After finishing the past two seasons in the Prince-Mont Swim League with an unblemished record, the Kingfish Swim Club based at Lake Arbor Country Club in Mitchellville is on its way to another unbeaten season.

KSC has moved up a division each year and is 4-0 in Division C, the third-strongest of Prince-Mont’s seven divisions, heading into Saturday’s season finale against Laurel’s Montpelier Marlins (1-3). Another strong showing at the Division C championships on July 23 would likely mean another elevation into Division B next summer. Prince-Mont teams that win their divisions are elevated to the next-highest division the following year.

Last Saturday, KSC notched a 336-239 victory at Northridge in Bowie, as Kingfish swimmers won 36 of the 49 events, including four of the five relays. Along the way, KSC swimmers established 11 new pool records at Northridge.

“We’ve been able to get more swimmers each year and we’re able to get more of them swimming year-round,” said KSC President Calvin Holmes, whose sons Austin and Tyler are part of the team. “[Coach] John Mason has done a great job working with these kids during the summer and throughout the year. The kids have been dropping time each meet.”

Mason has been impressed with the club’s dedication.

“We have a real good group of kids, and I have great parent support,” Mason said. “This is the most professional group of parents that I’ve ever worked with. Our goal when we came into the league four years ago was to be able to move up one division each year. Our goal now is to win this weekend, win divisionals and have a strong showing at All-Stars and move up to [Division] B next year.”

Ryan Mathis won three events in the 9-10 boys’ competition on Saturday and established pool records in each: the 25-meter butterfly (17.83 seconds), the 50 freestyle (36.69) and the 25 backstroke (19.62). Mathis also swam the opening leg of the 9-18 boys’ graduated 200 free relay (2 minutes, 10.03 seconds) followed by Noah Louisy, Ernesto Evans and Tyler Holmes that prevailed by 14 seconds over teammates John Alexander, Jalen Wright, Christian Blocker and Jelani Boone.

Sydney Mathis won the 11-12 girls’ 50 fly (36.19), 50 free (30.34) and 50 back (38.02) setting new Northridge pool records in all three races. Mathis, Jillian Boucree, Alexis LeMone and Aubrielle Tillman, a rising sophomore at Frederick Douglass High School, ended the meet by winning the 9-18 girls’ graduated 200 free relay by more than six seconds, establishing a pool record (2:10.62).

Samuel Galloway, a rising sophomore at Douglass, won the 13-14 boys’ 50 free (28.03) in pool record time. He also won the 50 breaststroke (36.22) and the 100 individual medley. He swam the breaststroke leg of the boys’ 18-and-under 200 medley relay (2:09.44) that opened the meet with a narrow victory over the Northridge quartet of Tyler Lucian, Evan Higgs, Nathan Baccus and Matthew Braun.

Four of the Kingfish’s younger female swimmers combined to win the 18-and-under 200 medley relay against three considerably older teams from Northridge. Alexis Braswell, Cydney Davis, Amber Braswell and Ashley Braswell combined to win by nearly five seconds in 2:29.82, establishing a new Northridge pool record. Both Alexis and Amber Braswell compete in the 13-14 bracket, while Davis and Ashley Braswell are both in the 11-12 category.

Davis also established new Northridge pool records in the 11-12 girls’ 50 breast (41.25) and the 100 IM (1:20.61). Davis and Syndey Mathis bettered the old Northridge pool standard in the 11-12 girls’ 50 free, but Mathis won the event. LeMone established a new mark in the 13-14 girls’ 50 free (30.63) and later won the 50 back (35.51) and 100 IM.

tblack@gazette.net