Silverstein, who placed sixth with 1:05.54.  Harrington was 14th for the Panthers in the event, also contributing points. 

The closing 400 free relay was one of the closest, most exciting races of the day, with the lead changing hands several times.  It took an outstanding swim by Cory Zorsch of Greece, the eventual “Swimmer of the Meet,” to just touch out Pittsford for first place.  Greece won with 3:15.91, just 3/100th of a second ahead of the Panthers relay team of Marin, McManus, Lyman and Locke at 3:15.94.  Greece and Pittsford will face each other again at States, along with three other Section 5 teams that made State cut times in the 400 free relay at Sectionals. 

Earlier, in the diving competition, Alex Byrd captured sixth place for the Panthers with 356.10 points, and Sam Randall was 12th with 284.60 points. 

The meet ended with the traditional jump into the pool by the entire winning team, coaches included.  Assistant Coach Rich Schmitt was ready this year, with a pair of swim trunks under his dress pants.   

Head Coach Mark Morris didn’t mind the dunk this year, because in addition to the seventh straight championship, Pittsford also took home the team Sportsmanship Award.  The honor, bestowed by the Monroe County swimming officials, recognizes sportsmanship by the team, its coaches and parents of the swimmers. 

“It’s the professional highlight of my career, to be associated with this team and this community,” Coach Morris said.  “To receive this award is just a great reflection on the entire community.”   

Also receiving individual Sportsmanship Awards were senior co-captains Locke and A. Maier, both of whom hope to continue their swim careers in college. 

"We were looking forward to Sectionals all year and this win was a great accomplishment,” Maier said. 

Locke agreed.  “After all the months of hard work, to get the seventh straight Sectional crown and to keep the Pittsford legacy going, was pretty sweet,” he said.  

The Sectional Finals took place February 14 at the Webster Aquatic Center.  Next for the Panthers, who completed another undefeated season and hold one of the longest winning streaks in Section 5 history (71 straight dual meet victories) is the state competition, March 6-7, on Long Island.