It came down to the final relay, but the Manchester High School boys swim team fell just short in a nail-biter against Columbia City on Senior Night, losing 73-72 on Monday.
Seniors Cale Bennett and Cam Peacock led the Squires with dominant performances. Bennett claimed victories in the 100-yard butterfly (1:06.89) and 500-yard freestyle (5:30.79), narrowly defeating Columbia City’s Jackson Shipman by 0.3 seconds in the latter. Peacock captured wins in the 200-yard individual medley (2:29.61) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:12.84), adding crucial points to the team’s tally.
The 200-yard medley relay team of Gabe Selleck, Peacock, Bennett, and Jet Thomas secured a win for Manchester with a time of 2:03.15. While swimming as an exhibition competitor, Crisobal Agudo also impressed, topping the field in the 200-yard freestyle (1:58.23) and 100-yard backstroke (1:03.42).
Despite the standout efforts, Columbia City’s depth and key relay performances clinched the meet. The Eagles sealed the victory in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, outpacing Manchester with a time of 3:51.69.
Manchester will travel to Bluffton on Thursday before competing in the TRC Championships at Maconaquah on Saturday. Full meet results are available in the attached document.
