For the second year in a row, Bethesda went into Week 3 to face the perennially loaded Rockville Rays as the foreseeable underdogs. They entered the weekend contest with a record of 0-2 after losing to Upper County by two points in their season opener and to Stonegate by a devastating 149 points last week.
But in a crucial meet for Rockville, who entered this season with hopes of restoring their dynasty, the Rays once again fell victim to Bethesda’s sheer determination. The Barracudas pulled a page from last year’s script to take down the Rays, 397-395 in a nail-biting, heart-pounding race-to-the-wall morning that saw Bethesda win 28 of 50 events.
“We were not at full strength for the first two meets,” said Bethesda Head Coach Malka Ostchega. “But we are looking forward to pushing forward at full steam for the rest of the season and beating our last two opponents.”
Bethesda clinched the victory with strong performances from their 11-12 and 13-14 girls. Combined, they swept every event save three. Even in those they didn’t finished 1-2-3, the 11-12 50-meter free and 50 breast and the 13-14 50 breast, they managed to take first and second place. Their best result came in the 13-14 girls’ 50 free, where they swept the top six spots and had all six swimmers finish 31.64 or better, including a 28.84 from Thiany Riddihough, 14, which places her in the top five in the county.
As a whole, the boys only had eight first-place finishes. Harrision Tun, 8, and his brother Ethan Tun, 10, were double event winners for the Barracudas,with Harrison narrowly missing a third after coming in just three tenths of a second behind Rockville’s Noah Jones in the 25 back. John Sita, 14, was also a double winner for Bethesda, finishing first in the 50 free and 50 breast events.
With the score close after the butterfly events, the meet was decided on relays. The boys 14 & under 175 free relay, consisting of Ethan Tun, 12-year-old Harry Montes, Sita and Harrision Tun for the Barracudas, escaped what would have been a potentially meet-ending, second-place finish by coming in just .28 seconds ahead of a charging Rays team.
That allowed Bethesda’s girls relays to dive in for the win. The Barracudas easily handled Rockville to finish 1-2 and earn the two-point win.
Next week, Bethesda will travel to take on Tilden Woods, who is currently 2-1 and tied with Rockville for second in the division A. Last year, Bethesda spoiled a chance Rockville had of winning their ninth straight division title by beating the Rays by 29 points in Week 3. With an undefeated Stonegate ahead, the Rays will most likely have to wait another year to regain their spot atop the division.