SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Rebecca Donohue and the rest of the Blue Mountain seniors knew entering this season that it was their time to step up.
Over the past two years, they saw previous senior leaders Marina Barrineau, Jackie Boran and Maddie Bartush graduate, leaving Blue Mountain without a top-notch, state-caliber swimmer.
They knew that if the Eagles were going to capture the Schuylkill League girls’ swimming title this season, they would need a team effort ... and their group of seven seniors would have to lead the way.
So far, so good.
Blue Mountain took a major step toward winning its second league title in three years Thursday with a 106-72 victory over Schuylkill Haven.
The Eagles (7-1, 4-0 SL) won just four of 12 events, but used a balanced effort to
win their seventh straight dual meet.
The Blue Mountain boys completed the sweep with a 113-64 victory over the Hurricanes.
“Going through the years, I saw how important (winning the league title) was to Marina and Jackie,” said Donohue, referring to Blue Mountain’s 2013 title team. “I kind of decided ‘That should be us.’ We shouldn’t just totally give up once our leaders were gone. We should stand up and be the leaders.
“That is what pushes us.”
The key to Blue Mountain’s success has been its closeness, which has produced a strong work ethic and improved times.
Donohue, Carleigh Bogotuik, Rachel Coller, Karissa Elser, Jordan Gormley, JoJo Jacobson and Maddie Krause have all been a part of the Blue Mountain program for several years, and have become great friends in the process.
Their marked improvement in the pool, and the emergence of underclassmen such as juniors Tara Laubenstine and Serena Reidler, sophomores Erica Donohue, Emma Barrett and Gabby Krause and freshmen Miranda Freeman, Emily Laughlin, Sofia Pascuzzo and Katie Zehner, have given the Eagles strength in numbers.
“We’re all just really, really close,” Donohue said. “I’ve grown up with Maddie, Carleigh, Jordan, JoJo and Rachel, and we’re all just so close to each other. This season, we decided to pull together and said ‘It’s our last year doing this together, let’s go all out.’ It’s phenomenal what we can do together.”
Blue Mountain’s depth was tested against the Hurricanes (3-4, 2-3), as Mary Zimmerman (200 free, 500 free) and Allison Adams (50 free, 100 back) were double-winners, Taylor Felty took first in the 200 IM and freshman Kali Muthersbaugh won the 100 butterfly. That quartet also captured the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.
Schuylkill Haven, however, was without senior Elizabeth Bayliff (illness), and that proved critical in the latter portion of the meet.
After Barrett and freshman Emily Harding swept diving to give Blue Mountain a 41-31 lead, Rebecca Donohue, Gormley and Bogotuik placed 1-2-4 in the 100 freestyle to extend the Eagles’ lead to 61-43. That margin only expanded from there as Blue Mountain outpointed or tied Haven in four of the final five events.
Erica Donohue clinched the victory by winning the 100 breaststroke.
“Jordan and I, we have this competitiveness about ourselves,” Rebecca Donohue said of the 100 freestyle. “If we know that we can really push and go through an event and beat the girl next to us, we go and just do it. We have that competitive streak about us.
“The Haven girls are so good. Then you have us ... over the years we’ve been pretty good, but these girls have gone to states. It’s crazy the way it turned out tonight.”
The best example of the closeness of the Blue Mountain girls’ team came in the 500 freestyle.
While Zimmerman was dusting the field en route to a 30-second victory, the Eagles girls’ — and boys’ — team cheered wildly for Maddie Krause, who finished second in 6:18.48. The time was good enough to qualify Maddie Krause for districts as the qualifying time was 6:23.63.
“Maddie Krause has been trying to get qualified in the 500. She’s been working really hard,” Blue Mountain coach Sandy Englert said. “She gets so close, and then she doesn’t do it.
“The whole team, boys and girls, have been watching. Today, she got 6:18. That made the whole day. We won, got some personal bests, but my team is all happy because Maddie got qualified.”
Meet Summaries
GIRLS
Blue Mountain 106, Schuylkill Haven 72
200 medley relay — 1. Schuylkill Haven (Adams, Felty, Muthersbaugh, Zimmerman) 2:00.32, 2. Blue Mountain, 3. Blue Mountain
200 freestyle — 1. Zimmerman (SH) 2:06.76, 2. R. Donohue (BM), 3. M. Krause (BM), 4. Laubenstine (BM), 5. Scott (SH)
200 IM — 1. Felty (SH) 2:31.21, 2. Bogotuik (BM), 3. Muthersbaugh (SH), 4. Pascuzzo (BM), 5. K. Zehner (BM)
50 freestyle — 1. Adams (SH) 25.96, 2. E. Donohue (BM), 3. Gormley (BM), 4. G. Krause (BM), 5. Gretsky (SH)
Diving — 1. Barrett (BM) 149.50, 2. Harding (BM)
100 butterfly — 1. Muthersbaugh (SH) 1:10.73, 2. Pascuzzo (BM), 3. Jacobson (BM), 4. Scott (SH), 5. E. Zehner (BM)
100 freestyle — 1. R. Donohue (BM) 59.06, 2. Gormley (BM), 3. Reber (SH), 4. Bogotuik (BM), 5. Gretsky (SH)
500 freestyle — 1. Zimmerman (SH) 5:48.03, 2. M. Krause (BM), 3. Freeman (BM), 4. Laughlin (BM), 5. Palladino (SH)
200 freestyle relay — 1. Schuylkill Haven (Adams, Felty, Muthersbaugh, Zimmerman) 1:48.55, 2. Blue Mountain, 3. Blue Mountain
100 backstroke — 1. Adams (SH) 1:05.93, 2. Jacobson (BM), 3. Reidler (BM), 4. Ditzler (SH), 5. K. Zehner (BM)
100 breaststroke — 1. E. Donohue (BM) 1:16.66, 2. Felty (SH), 3. Elser (BM), 4. Reber (SH), 5. Coller (BM)
400 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain (Jacobson, M. Krause, Bogotuik, R. Donohue) 4:29.12, 2. Blue Mountain
BOYS
Blue Mountain 113, Schuylkill Haven 64
200 medley relay — 1. Blue Mountain (Boran, Marino, Johnson, McLaughlin) 1:48.60, 2. Schuylkill Haven, 3. Blue Mountain
200 freestyle — 1. Boran (BM) 1:57.94, 2. McGowan (SH), 3. Usuka (BM), 4. Pothering (SH)
200 IM — 1. Marino (BM) 2:07.94, 2. Raymond (SH), 3. Wilson (BM), 4. Phillips (BM)
50 freestyle — 1. McLaughlin (BM) 24.47, 2. S. Brennan (SH), 3. Wessner (BM), 4. Boyer (BM), 5. Corby (SH)
Diving — 1. Luckenbill (BM) 136.65, 2. Sham (BM)
100 butterfly — 1. Marino (BM) 56.65, 2. Raymond (SH), 3. Rakowsky (SH), 4. Wilson (BM)
100 freestyle — 1. Johnson (BM) 52.83, 2. S. Brennan (SH), 3. J. Brennan (SH), 4. Pothering (SH), 5. Fortune (BM)
500 freestyle — 1. McGowan (SH) 5:33.86, 2. Wessner (BM), 3. Johnson (BM), 4. Romberger (SH), 5. Hughes (BM)
200 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain (Marino, Luckenbill, Yackenchick, McLaughlin) 1:39.85, 2. Schuylkill Haven, 3. Blue Mountain
100 backstroke — 1. Boran (BM) 58.00, 2. Rakowsky (SH), 3. Boyer (BM), 4. Romberger (SH), 5. Corby (SH)
100 breaststroke — 1. Usuka (BM) 1:14.52, 2. J. Brennan (SH), 3. Yackenchick (BM), 4. Semanco (SH), 5. Lechleitner (BM)
400 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain (Wilson, Usuka, Yackenchick, Boyer) 4:16.88, 2. Schuylkill Haven, 3. Blue Mountain