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By most accounts, the annual Bowie City Meet held Tuesday night at Pointer Ridge Swim & Racquet was more about camaraderie than competition, but it did offer numerous swimmers from Bowie’s Prince-Mont Swim League teams the chance to shine.

Belair Bath and Tennis, which competes in Prince-Mont’s Division A, easily captured the title on Tuesday with 618 points, 95 better than Whitehall Pool & Tennis (523), which was 32 in front of Belair Swim & Racquet (491). Host Pointer Ridge concluded the program with 242 points.

Although they swim for rival high schools each winter, Steven Rigby, a rising junior at Bowie High, and Dennis Witol, a rising junior at Eleanor Roosevelt, are two of BBT’s top swimmers. Tuesday evening they opened the meet by joining Charles Brother and Thomas Williams to win the boys’ 18-and-under 200-meter medley relay and establish a Bowie City Meet record (1 minute, 57.2 seconds).

“This meet is a lot less pressure,” said Rigby, a two-time Gazette-Star All-County first team selection. “It’s really a lot of fun. You get to see a lot of the other Bowie kids that you don’t see all season because we’re in different divisions. There’s a lot of good swimmers from the Bowie pools, and it’s good competition. But mainly you come to this meet to have fun.”

“I thought all of the kids did a great job,” said BBT coach Patty Bayly. “It’s a lot of fun, which is the biggest thing. The kids did better than I expected in most of the events. They were fabulous.”

BBT’s Jude Gannett won three events in the 9-10 boys’ division, while teammate Taniya Evans took three events in the 11-12 girls’ category. Tommy Cranford also was a triple winner for BBT in the 13-14 boys’ events. Nicole Appiani, Noah Mrotek, Nate Busby and Kyra Farley combined to win the mixed 8-and-under relay, and Gannett, Vargas, Cranford and Williams won the 9-18 boys’ 200 free relay for BBT.

BSR swimmer Geordie Enoch, a rising sophomore at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, won the 15-18 girls’ 50 butterfly (32.06), edged teammate Amanda Barber in the 100 free (1:02.43), and bested Barber again in the 50 breaststroke (37.28). Enoch came into the meet still looking to recover from an exhausting weekend in a Junior National event where she missed qualifying for the finals in the 200 IM and 400 IM by .06 seconds in each event.

“I was a little disappointed that I didn’t make my Junior National cuts last weekend,” Enoch said. “The whole weekend was really tiring. But tonight was a lot of fun.”

After finishing second to Enoch in the 50 fly, BSR’s Caitlin Magaw, a rising senior at South River High, rebounded to win the 50 backstroke (33.67) and 100 IM (1:14.86). Magaw also joined Enoch, Lisa Deklau and Mary Wenzel, a rising freshman at Eleanor Roosevelt, on the 200 medley relay, which set pool, City Meet and team records (2:19.59).

“I was just trying to stay close to Amanda [Barber],” Magaw said, referring to the recent Bishop McNamara graduate and 2011 Gazette-Star Girls’ Swimmer of the Year. “This meet really is a lot of fun. It’s less stressful than the winter meets and you get to see a lot of different swimmers.”

BSR swimmer Ethan Smith, a recent DeMatha High graduate and the 2011 Gazette-Star Boys’ Swimmer of the Year, won the 15-18 boys’ 50 butterfly and 100 freestyle, but settled for third in the 100 IM. Tommy Masino set a team record as he won the 15-18 boys’ 50 breaststroke. Wenzel edged Whitehall’s Emily Reavis to take the 13-14 girls’ breaststroke. Adam Enoch edged Brother and Smith to take the 100 IM.

Whitehall swimmer Annie Hayburn has emerged as a budding star in the girls’ 13-14 bracket this summer, and Tuesday evening she did little to diminish her reputation by winning three individual events. She also joined Maggie Snyder, Cammie Turell and Kristen Seeba on the first-place 9-18 girls’ 200 free relay (2:13.74). Hayburn set a pool record in the 50 butterfly (31.26), then established pool and meet records as she won the 50 backstroke (32.65).

“I was happy with my times,” said Hayburn, who is being homeschooled through eighth grade. “I’m happy that I did so well. I’m looking forward to divisionals and All-Stars. There’s always a lot of good competition at those meets.”

Host Pointer Ridge did not record any first-place finishes, but Gabe Mignardi took second in the 9-10 boys’ 25 butterfly, Isaac Muldin was third in the 9-10 boys’ 50 freestyle, Kalvin Smack was third in the 9-10 boys’ 25 breaststroke, and Alina Kacar was third in the 9-10 girls’ 25 backstroke and fourth in the 50 freestyle. Gabe Campbell, Grant Hines, Yvonna Smack, Kyla O’Connor and Melissa Eloshway each recorded at least one fourth-place finish for Pointer Ridge.

tblack@gazette.net