BHS Swim Teams Undefeated So Far in 2018-19 Season
By Julie Perine on December 05, 2018
The Bridgeport High School Swim Team is on fire. Both girls and boys remain undefeated for the 2018-19 season.
“I knew we had a good group of freshmen coming up and had good depth with upperclassmen,” said Coach Jan Grisso. “I thought we would do pretty well this year.”
The victories started with the opening meet of the season – a dual meet at Wheeling Park High School Nov. 13. The Indians won over both Wheeling Park and John Marshall. The Tribe went on Nov. 17 to capture the win at the Mohawk Invitational at West Virginia University; the girls placing first among 12 teams and the boys first among 11 teams from throughout North Central West Virginia.
The Indians recorded another victory Nov. 28 over Robert C. Byrd at the Harrison County YMCA and captured the win at the Harrison County Invitational at Salem University. That meet was hosted by Doddridge County High School, which also participated in competition.
Several swimmers which performed well during the 2017-18 season are back – doing the same - this year. Those swimmers include, but are not limited to, Darian Spencer, Maria Lacaria, Sarah Stallman, Hope Rieser, Luke Pinti, John Carter, Marcel Rodriquez, Viktor Rodriquez, Kyle Malcolm, Phillip Malenich and Reed Smith. Freshmen contributing big to this year’s victories include Cheyanne Rohde, Olivia Urse, Marra Johnson and Randy Keener.
Top finishers in the RCB included were Malenich, 1st place 100-yard backstroke; Johnson, 1st place 100-yard breast; Carter, 1st place 100-yard breast; Johnson, Stallman, Rohde and Urse, 1st place 400-yard freestyle relay; Marcel Rodriquez, Pinti, Malcolm and Keener, 1st place 400-yard freestyle relay; Urse, Johnson, Spencer and Lacaria, 1st place 200-yard medley relay; Keener, Carter, Viktor Rodriquez and Malcolm, 1st place 200-yard medley relay; Urse, 1st place 200-yard freestyle 
(Signorelli 2nd, Brooke Wagner, 3rd); Keener, 1st place 200-yard freestyle; Johnson, 1st place 200-yard individual medley (Rieser 2nd, Vincent, 3rd); Malenich, 200-yard individual medley; Lacaria, 1st place 50-yard freestyle (Stallman 2nd); Carter, 1st place 50-yard freestyle (Malcolm 2nd); Urse, 1st place 100-yard butterfly (Vincent 2nd, Dorchak 3rd); Viktor Rodriquez, 1st place 100-yard butterfly; Rohde, 100-yard freestyle (Spencer, 2nd and Lacaria 3rd); Marcel Rodriquez, 1st place 100-yard freestyle; Stallman, 1st place 500-yard freestyle (Annabel Goddard 2nd, Julia Muller 3rd); Spencer, Lacaria, Stallman and Rohde, 1st place 200-yard freestyle relay (Kirsten George, Lilly Madden, Dorchak and Signorelli 2nd); Marcel Rodriquez, Malenich, Malcolm and Carter, 1st place 200-yard freestyle relay); Rohde, 1st place 100-yard backstroke (Signorelli 2nd, Rieser 3rd).
(Signorelli 2nd, Brooke Wagner, 3rd); Keener, 1st place 200-yard freestyle; Johnson, 1st place 200-yard individual medley (Rieser 2nd, Vincent, 3rd); Malenich, 200-yard individual medley; Lacaria, 1st place 50-yard freestyle (Stallman 2nd); Carter, 1st place 50-yard freestyle (Malcolm 2nd); Urse, 1st place 100-yard butterfly (Vincent 2nd, Dorchak 3rd); Viktor Rodriquez, 1st place 100-yard butterfly; Rohde, 100-yard freestyle (Spencer, 2nd and Lacaria 3rd); Marcel Rodriquez, 1st place 100-yard freestyle; Stallman, 1st place 500-yard freestyle (Annabel Goddard 2nd, Julia Muller 3rd); Spencer, Lacaria, Stallman and Rohde, 1st place 200-yard freestyle relay (Kirsten George, Lilly Madden, Dorchak and Signorelli 2nd); Marcel Rodriquez, Malenich, Malcolm and Carter, 1st place 200-yard freestyle relay); Rohde, 1st place 100-yard backstroke (Signorelli 2nd, Rieser 3rd).
The girls scored 136 points to RCB’s 23. The boys scored 123 points to RCB’s 35.
At the Dec. 1 Harrison County championships, top finishers were Carter, 1st place 100-yard butterfly; Rohde, 1st place 100-yard freestyle (followed by Stallman and Lacaria in 2nd and 3rd); Malcolm, 1st place 100-yard freestyle (followed by Rodriquez and Reed in 2nd and 3rd); Johnson, 1st place 500-yard freestyle; Keener, 500-yard freestyle; Spencer, Lacaria, Rohde and Stallman, 1st place 200-yard freestyle relay; Rodriquez, Malenich, Malcolm and Carter, 1st place 200-yard freestyle relay; Urse, Johnson, Spencer and Stallman, 1st place 200-yard medley relay; Keener, Pinti, Rodriquez and Carter, 1st place 200-yard medley relay; Johnson 1st place 200-yard freestyle (followed by Signorelli in 2nd); Rodriquez, 1st place 200-yard freestyle; Urse, 1st place 200-yard individual medley (followed by Rieser and Kelsey Dorchak in 2nd and 3rd); Keener, 1st place 200-yard individual medley; Rohde, 1st place 50-yard freestyle; Carter, 1st place 50-yard freestyle; Spencer, 1st place 100-yard butterfly (followed by Vaughn Vincent and Dorchak, 2nd and 3rd).
Though her team has produced positive results thus far this season, Grisso said there are still challenging meets ahead.
“I’m very pleased with our swimmers. They are starting to zone in on what they need to do and we still have work to do,” she said.
The next big meet is Saturday’s Rotary Invitational at the Harrison County YMCA with nearly a dozen teams competing in girls’ and boys’ action.
On Dec. 18, Bridgeport, RCB and Morgantown will compete at the WVU Natatorium. Jack Merinar serves as assistant coach and Wendy Madden is volunteer coach.
