Niskayuna Swims into Second at Sectionals

The Niskayuna girls varsity swim and dive team concluded their season with an excellent performance at this year’s Sectionals meet. Niskayuna finished in second place behind only Shenendehowa, with 342 points to their 408 - an impressive feat considering Shen’s undefeated regular-season record. 

The meet started off strong with a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay by the Niskayuna team. Another fifth-place finish for Niskayuna came in the 200 freestyle, where senior and team captain Isabel Nelson put up a time of 1:59.46. Junior Abby Lyons took seventh in the 200 individual medley (or IM), as well as sixth in the 100 backstroke, and junior Grace Roberts sprinted his way into fourth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.30. Roberts and Nelson both also competed in the 100 freestyle, where they took sixth and third places respectively. In the 100 butterfly, senior Lizzy Ward came in sixth with a time of 1:01.27. Junior Ellie Tandlmayer swam the 500 freestyle in 5:26.99, putting her in sixth place as well. Eighth-graders and team newcomers Fayth Goodspeed and Helen Hao finished back-to-back in the 100 breaststroke, placing fourth and fifth respectively with times of 1:10.02 and 1:10.53.

The most climactic moment of the meet by far, however, was the final event: the 400-yard freestyle relay. The relay, composed of Lyons, Nelson, Roberts, and Hao, tied for first with the team from Burnt Hills-Scotia after a very close race. Their time, a 3:37.92, also qualified them for the State meet, where they went on to place 23rd.

The team had multiple other athletes qualify for the State meet as well. Senior diver Sanayia Joefield finished second with a score of 485.20, which sent her to the State meet where she placed 32nd. The team’s other individual qualifier was Vera Amirbekian, a junior who swam the 100 butterfly. She qualified with a time of 59.86 and a fourth-place finish, and she went on to place 43rd at States. Niskayuna also sent two relays to the meet. The first was the 200 freestyle relay, composed of Amirbekian, juniors Abby Lyons and Grace Roberts, and senior and team captain Isabel Nelson, which placed second in the section with a time of 1:41.45 and took 25th at States, and the second was the aforementioned 400 freestyle relay.

“Overall, Sectionals went phenomenally,” junior Grace Roberts said. “Coming second overall was what we were fighting for, and that's what we got. Being able to watch people drop time and catch up to the people next to them was so nerve-wracking and exciting... [Everyone] swam their hearts out. I couldn't be prouder of our team.”

“This was the best season the team has had in a couple of years,” they continued. “We all really stepped up, did the work, and it paid off massively in the end.”

The entire team, in fact, was proud of how their season went, with many fondly remembering certain moments of the season as high points. “My favorite memory,” says freshman diver Rina Moses, “was getting my reverse [dive] the same day as [another diver,] Allie Boler.” 

Team captain and senior Mia Etkin also says her third and final year on the team has been fulfilling. “Getting to lead the cheers [as a captain] and screaming at the Bethlehem meet was my favorite,” she told us. “I had the time of my life at Sectionals - I was washing paint off for days [afterwards].”

The entire team seems to be in agreement: Niskayuna’s second-place finish at Sectionals, and some members’ subsequent performance at States, was a satisfying end to yet another great season. Go Warriors!