RAEFORD — The Richmond Senior High School girls’ swimming team recorded its best overall finish of the season on Wednesday.
Although the Lady Raiders didn’t score as many points as last week’s meet, they were able to move into a fourth-place finish in the Sandhills Athletic Conference meet.
Hosting the first of two meets this season, Richmond welcomed in the other SAC programs at the Leach Aquatic Center.
As a team, Richmond scored 33 points. Winning the meet was Pinecrest High School (305 points) and Union Pines High School was second (155 points).
The Lady Raiders’ gap between them and third-place Scotland was 74 points.
“Our goal is to continue to get better individually in events, which will spread to the team doing better and better,” head coach Andy Shuler said. “We’ve had three meets now and we know where the girls can compete and where we can get points.
“Alivia Webb and Nelly Cadena both continued to put up points and our relay team has been consistent,” he added. “If we keep working, hopefully we can get some of the others to chip in some points to make us more competitive. This was a good way to head into break.”
Juniors Webb and Cadena secured points in individual events, as well as in relays. Other swimmers to add 24 points in the open 200-yard freestyle relay were sophomore Presley Dawkins and freshman Natalie Richardson.
Finishing third overall in the 200-yard relay, the Lady Raiders took their best finish of the season in that event. Their final time was 2:28.70, which was the team’s fastest time this winter.
Richmond’s final nine points were earned in the 50-yard freestyle, courtesy of Webb (five points) and Cadena (four points).
Webb finished eighth overall in the finals heat (35.60 seconds), followed by Cadena’s ninth-place time of 36.64 seconds. Both swimmers did not compete in their usual event of the 100-yard freestyle.
In exhibition heats, eight Lady Raider swimmers swam in the open 50-yard freestyle. Of those eight, six of them set new fastest times.
They were junior Samantha Barnes (38.57), freshman Sulleigh Bruce (42.44), Dawkins (36.25), sophomore Emma Humann (43.91), senior Caroline Hunsucker (44.31) and senior Janiyah Neal (44.50).
Richardson (40.03) and junior Jada Roberts (37.42) also swam the open 50.
Richmond’s only other exhibition heat was in the 200-yard freestyle relay, but a stroke infraction disqualified the time.
The Lady Raiders will enjoy a break from swimming competition until Jan. 10. That meet will be held in Raeford and start at 6:15 p.m.
PHOTOS: To view a photo gallery of Wednesday’s swim meet, click here.