EXETER — Sydni Johnson won two individual swimming events and two teammates pulled out clutch second-place finishes Wednesday afternoon allowing Wyoming Area to extend the outcome of its Wyoming Valley Conference meet with Nanticoke to the final event.
The Trojanettes pulled away early in the closing 400-yard freestyle relay, however, denying Johnson one last chance to try to pull out a team victory in the anchor leg.
Nanticoke won the meeting of winless teams, 86-82.
The Lady Warriors used superior depth to make the meet close despite Nanticoke sweeping all three relays and winning nine of 12 events total.
Johnson did her part, winning the 200 individual medley in 2:55.09, then the final individual event, the 100 breaststroke in 1:26.98.
“The breaststroke is more my event,” Johnson said. “I do the IM to get points for the team.”
Johnson’s 200 IM win brought Wyoming Area within one after three events.
Madi Resciniti took diving uncontested, giving the Lady Warriors their only lead, 34-31, after five events.
Nanticoke built the lead to as many as 11 points before Becca Dymond edged Nanticoke’s Kerry Gruber by 17-hundredths of a second to finish second behind Johnson in the breaststroke. That cut the deficit to 78-76 and meant that the team which won the 400 freestyle relay would win the entire meet.
“We were really close,” Johnson said.
Helping make the meet that close were second-place finishers in 10 of the 11 events that had at least two competitors.
Marianna McHugh rallied late in the 500 freestyle to win by 1.22 seconds and help keep the meet close.
Leah Moore and Mackenzie Pegg each had two of the second-place individual finishes.
Deanna Wadzin and Leandra Ramos each won two individual and two relay events for Nanticoke, which also includes Hanover Area in a cooperative sponsorship. Caitlin Lehman was on all three winning relays and also had and individual win.
Johnson, a sophomore, is setting her sights on a strong finish to be in better position to help the team on the district level.
“I’m hoping to get my times down to get into a better district heat,” said Johnson, who was on the Tiger Sharks age group team in seventh and eighth grade before joining the Lady Warriors last season.
Pittston Area 99, Wyoming Valley West 84
Katrina Dillon won both the 200- and 500-yard freestyles Wednesday to lead Pittston Area to its most impressive win of the season in a home meet against Wyoming Valley West.
The Lady Patriots also won the 200 freestyle relay and used depth to pick up more second- and third-place points while pulling out the win.
Kierten Grieco, Kaitlin Connors, Mackenzie Connors and Erin Senese made up the winning relay team.
Pittston Area, which lost two days later, is 4-3.
Wyoming Valley West, the defending District 2-4 Class 3A Subregional champion, dropped to 3-4.
Dallas 134, Pittston Area 51
Two-time defending District 2 Class 2A and WVC champion Dallas swept every event while winning big in its home pool Friday.
Katrina Dillon, Erin Senese and diver Madi Osticco had the only individual second-place finishes for the Lady Patriots.
The week ahead
Pittston Area has back-to-back meets, going to Berwick Tuesday, then hosting Tunkhannock Wednesday.
Wyoming Area is at first-place Wyoming Seminary Tuesday and home against second-place Dallas Thursday.
