By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

The result of Monday’s clash between Riverlands and Sun Villa was very much in question entering the relay events, as two of the River Parish Swim League’s upper echelon teams were locked in a tight battle.

But Riverlands’ relay swimmers made an impact, the Stingrays outscoring the Sharks in both the medley and freestyle relay events en route to a 314-233 win on the road.

The Stingrays outscored Sun Villa 42-28 in the medley and 49-21 in the freestyle. It led 223-184 after the completion of the individual events.

“We never felt safe,” said Riverlands coach Lindsey Vicknair. “We built a bit of a lead, but everything can swing on those relays. We in no way were in a position to let our guard down.”

Indeed, had Sun Villa outscored Riverlands by a similar spread in the relay events, it would have overcome the Stingray lead.

Riverlands led 62.5-45.5 after the freestyle and extended the lead to 129-86 after a 66.5-40.5 difference in the backstroke. Sun Villa came away with a 55-48 victory in the breaststroke to cut into the lead, while Riverlands got three points back after finishing with a 46-43 advantage in the butterfly.

Jack Chapman, Will Torres and Jordan St. Pierre each captured three first place finishes to lead Riverlands.

Emma Dooley, Grace Richoux and Matthew Torres each captured wins in two events.  

Morghen Cosse, Mia Oncale, Kassidy Krawford, Jillian Badeaux, Thomas Chapman, Valerie Perrilloux, Jacob Palmature, Andre St. Martin and Maddie Guidry took first in one event each for the Stingrays.

“It was a definite morale booster for everyone,” said Vicknair. “It was a fun meet for all of us. (Sun Villa swimming coach Nicole Matherne) is a friend of mine. We’ve coached together before. It was really enjoyable for the kids and coaches alike.”

Monday’s meet against LaVacherie marks the final meet of the season, a meet that will determine whether Riverlands (4-1) finishes as league runner-up at minimum — defending champion and current league leader LARAYO is heavily favored to finish its season undefeated.

“We just need to continue preparing and staying sharp, minimizing mistakes,” said Vicknair. “If we do that, everything else will fall into place.”

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