Pittsford never trailed, but Fairport never gave up, as the two top teams in Section 5 put on a swimming and diving show for the spectators who packed the bleachers at Mendon Pool on January 11.  In the end, Pittsford won the meet 111-73, taking first or posting the fastest times in ten of 12 events.  With the victory, the Panthers improved to 5-1 in dual meets and 2-0 in tournaments this season. 

The Pittsford-Fairport rivalry always brings out the best in both teams and this year was no exception.  The Panthers had three double winners on the day, Emmett Jacobi in the 200 free and 500 free, Brandon McManus in the 100 fly and 100 back, and Matt Tanchick in the 200 IM and 100 breast.

One of the highlights of the meet was Fairport diver Dhruv Tyagi setting a new Mendon Pool record to help the Red Raiders pull within six points of Pittsford.  But after a locker room pep talk, the Panthers were fired up and came back to dominate the second half, widening their lead in nearly every event.

Adding to the competition between the teams was a recent coaches poll ranking Pittsford first and Fairport second in Section 5.  In addition, Pittsford was coming off a big win at the “Fab 4” invitational in Bath and Fairport had just defeated rival Penfield, so both teams had “momentum” coming into this match.

The opening 200 medley relay set the stage, with Alan Chuang, Tanchick, McManus and Tyler McCrobie winning by less than a second with a time of 1:41.26.  Jacobi’s first win followed as he posted 1:47.73 to take the 200 free.  Tanchick’s first win came in the 200 IM (2:04.66), with Lee Silverstein taking third for the Panthers.

The 50 free was a photo-finish with all the swimmers appearing to hit the wall at the same time – and the scores showed it.  Morgan Marin took second with a time of 23.10, just 7/100th of a second behind John Spitzer of Fairport.  Tyler McCrobie was third for the Panthers with a close 23.37 and Owen Drinkwater was fourth with 23.96.

Fairport’s Tyagi drew appreciative cheers and applause from fans of both teams as he put on a diving demonstration and rolled up 327.30 points for a new pool record.  Sam Randall took third place for the Panthers.

With Pittsford leading 42-36, the Panthers took a short locker room break and the captains and coaches talked about the importance of the Pittsford-Fairport rivalry.  McManus took it to heart, coming out and posting a fast time of 53.93 to easily win the 100 fly, with Ryan Horey taking second.  Marin then won the 100 free in 49.77, with McCrobie second.  Jacobi’s second win came in the 500 free, a time of 4:53.79, with Josh Kapilivsky third.

Marin, Drinkwater, McCrobie and Jacobi teamed up for a time of 1:31.36 to win the 200 free relay.  Kevin Maier, Max Goodenow, Branch and Silverstein were third for Pittsford in the sprint relay.

McManus had his second victory in the 100 back (55.64), with Chuang taking second.  Tanchick’s second win came in the 100 breast (1:04.13), with Silverstein third for the Panthers.

Swimming exhibition, Marin, Tanchick, McManus and Jacobi finished the meet with the fastest time in the 400 free relay, 3:21.87.

Pittsford’s junior varsity also posted a victory over the Fairport JV, remaining undefeated on the season.