Thrilling Finish Highlights Pittsfield Sweep on Opening Day

PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Pittsfield boys and girls swim teams each opened the season with a victory on Friday afternoon.

 

Pittsfield’s Conor Mooney also gave the home fans at the Boys and Girls Club an early season highlight few will forget.

 

Mooney closed a nearly body length lead in the last 25 yards to give Pittsfield a come-from-behind win in the meet-ending 4-by-100 relay as the Generals edged Mount Anthony Union, 49-42.

 

“To be honest, when it started out, it was looking pretty worrying,” Mooney said of the relay. “We were down in the first 100. But I saw us coming back in the second and third legs.

 

“And, I don’t know, I was filled with something else. I was so determined. I wanted to win this thing.

 

“Even in the first 75 of my race, I was worried, but in that last 25, I just swam as hard as I could.”

 

Noah Elzner, Hayden Plouffe and Connor Hayford swam the first three legs of the relay, setting the stage for Mooney’s heroics and a split-second victory. Pittsfield touched in 4 minutes, 3.87 seconds; the Patriots clocked a time of 4:04.03.

 

In the girls’ meet, Pittsfield won by a more comfortable, 61-33, margin.

 

But the girls meet featured some monster early-season wins by Szofia Lewis.

 

Lewis swam a State Championship-qualifying time of 1 minute, 12.54 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke, shaving nearly two seconds off the D2 qualifying time in the process.

 

She also won the 100 butterfly in a Central/Western Mass qualifying time of 1:07.84, comfortably under the cut time of 1:09.00.

 

Pittsfield’s girls had three double-winners on the day.

 

In addition to Lewis’ two wins, the Generals got multiple victories from Jordan Bradford and Emily Bradford.

 

Jordan Bradford won the 100 backstroke (1:09.56) and 200 free (2:14.57). Emily Bradford wion the 200 individual medley (2:37.94) and the 500 freestyle (6:10.40).

 

Mooney was the only double winner for the Pittsfield boys, taking individual wins in the 200 free (2:17.43) and 100 back (1:09.17).

 

But it was a day when every second- and third-place finish came in handy for the Pittsfield boys.

 

“I think everyone kind of pulled it together,” Mooney said. “People were swimming, maybe not their best event, but we played it right. Everyone just worked as hard as they could.

 

“I love racing against Mount Anthony because we’re so close. It’s always a great meet. And they’re great sportsmen. It’s a good time.”

 

Pittsfield hosts Taconic on Tuesday at the Boys and Girls Club.