Blake High School

February 24th-27th - Metros

Blake competed in the prestigious Washington Metropolitan Area Swimming and Diving Championships, and received many outstanding performances from members of the team. Overall, the Boys finished 13th and the Girls placed 30th. The Boys' finish was the highest in Blake's twelve year existence!

Sophomore Victor Bennett started the competition on Wednesday, placing 27th in diving. Despite being disappointed by not making it past the first cut, Victor had an outstanding season, which included setting Blake's diving records. On Thursday, sophomores Monika Looney (25th place), Paula Edoja and Becca Kalinich, as well as freshman Anna Haley competed in the Girls Diving event. Competing at Metros was an impressive feat for the girls, as none were even members of Blake's team last season. While Blake has had several outstanding divers in its history, this marks the first time that Blake entered the maximum of four divers in the event.

On Friday, Blake had three individuals compete in the preliminaries of the 500 free and also was entered in the 400 Free Relay for the Boys and the Girls. Cory Camp (FR) started the swimming portion of Metros off for the Bengals with a best time, qualifying for the B Final in 19th place. Seniors Adrienne Bush and Mary Gills had strong swims in their final time competing in the 500 for Blake. Adrienne's time was a career best for Blake. Blake's 400 Free Relays were amazing - the Boys set a new school record (junior Cameron Lancon, sophomore David Altobelli, freshman Cory Camp, junior Spencer Sterling) and qualified as the 12th seed. The Girls (senior Nikki Cali, sophomore Rachel Jaffe, senior Adrienne Bush, sophomore Amanda Freeman) swam a season best time and unexpectedly qualified for the B Final!

In Saturday morning's prelims, the Bengals continued their success in the pool. The Boys Medley Relay (Sterling, freshman Sam Jaffe, Lancon, Altobelli) established a new school record and qualified as the 12th seed for finals. Andrew Latona (FR) swam a career best in the 200 IM, as did Adrienne Bush and Nikki Cali in the 200 Free. Spencer Sterling and Cameron Lancon each swam career best times, with Cameron breaking Spencer's school record from 2009 by over a half a second. Cameron and Spencer each qualified for the A Final in the event! Nikki Cali and Amanda Freeman each swam season best times in the 100 Free, but narrowly missed qualifying for finals. The Blake Girls 200 Free Relay (Cali, Jaffe, Bush, Freeman) snuck into the B Final, qualifying as the 20th seed. Senior Jeff Brumfield led off the 200 Free Relay by going under 26 seconds for the first time in his career - his last swim as a Bengal. Blake had seven swimmers compete in the 100 Back, the most of any individual event. Spencer Sterling set a new school record and qualified for the A Final, and Cameron Lancon qualified for the B Final. David Altobelli and Andrew Latona each swam career bests, as did Rachel Jaffe. 

Blake had three individuals and four relay teams qualify for the Saturday night finals at Metros. The Boys Medley Relay team shaved a little time off its time from prelims, again breaking the school record and placing 13th overall. Spencer Sterling had probably the best night of any Bengal, placing 5th in the 100 Fly with a career best time and later lowering his school record in the 100 Back by finishing 6th. Cameron Lancon had the highest place of the night for Blake, touching 4th in the 100 Fly, and later finished 12th in the 100 Back with a career best time. Cory Camp improved on his seed and time from prelims by placing 13th in the 500 Free, breaking the school record in just his first season with the team! The Girls 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay teams of Nikki Cali, Rachel Jaffe, Adrienne Bush and Amanda Freeman placed 20th overall for the only points by the Girls team this year at Metros. The Boys 400 Free Relay team placed 14th to cap off a great weekend for the Bengals!

February 18th-20th - MCPS County Championships

Blake competed against the best swimmers and divers in Montgomery County, and placed 11th in combined (Boys and Girls) scoring. The Boys team had the highest finish in school history, placing 9th overall. The Girls team fared well, placing 13th overall.

The Boys were led by Spencer Sterling (JR), who placed third in the 100 Fly, just three tenths off of his own school record in the event. Spencer also was a half second off of his school record in the 100 Back, placing fifth in the County. Cameron Lancon (JR) placed fourth in 100 Fly and tied for eighth in the 100 Back. Cory Camp (FR) scored in both of his events, the 200 Free (13th) and the 500 Free (8th), where he was just over a second off of the school record. Victor Bennett (SO) became the first boy diver in Blake history to score at Counties, placing 12th overall. Blake's relays also scored some valuable points at the meet. The 200 Medley Relay team (Andrew Latona, Sam Jaffe, Cameron Lancon, Spencer Sterling) placed 5th overall, and the 200 Free Relay (Spencer Sterling, Cameron Lancon, Cory Camp, David Altobelli) finished 7th. The 400 Free Relay team (Cory Camp, David Altobelli, Andrew Latona, Sam Jaffe) did admirably despite having three freshman and one sophomore, and placed 11th overall. Season best times were also turned in by Andrew Latona (FR) in the 500 Free and 200 IM and David Altobelli (SO) in the 50 Free. 

The Girls were once again led by senior captains Nikki Cali, Adrienne Bush and Mary Gillis. Nikki had season best times in the 200 Free (10th) and the 100 Free (9th). Adrienne recorded a season best time in the 200 Free (13th) before competing in the 200 IM in the next event. Mary earned a season best time in the 100 Back (14th) and competed in the 500 Free for the first time since breaking her wrist mid-season. Blake's only other individual scorer was Amanda Freeman (SO), who placed 16th in the 100 Free. Blake's divers, Rebecca Kalinich (SO) and Paula Edoja (SO) made the Bengals proud by competing in Counties in their first year on the team. Megan Bush (SR) recorded a season best time in the 200 IM, as did Blake's 50 Freestylers, Shannon Wade (JR) and Becky Doane (SR). Melina Latona (SO) also earned a season best time, in the 100 Fly. All three of Blake's relay teams placed in the top 16, earning points. 

February 13th - MCPS Division II Championships

The Bengals went up against Blair, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard and Sherwood in the Divisional Championships. The Blake Boys finished 5th, while the Blake Girls placed 6th. Despite the long layoff from practices due to the weather, there were several impressive performances from the Blake athletes.

Leading the Bengal boys was Spencer Sterling (JR), who placed first in both the 50 Free and the 100 Back. Cameron Lancon (JR) also was a solid performer, finishing second in the 200 Free and 100 Fly, with season best times in both events. Cory Camp (FR) placed fourth in the 500 Free and sixth in the 200 IM. Andrew Latona (FR) earned a Metros qualifying time in the 100 Back for the first time, placing sixth in the event. Andrew also got a season best time in the 200 IM. Spencer, Cameron, Cory and Andrew all earned Metros cuts in two events, as did Sam Jaffe (FR) in the 200 IM and 100 Breast. Diver Victor Bennett (SO) picked up a third place finish in the diving event and Dan D'Amico (FR) earned two season best times (100 Fly and 500 Free). David Hylton (SO) also went a best time, in the 100 Breast.

The Bengal girls were led by Adrienne Bush (SR), who finished eighth in the 200 IM and fourth in the 500 Free with season best times in both events. Both of Adrienne's swims were Metro qualifying times. Nikki Cali (SR) placed fifth in the 200 Free and seventh in the 100 Free, with Metro cuts in both swims. Nikki's 200 Free time was a season best swim. Also earning Metro cuts for Blake were Amanda Freeman (SO) in the 50 Free and 500 Free and Mary Gillis in the 100 Back, with a season best time. The Blake divers also did a nice job, with Monika Looney (SO) placing seventh and Becca Kalinich (SO) and Anna Haley (FR) placing in the competition. All three divers completed six dives for the first time. Deanna Chirigos (FR) went a best time in the 100 Fly, as did Becky Doane (SR) in the 500 Free. Melina Latona (SO) and Amanda Breen (JR) each earned season best times in the 100 Breast.

February 6th - vs. Magruder

The meet against Magruder was canceled due to the Blizzard of 2010 (Round 1)!

January 30th - vs. Northwest

In the final Division II dual meet of the season, the Bengals finally pulled out a victory on the boys side. Blake boys won 87-84, while the Jaguars won the girls meet 102-69.

In the Boys meet, Northwest won the 200 Medley Relay, but Blake earned valuable points by placing 2nd and 3rd. Spencer Sterling (JR) then captured first in the 200 Free with a Blake season best time, qualifying for Metros. Blake's freshman trio of Cory Camp, Sam Jaffe and Andrew Latona then swept the 200 IM, all three qualifying for Metros. Northwest stormed back with a strong 50 free showing, with Blake's Jeff Brumfield (SR) barely breaking up the sweep. Blake's Victor Bennett (SO) then won the diving for the fourth straight meet and Cameron Lancon (JR) took first with a Metros qualifying time in the 100 Fly. Despite not placing first in the 100 Free, Blake took 2nd, 3rd and 4th to outscore the Jaguars in the event, led by sophomore David Altobelli's Metro qualifying time. Freshman Cory Camp then won his second event of the day, qualifying for Metros in the 500 Free in a come from behind victory. Blake's star juniors Spencer Sterling and Cameron Lancon finished one-two in the 100 Back, each qualifying for Metros. Freshman Sam Jaffe was barely beaten in the 100 Breast, and Blake finished 2nd and 3rd in the 400 Free Relay to eke out the win in the meet.

In the Girls meet, the Jaguars proved to be a deep and talented team, too much for the Bengals. The Bengals were once again led by senior captain Nikki Cali, who won the 200 IM in a personal best time, and also qualified for Metros in the 100 Breast. Sophomore Rachel Jaffe placed first in the 500 Free, and senior Haley-Drew Carpenter won the diving event. Senior Adrienne Bush earned a Metros qualifying time and placed first in the 200 Free. Fellow seniors Megan Bush and Mary Gillis finished 2nd and 3rd in the 200 Free to complete the sweep. Congrats to freshmen Nicole Sterling (200 Free), Kaitlin Klumpp (500 Free) and Laura Smethurst (500 Free) for competing in tough events for the first time - and doing well!

January 23rd - vs. Quince Orchard

Blake had its closest meet of the season, but was defeated by Quince Orchard in both the boys and girls meets. 

Despite placing first in 8 out of the 11 boys events, the Bengals are still in search of their first dual meet win of the season. Quince Orchard set the tone for the meet with a narrow victory in the 200 Medley relay over Blake's team of Andrew Latona (FR), Sam Jaffe (FR), Spencer Sterling (JR) and Jeff Brumfield (SR). Cameron Lancon (JR) earned a Metros time in winning the 200 Free and freshmen Cory Camp and Andrew Latona also qualified for Metros in the 200 IM, placing second and third in the event. Spencer Sterling (JR) tied with QO's star Kevin Hauri (SR) in the 50 Free, just two tenths off of Matt Stevens' school record. Victor Bennett (SO) continued his strong diving, taking another first place just off his own school record score. The turning point in the meet came when Blake star Cameron Lancon false started in the 100 Fly, costing the Bengals a sure first place finish. David Altobelli (SO) qualified for Metros with a best time in the 100 Free, with Andrew Latona (FR) placing second in the event. Spencer Sterling (JR) barely missed a school record again in the 500 Free, but QO's depth took second, third and fourth to win the event. Cory Camp (FR) and David Altobelli (SO) placed first and second in the 100 Back with Metros cuts, and Sam Jaffe (FR) took first place in the 100 Breast with a best time. Cory Camp (FR), David Altobelli (SO), Jake Kalen (SO) and Cameron Lancon (JR) won the 400 Free Relay, but in the end, Quince Orchard's depth led the Cougars to a 10 point victory.

The Blake girls won only a couple of events in the meet, and QO's star swimmers were too much for the Bengals. Amanda Freeman had a standout meet for Blake, finishing in second place in the 50 and 500 Freestyles, with Metro cuts in both events. Amanda' 500 Free was Blake's top time for the season. Senior Nikki Cali had a strong showing in the 200 and 100 Freestyles, placing second in both events with Metro cuts. Seniors Megan and Adrienne Bush also had good swims, with Adrienne qualifying for Metros in the 500 Free and Megan posting season bests in the 100 Fly and 200 IM. Anna Haley (FR) was the lone individual winner for the Bengals, placing first in the diving event. Blake did finish on a high note, taking first place in the 400 Free Relay (Sophomore Rachel Jaffe, Senior Nikki Cali, Senior Adrienne Bush, Sophomore Amanda Freeman).

January 16th - vs. Sherwood

The Blake Bengals were defeated soundly by Division II opponent Sherwood. Sophomore diver Victor Bennett broke a two year old school record for scoring in a four dive format! Junior Cameron Lancon (50 Free) and freshman Anna Haley (Diving) were Blake's other winners on the day.

The following Blake swimmers achieved Metros qualifying times:

David Altobelli (SO) -  100 and 200 Free
Cory Camp (FR) - 200 and 500 Free
Amanda Freeman (SO) - 200 IM
Sam Jaffe (FR) - 200 IM and 100 Breast
Cameron Lancon (JR) - 50 Free and 100 Back
Andrew Latona (FR) - 200 IM
Spencer Sterling (JR) - 200 IM and 100 Fly
Both 200 Medley Relay teams also qualified.
 

January 15th - County Dive Relays

The Bengal divers placed 13th overall in the County Dive Relay meet, an improvement over last season's 19th place finish. Blake was able to get contributions from virtually every diver on the team. Seniors Valery Salas, Haley-Drew Carpenter and Trevor Skibine, junior Max Shannon, sophomores Paula Edoja, Monika Looney, Rebecca Kalinich, Tai Ramsey and Victor Bennett each contributed to the team's success.

January 9th - Division II Swim Relays

The Blake Bengals placed 6th in the Division II Relay meet. The Boys 200 Fly relay team of Andrew Latona, Spencer Sterling, Cameron Lancon and Cory Camp placed second to lead the Bengals. 

December 19th - vs. Poolesville

The meet against Poolesville was canceled due to snow. No word yet on whether the meet will replace the non-division meet against Magruder on February 6th.

December 12th - vs. Blair

Blake was missing the bulk of its team, and both the boys and girls suffered losses in 2009-2010 season opener against Division II opponent Blair. 

For the Bengals, sophomore Victor Bennett placed first in the diving competition. Junior Cameron Lancon won two events (100 Fly and 100 Back) in his return to the team after spending his sophomore season at DeMatha. Freshman Cory Camp was impressive in his Bengal debut, placing second in the 200 IM and 500 Free and qualifying for Metros in both events. Senior captain Mary Gillis also placed second in two events for the Bengals (200 and 500 Free).

December 5th - Exhibition meet vs. Paint Branch

The Blake Swim & Dive team started the season off with a quality showing against Northeast Consortium rival Paint Branch in an exhibition meet. The following Bengal Swimmers achieved Metros qualifying times:

David Altobelli (SO) - 100 Back
Nikki Cali (SR) - 200 Free
Amanda Freeman (SO) - 200 IM, 100 Back
Sam Jaffe (FR) - 200 IM
Spencer Sterling (JR) - 200 IM
Girls 400 Medley Relay Team - Amanda Freeman, Nikki Cali, Mary Gillis, Adrienne Bush

Blake had many swimmers competing in "off" events, as well as many swimmers competing for the first time in high school. Freshman Andrew Latona (200 IM, 100 Fly) and junior John King (50 Free) took first place in their first meet for Blake. Senior Megan Bush placed first in the 100 Breast as well. Overall, Blake took first place in 19 out of the 22 events.