Yes, it’s possible for the same team to both win a championship and finish second during the same competition.
The Bishop O’Connell Knights did just that Feb. 5 during the girls multi-team Washington Metropolitan Prep School Swim & Dive League Championships (WMPSSDL) at the University of Maryland.
For O’Connell and the other teams entered in that high-school meet from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), the competition was double scored. The WCAC meet had been canceled a few days earlier as a result of weather issues.
So with all of the teams at the WMPSSDL event, when all of the arithmetic was completed, O’Connell won the girls WCAC meet with 391 points and was second in the WMPSSDL with 249, well behind winner Holton-Arms with 518. The Paul VI Catholic girls were second with 385 in the WCAC girls meet.
For its days work, O’Connell received a championship and a runner-up trophy.
In the WCAC meet, leading the O’Connell girls was double winner Katie Bailey in 100 backstroke (57.81 seconds) and 100 butterfly (55.17) and she also swam on two relays.
O’Connell’s 200 freestyle relay won in 1:41.33 and the 400 free and 200 medley relays were second.
The Knights’ other race winner was Piper Buswell in the 100 free (56.57). Patricia Leonard was second in the fly and sixth in the 100 breaststroke, Caroline Mullen was third in the 500 free and fifth in the 200 free, Kate Burns was fourth in the breast and seventh in the 50 free, Ellie Leonard placed fifth in the breast and seventh in the individual medley, Carolina Rosson was fifth in the 50 free, Carlin Smittle took sixth in the 500 free and Ella Smith was eighth in the 100 free.
In girls diving, O’Connell’s Madison Cervenak finished second and Emma Webb was fourth. In swimming, Cervenak placed ninth in the breast.
In the boys WCAC meet, O’Connell finished fourth, led by Will Zimmerman’s third in diving, Joe Nixon’s fifth and Patrick Dockery’s seventh. Brendan Mullen was fourth in the IM swimming event and sixth in the back. Chris Kinsella was ninth in the 100 free.
In the girls WMPSSDL meet, Bailey won the fly in a record time of 54.31 and swam on the second-place 200 free relay and third-place medley relay. She placed fifth in the backstroke.
Burns was fifth in the breast and Ellie Leonard seventh in that race. Buswell (100 free) and Caroline Mullen (500 free) had seventh-place finishes. Cervenak was sixth in diving.
The girls 400 free relay finished third.
In the boys WMPSSDL competition, Nixon was fifth in diving and Zimmerman seventh. In swim races, Brendan Mullen was fifth in the IM, and the 400 free relay placed sixth.