By Marisa Dambach, NEPA Sports Nation Student Journalist
PLAINS – First-place finishes by Maddoc Watkins and Tommy Doran helped secure the Class 2A boys team title for Dallas Friday and Saturday at the District 2 Swimming Championships, which took place at Wilkes-Barre Area High School.
Watkins and Doran won in the 50- and 200-yard freestyles while Dallas also got first-place points from the 400 freestyle relay team, which consisted of Doran, Watkins, Jason Puza and Jacob Hoegen. Second-place finishes by Puza, Watkins and Doran helped the team with big points as well.
Wyoming Seminary’s Zhantore Akylbekov produced four total wins to help his team finish in second place. Akylbekov won the 200 medley relay with Harry Feng, Gabe de Luna and Richie de Luna and the 200 free relay with Feng, de Luna and Jakob Baur. Akylbekov also won the 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly.
Dallas outscored Wyoming Seminary, 248-196½, for the team title.
MMI Prep’s Woobie Kupsky won two events as the only boy competing from his school. Kupsky’s wins in the 200 individual medley and 500 free broke his previous district records with times of 1:53.65 and 4:36.96.
Scranton Prep’s Nathan Thayer won the team’s only individual gold medal in the 100 free after taking second in the 100 fly. Ethan Haggerty added a third place in the 200 free to add to the team’s third-place score of 187½.
Tunkhannock took fourth place with 152 points, followed by: Holy Redeemer 89, Elk Lake 79, Lake-Lehman 73, Nanticoke 59, Wallenpaupack 38, Holy Cross 32, Berwick 25, West Scranton 21, Western Wayne 13, Valley View 8 and Dunmore 7.
