LAURINBURG — The Richmond Senior High School boys’ swimming team competed for the first time this season Wednesday.
In the pool at St. Andrews University, the Raiders swam their way to a sixth-place finish with 54 points.
Also competing were Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents Pinecrest, Scotland, Southern Lee and Union Pines high schools, along with non-conference Pine Forest High School.
It was a close race to the finish line for the top spot, which Pinecrest took with 266 points. Union Pines (261 points) and Pine Forest (251 points) followed, as Scotland (75 points) and Southern Lee (62 points) rounded out the standings.
Head coach Lauren Brewer, who made her coaching debut with the program, said she was pleased with the Raiders’ efforts.
“Our first meet went really well, especially for us being a younger program looking to grow this season,” Brewer said. “We have lots of athletic swimmers who all competed, and that’s all I ask for.
“Having a smaller roster does hurt us when it comes to overall points, but in the events we did swim in, the guys placed. We will continue working on our techniques and hopefully we’ll see our times drop and the points add up.”
Richmond’s largest collection of points came in the 200-yard freestyle relay race. Taking fourth place in the event, the Raiders collected 22 points with a combined time of 2:18.70.
Swimming the four laps for Richmond were seniors Michael Jurczyk (41.78 seconds), Matthew Leggett (35.06 seconds), and juniors DJ Gainey (33.29 seconds) and Cole Thrower in the anchor (28.57 seconds).
Four swimmers — Gainey, Leggett, Thrower and junior Luke Gilliam — each collected individual points in other events for Richmond.
Gainey, a first-year swimmer, led the way with 12 points. He placed eighth overall in both the 100-yard freestyle (1:31:70) and 200-yard freestyle (3:20.60).
Thrower, who returned for his third season with the program, added 11 points. In the finals heat of the 50-yard freestyle, he finished fourth overall with a time of 27.51 seconds, a new personal record for him.
Leggett also swam in the open 50-yard race and placed 11th. His time of 32.54 seconds earned the Raiders another four points.
In one of the final races of the night, Gilliam competed in the 100-yard backstroke, his debut in the event. Clocking in at 2:01.65, he placed eighth and collected five points.
Senior Erik Reichert and freshman Victor Nguyen swam in exhibition heats of the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle, respectively.
The Raiders will return to the pool Wednesday, Dec. 5, for their second meet of the season. Events will begin at 6 p.m.
PHOTOS: Click here to view photos of the Raiders’ season-opening swim meet.
