West Laurel swim coach enjoys hair today, gone tomorrow

West Laurel swim coach Dave Floyd is proud to be sporting a clean-shaven head after the dual-meet season ended July 13.

After promising his team they could shave his head if the Wahoos had a winning dual-meet season in the C Division, Floyd delivered a day after the Wahoos beat Belair, 301-277, to end the regular-season with a 3-2 mark.

"It was a good year for us. We were seeded fourth in the division and we finished third overall," said the co-coach. "Our young swimmers stepped up for us."

Triple winners for West Laurel were Cara Samson (11-12 girls) in the fly, free and IM; Erin Kane (15-18 girls) in the fly, free and breast; Aaron Wilson (U-8 boys) in the free, breast and back; and Henry Buda (11-12 boys) in the fly, free and IM.

Double winners for West Laurel were Max Bagileo (9-10 boys) in the free and breast and Billy Rosenberg (13-14 boys) in the fly and back.

In other meets involving local teams, Montpelier (Division D) beat Marlton, 318-230, to end up with a 3-2 record; Laurel City (F) is 3-2 after a loss at home to Parks and Recreation Pride 321-227; Russett (B) is 3-2 after a 291-288 loss to Strathmore; and West Arundel (C) ended the dual season 1-4 after a 292-286 loss to Fort Washington.

Triple winners for Montpelier were Dylan Buehler (15-18 boys) in the breast, back and IM; Suzannah Mills (15-18 girls) in the fly, back and IM; and Carolyn Sutton (13-14 girls) in the fly, free and back.

It is the second straight winning season for Montpelier, who will host the Divisional meet for the first time since 2001 on July 20.

"It is fantastic for our team," said Brian Abdo, the head coach. "Especially the fact we should do well at divisionals. I am really excited for our boys and girls relays. I think they have a good chance of getting first or second and qualifying for the All-Stars. It should be a great day. It should be a lot of fun."

Going into this season long-time Russett head coach Vanessa Cox felt obtaining one win in the dual meet season out of five contests would be a worthy goal after her team skipped a division from the D level to the B division.

And even with a narrow loss at home to Strathmore on July 20, the Sharks were 3-2 in dual meets this year and posted a winning record for the eighth year in a row.

"My objective going into this season, when you skip a division, my goal was to win one," said Cox, also the swimming coach at Meade High. "To come out and win three was amazing."

Triple winners for Russett were Dominic Kazzi (U-10 boys) in the fly, free and back; Razelle Abogadie (U-10 girls) in the fly, free and back; Kylie Ritter (U-8 girls) in the free, breast and back; and Allison Ritter (11-12 girls) in the free, breast and IM. Simone DeSouza (13-14 girls) was a double winner in the free and back for Russett.

Cox had estimated her team was about a 40 or 45-point underdog against Strathmore but Russett nearly pulled off a surprising victory. "The outcome was that close. It came down to the end of the meet. The relays stepped up," said Cox, who said her 11-12 girls, 9-10 boys and U-8 girls have been strong this year.

Russett will compete on July 20 in the Division B championships at Strathmore.

Triple winners for Laurel City were Eanna Hehir-Keys (13-14 girls) in the fly, breast and IM and Matthew Whelan (13-14 boys) in the fly, free and IM.

Laurel City double winners were Ally Wagner (13-14 girls) in the free and back; Jesse Rocco (15-18 girls) in the back and free; and Katelyn Fosta (15-18 girls) in the fly and IM.

West Arundel was paced by triple winners Michael Venit (U-8 boys) in the free, breast and back; Colette Pierce (13-14 girls) in the free, breast and IM; Jay Venit (13-14 boys) in the breast, back and IM; Peter Moyer (15-18 boys) in the fly, free and IM.

Double winners for West Arundel were Olivia Clark (9-10 girls) in the free and breast; Cecilia Ramirez (11-12 girls) in the fly and back; Alyssa Webb (13-14 girls) in the fly and back; and Kellianne Venit (15-18 girls) in the breast and IM.

Kellianne Venit broke her own record in the 100 IM with a new time of 1:06.38 and the West Arundel boys medley relay team of Jake Harkcom, Jay Venit, James Oslund and Ryan Webb set a team record with a time of 1:56.0.

West Arundel head coach John Venit said his team is ranked fifth out of six teams going into the Division C meet at Belair in Bowie. Other Divisionals on July 20 include: Division A at Whitehall in Bowie; Division D at Montpelier in South Laurel; and Division F at Prince George's Council.

The five local teams were a combined 13-12 in dual meets this season after a mark of 17-7 in 2012.