When Central Bucks South swims against William Tennent, it isn’t just any Pink meet.
It’s the Pink meet.
On Tuesday night, Tennent hosted the eighth annual Pink Out in honor of former Tennent coach Lisa Forlini, who died on Nov. 14, 2015 from breast cancer. The event was started by a CB South swimmer, Stephanie Nickerson, and has continued to be a valued tradition for both squads.
Both teams wore pink caps and this year Tennent was selling pink hats with the proceeds going to the Cancer Foundation and For Pete’s Sake, a program that helps cancer patients have a family vacation.
“This meet is very special for our team for a lot of reasons but of course the number one reason is that it’s in honor of my mom,” said Tennent coach Meghan Reilly, Forlini’s daughter. “It’s been a nice tradition and we appreciate that CB South started it and wants to continue it.”
CB South won the non-league girls meet 106-66 to go 3-0 while the boys fell 99-81 and drop to 1-2. The Titans swim Wissahickon on Friday before heading into the holiday break.
The meet was very personal for CB South senior captain Lauren Charlton, who lost her father to cancer.
“We lost him when I was a freshman,” Charlton said. “It’s so nice to have the swim community come out and support something that touches everyone on the team. Even though I didn’t really know Lisa, she passed away before the meet my freshman year, I think everyone knows how personal it is for Tennent and we’re all happy to just support the cause.
“We really look forward to this meet because both teams really respect each other and we always swim really well against them.”
For the girls, Haley Scholer took first in two individual events for the Titans, winning the 200 freestyle (2:07.69) and 100 freestyle (55.07) while Heidi Scholer won the 200 individual medley (2:14.26) and 100 butterfly (1:05.17).
Alexandra Charlton won diving for CB South (209.70 points), Chloe Matsick was first in the 50 freestyle (26.15), Joy Schwedler won the 500 freestyle (5:51.70), Kaylin Goodling took first in the 100 backstroke (1:07.88) and Haley Tevnan topped the field in the 100 breaststroke (1:18.08) to round out the individual winners for CB South.
Victoria Peacock, Schwedler, Lizzie Axler and Matsick teamed up to win the 200 medley relay (2:00.79), Haley Scholer, Matsick, Tevnan and Heidi Scholer won the 200 freestyle relay (1:44.70) and Goodling, Matsick,, Haley Scholer and Heidi Scholer touched first in the 400 freestyle relay (3:48.26) for the Titans.
“We definitely have our superstars, especially in our younger swimmers, so I’m really excited to see them breaking records and doing good times, but we also have a lot of depth which I think is our greatest strength,” Charlton said. “You can’t really get that far with just superstars. You have to have an entire team and we have that so I’m really excited about this year.”
For the boys, Tom Khayt was the lone Titan to win more than one individual event, taking first in the 50 freestyle (23.61) and 100 backstroke (57.87).
Ryan Kircher won the 200 freestyle (1:52.33), Cole Martin won the 500 freestyle (5:18.21) and Khayt, Alexei Havaka, Martin and Kircher touched first in the 200 freestyle relay (1:35.82).
“This is so much bigger than just a swim meet,” said Martin, a team captain. “South didn’t come out on top and normally that would be a bit disappointing but knowing what we’re here for and knowing that it’s raising awareness for an important cause is so exciting. It’s nice to make a difference where we can.
“We knew that South started this meet and we’re very proud of that. I hope it’s something that continues. (Forlini) passed when I was a freshman so I never got to know her but this meet keeps her legacy alive and that’s a beautiful thing.
“We had some good swims in this meet and we’re about where I expected us to be. Last year we had a really great season but we lost 12 seniors from that team so we’re doing as well as can be expected. A lot of us are doing some great times. A few of us have already qualified for districts so I’m really proud of everybody.
“A lot of teams have more depth than us and that’s our biggest problem right now. This was a really competitive meet for us and it was really fun, and that’s all that matters in the end.”
