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First Posted: 1/21/2015

WILKES-BARRE – The Dallas boys and girls swimming teams have continued to string together wins, leading up to the most important meet of the regular season.

Dallas will be at Wyoming Valley West on Wednesday, Jan. 28 in a meet that matches the last two unbeaten Wyoming Valley Conference teams on both the boys and girls sides.

To get to that point, Dallas first had to beat Holy Redeemer Tuesday at the CYC in a meet that matched two of the final three unbeaten girls teams in the conference.

The girls breezed through that challenge, winning 10 of 12 events, including all three relays, on the way to a comfortable, 114-72 victory.

For the Dallas boys, the biggest test to date came on Jan. 16 at Tunkhannock when they beat the third-place Tigers, 120-63.

Tunkhannock had edged Dallas, 211-206, for the team title at last year’s District 2 Class AA Championships, ending a four-year championship run by the Mountaineers.

“We’ve had some really good swims,” Dallas coach Romayne Mosier said following the sweep of Holy Redeemer. “I think they’re getting excited.

“The kids are working hard. They’re tired, but they’re working hard.”

Following the Holy Redeemer meet, where the Dallas boys won, 118-57, the Mountaineers have a half-meet lead in both WVC standings.

The Dallas girls improved to 9-0 with four meets remaining, including the showdown with Wyoming Valley West (8-0). The Dallas boys are 6-0 with three meets remaining while Valley West is 5-0.

January has been a big month for the Dallas swimmers. In addition to their dual meet success, the girls beat 12 other teams to win the Stroudsburg Winter Swim Classic Invitational at East Stroudsburg University where the boys finished second in the team standings.

Senior Kaylin Augustine and freshman Abby Zolner led the way for the girls against Holy Redeemer.

“I was just hoping to get some good races and good times and have them pushed in a race situation,” Mosier said.

Augustine won the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly while leading off on two winning relays.

Zolner was on all three winning relays and picked up an individual win.

“Abby Zolner had a good meet,” Mosier said. “She had her best time of the season in the IM and in the relays she did very well.”

Zolner won the 200 individual medley by nearly seven seconds in 2:19.93.

Annalise Cheshire added a 50 freestyle win and was on two winning relays.

Sarah Fasulka, who won the 100 breaststroke, and Amanda Schwerdtmann, who won the 500 free, also contributed to relay wins. Amanda Lopez won the 100 backstroke.

Lauren Finnegan was part of two winning relays and Maddie Hurst one.

Cheshire, a freshman, had led the way at East Stroudsburg, producing the team’s only individual title and setting a school record in the 100 backstroke in 1:02.63. She was also on two winning relays that day while placing second in the 50 free.

Dallas swept all three relays that day while running away with the team title with 280 points, 118 better than second-place Little Flower.

Augustine, Finnegan, Zolner and freshman Melinda Ratchford joined Cheshire in contributing to two relay wins at the invitational. Hurst and Fasulka were on one each. Augustine was also second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 100 butterfly while Zolner (200 IM) and Schwertdmann (500 free) added thirds.

Jared Krawetz led the Dallas boys to their latest win against Holy Redeemer by being part of all three winning relays and winning the 100 freestyle.

Porter Luksic was the only winner of two individual events while Ezra Moore was on two winning relays and had an individual win.

Troy Reinert, Connor Motley and Dylan Lisnow were on two relay wins each while Reid Luksic was on one.

Mikail Krochta, diver Keith Gillette and Tony Caravaggio, a freshman who posted his season-best time in the 500 free, all had wins.

Against Tunkhannock, Krawetz and Moore won two races each and were part of the opening relay win to lead the victory.

Moore had won the 500 free by more than 14 seconds at East Stroudsburg and also added a second-place in the 200 free at that invitational.

Porter Luksic was second in the 100 back and joined Moore, Reinert and Krawetz for a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay.