Sports

Cool Under Pressure: Lake Isle Shows Off Championship Pedigree

Needing a win or a tie against the team from Westchester Country Club to secure their fourth straight division title, Lake Isle's swimmers and divers came up big in the biggest of moments.

The Cardiac Kids are at it again.

In yet another wild finish to one of their swim meets this season, the boys and girls from the Lake Isle Swimming and Diving Team managed to pull out some more last second heroics on Wednesday afternoon, preserving their unbeaten record which spans back multiple summers.

Competing against the team from the Westchester Country Club (WCC), Lake Isle entered the meet’s final event trailing by seven points, and needing a victory to tie the competition. The final event had more than just Wednesday’s meet riding on it, however, as Lake Isle needed a win or a tie in the meet against Westchester to secure their fourth straight Division I title. If Lake Isle lost the final event and the meet, both teams would have ended the regular season with identical records, with Westchester taking the division title on head-to-head record.

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When it was all said and done, Lake Isle’s 17 & Under boys relay team defeated the opposing relay from WCC, ending the barn-burner of a meet in a perfect 235 to 235 tie.

“As the meet was going on I was a little worried,” said Lake Isle Head Coach Kevin Lavelle. “I knew going in that it would be close and we would probably need to come from behind at the end, but we were a little further back than I hoped. We needed to win five of the eight relays to earn the tie, and we were able to do it. The tie was as good as a win for us, though, because it means we’re once against division champions." 

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Wednesday’s win means Lake Isle will finish the regular season with a record of four wins, one tie and no losses, prolonging their undefeated streak in dual meets one more summer and giving the team the chance to once again defend their division title next year.

Another streak that will carry on into next season is Nick Torres’ unbeaten record in dual meets, which currently stands at 15 after he recorded triple wins in each one of the team’s five meets so far this summer. Torres was Lake Isle’s sole triple winner Wednesday, taking home the 10 & Under boys backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, while brother Chris was the team’s only double winner, winning the 8 & Under boys freestyle and breaststroke.

Perhaps most impressive about Lake Isle’s run this season is the fact that many swimmers on the team are competing in their “off-years,” meaning they are young for their age group, something Lavelle says bodes extremely well for the future.

“To win the division in a year like this is awesome because I know that we will be even better next year,” he said. “We have a very deep team. In a meet like Wednesday’s, where Westchester won most races, we were able to earn a lot of second and third place points. Those points often go unnoticed but they add up and are the reason why we were able to win and tie a lot of meets this year. Our divers also did an awesome job last night. Our kids had one of their best meets of the season and kept us close.”

For a handful of Lake Isle team members, Wednesday’s exciting competition at WCC marks the end of a long and very successful dual-meet career with the team, something 17-year-old Annelisa Tucker said brought up some mixed emotions.

“It feels great to be division champs again, and even better since it is my last year on the team,” said Tucker, who has been swimming for Lake Isle for the last nine years. “The thing that is so great about this team is that we are all very supportive of each other. We are a very competitive and loyal team, and I have made so many friends throughout the years. I will truly miss swimming for Lake Isle, so this was a very bittersweet meet.”

The good news for Tucker and her fellow graduating swimmers and divers is that they will get to compete in the Lake Isle suits at least a few more times this summer, starting with this year’s Westchester County Championships beginning Monday at Playland. Lake Isle enters the meet as the defending overall champions, and with high expections and a ton of confidence, Lavelle said.

“We have many swimmers who have been there before and I feel that experience helps,” said Lavelle. “Now that are done with our duals meets we are getting pumped up for Counties. We will go there ready to swim fast and hopefully we can be successful as a team.”


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