Fly in a bow tie: Cards win NEAC

Canfield’s boys swim team won its first title, while the girls placed second.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

CANTON — His day began with a meet record, and ended with one. He broke three school records, won four events and was the biggest reason why the Canfield boys swimming team won its first Northeast Aquatic Conference championship on Saturday.

Yet afterward, all James Hunter wanted to talk about was his teammates.

“It’s so great to be able to do this with these guys — they feel like my family,” said Hunter, whose team won Saturday’s NEAC championship by a whopping 100 points over second-place Wooster, 492-392. “This wasn’t because of any individual performance. It was because of the team.”

And his team won in style, both in the pool and out of it. They gathered on the podium afterward wearing their customary bow ties while striking bodybuilding poses, then huddled for a post-meet chant. Their performance proved the Cardinals can fly in the pool, and look fly out of it.

“It’s like a dream team,” said Canfield coach Andrea Linnelli, who was named the conference’s boys coach of the year. “This was the year. We knew we could do it.

“We had some great, great performances today.”

None were better than Hunter’s. The senior, who is headed to Brown University, helped the Cardinals to meet records in the 200-yard medley relay (setting a school record in the process, on the first event of the meet no less) and the 400 free relay (the meet’s final event). He also set school records in the 200 freestyle (1:44.85) and the 100 freestyle (53.04), the latter coming against Boardman senior Conner O’Halloran, who placed second.

O’Halloran, incidentally, was named the meet’s top male athlete.

“I was expecting it [the award] to go to James,” said O’Halloran, who also won the 50 free and helped the Spartans place second in the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay. “It’s fun to race against him [Hunter] because he’s such a nice guy.”

O’Halloran’s teammate, Mike Barringer, also made a case for the award, winning the 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly and joining O’Halloran in the two second-place relays.

“This is always his meet,” O’Halloran said of Barringer. “He always has a great day here.”

Boardman’s boys and girls teams finished fourth in the eight-team meet, while Warren Harding (the only other area team) took seventh on the boys side and finished eighth against the girls.

Canfield’s girls, meanwhile, placed second overall, which was also a team-best finish. Canton GlenOak was first, edging the Cardinals 423-394.

Sophomore Emily King won two events, helping the Cardinals place first in the 200 medley relay and winning the 100 backstroke.

Boardman freshman Ashley Aldan has a terrific meet as well, setting school records in the 50 free (25.21, which was good enough for second) and 100 free (55.16, third) and helping the Spartans set a school record in the 400 free relay (3:49.62). Ironically, the only event she didn’t set a school record was in the one she won, the 200 free relay.

Boardman junior Megan Palmer also swam well, joining Aldan in the 200 free relay and winning the 200 free and placing second in the 500 free.

“We’re very excited about how we swam today,” said Spartans coach Terry O’Halloran. “The kids reacted well, even though they were tired [from heavy training].

“This meet sets us up well for the end of the year.”

scalzo@vindy.com