The Vance Aquatics Club lost its first two meets in the past week, but behind those road results are performances that reveal teamwide improvement.
The Barracudas lost their opener Saturday at Black Horse Run, 227-158, then fell at Willowhaven, 286-111, on Wednesday. Those teams are the past two champions of the Durham Summer Swim League’s Division III.
Coaches Wendi and Chris Leas put 26 swimmers in the pool against Black Horse Run, at least half a dozen more than the Barracudas mustered for meets last summer. Those swimmers combined to post 34 personal bests in the season’s only Saturday meet.
Brian Hicks (13-14 freestyle, backstroke and butterfly) and Kaitlin Polak (11-12 freestyle, backstroke and butterfly) were triple winners for the Barracudas.
Katelynn Ray (6-and-under freestyle and breaststroke), Michael Busada (15-18 freestyle and backstroke) and Karissa Thomas (15-18 backstroke and butterfly) each won two races.
Other winners were Caleb Jacobs (7-8 backstroke), Sonja Engel (13-14 butterfly), Joshua Norton (15-18 backstroke), Meaghan Johnson (9-10 backstroke), Amaya Brown-Douglas (6-and-under backstroke), Laura Copley (11-12 breaststroke) and Julleah Norton (9-10 breaststroke).
The bigger, better Barracudas competed at Willowhaven with only 21 swimmers. Those missing included Thomas, Busada and Hicks, who combined for 41 points against Black Horse Run.
Vance’s one triple winner Wednesday was a swimmer who missed the opener, Lydia Harrop. She captured the freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke for the 13-14 age group.
Katelynn Ray (6-and-under freestyle and breaststroke), Christopher Johnson (6-and-under freestyle and backstroke), Kaitlin Polak (11-12 freestyle and butterfly), Josh Jacobs (9-10 backstroke) and Curtis Ray (9-10 butterfly) also were winners during a meet in which the Waves outtouched the Barracudas in several close races.
But the Barracudas had plenty to celebrate. They produced 41 personal bests in 46 chances (races in which a swimmer had a previous time on record).
Vance has its first home meet Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Aycock Recreation Complex against Homestead Heights.
(Disclosure notice: Two HomeinHenderson.com staffers, Josh and Caleb Jacobs, are members of the Vance Aquatics Club.)