VERGENNES — The Vergennes Champs opened their 2011 Champlain Valley Swim League season at home on Thursday, when 2010 champion and perennial contender Burlington Tennis Club powered to a 341-136 victory. The Champs return to action on Tuesday with a meet at St. Albans, and then will host Essex on Thursday.
Against BTC, younger female swimmers enjoyed the most success for the Champs, as Alyse Beauchemin and Moriah Cushing won two 12-and-under races each, and Megan Tarte won an under-10 event.
Zeke Palmer won a U-10 boys’ race, and the Champs also won two U-12 girls’ relays, a U-10 boys’ relay, and two U-8 boys’ relays.
In the opening medley relays, the Champ U-8 team of Tyler Jewett, Tucker Stearns, Shea McLaren and Erich Reitz swam to an unopposed win; their time was unavailable.
Middlebury swimmers hit the pool this week
The Middlebury Panthers swim team open their season Tuesday at Burlington Tennis Club. Middlebury’s home opener is July 5 at the town pool.
The U-10 Champ girls’ medley team of Beauchemin, Cushing, Sadie Kass and Olivia Hawkins finished in 2:22.84 to win, also without opposition.
All the free relays were contested. Winning for Vergennes were the U-8 boys (Jewett, Stearns, Reitz and McLaren in 1:36.06); the U-10 boys (Jeffrey Stearns, Palmer, Max Konczal and Casey Kimball in 1:08.46 — the closest race for first of the night, a 0.1-second win); and the U-12 girls (Beauchemin, Cushing, Kass and Hawkins in 2:20.84).
Four Champ free relay teams took second: the U-8 girls (Grace LeBeau, Summer Chabot, Anna Rakowski and Sydney Weber); the U-10 girls (Tarte, Richmond Rathbun, Leah Croke and Emily Rooney); the U-12 girls (Allyson Stearns, Nikkilette Salley, Bailey Bissonette and Samara Sausville); and the U-12 boys (Max Bicknell, Sam Comai, Devon Kimball and Ethan Sausville).
Champs earning points with top-three finishes in individual events were:
BUTTERFLY
•  U-8 girls: 2. Jordan Jewell.
•  U-8 boys: 2. T. Stearns; 3. Benjamin Huston.
•  U-10 girls: 2. Rooney.
•  U-10 boys: 2. J. Stearns.
•  U-12 girls: 1. Cushing, 33.59.
•  U-12 boys: 2. Bicknell; 3. E. Sausville.
•  U-14 girls: 3. Bissonette.
•  U-18 girls: 3. Paige Vincent.
•  U-18 boys: 3. Joshua Cook.
BACKSTROKE
•  U-8 girls: 2. Rakowski.
•  U-8 boys: 2. Reitz; 3. Jewett.
•  U-10 girls: 1. Tarte, 21.43.
•  U-10 boys: 3. Z. Palmer.
•  U-12 girls: 1. Beauchemin, 37.37; 3. River Hoffman.
•  U-12 boys: 2. D. Kimball; 3. Bicknell.
•  U-14 girls: 3. Salley.
•  U-18 girls: 3. Becky Johnston.
•  U-18 boys: 3. Matteo Palmer.
BREASTSTROKE
•  U-8 girls: 3. LeBeau.
•  U-8 boys: 3. T. Stearns.
•  U-10 girls: 3. Brodie Martin.
•  U-10 boys: 2. Konczal; 3. Z. Palmer.
•  U-12 girls: 1. Beauchemin, 42.32; 2. Hawkins.
•  U-12 boys: 3. D. Kimball.
•  U-14 girls: 3. S. Sausville.
•  U-18 girls: 2. Vincent.
•  U-18 boys: 2. Austin Burnett.
FREESTYLE
•  U-8 girls: 3. Emma Huestis.
•  U-8 boys: 3. McLaren.
•  U-10 girls: 2. Tarte; 3. Maddy Smith.
•  U-10 boys: 1. Z. Palmer, 15.97.
•  U-12 girls: 1. Cushing, 30.75; 2. Beauchemin.
•  U-12 boys: 2. Bicknell.
•  U-14 girls: 3. A. Stearns.
•  U-18 girls: 3. Vincent.
•           U-18 boys: 3. Burnett.