BYNICK CAMMUSO TIMES WEST VIRGINIAN

MORGANTOWN— No, Fairmont Senior won’t be bringing home any state swimming hardware. In truth, it never sought out extra space in the school’s trophy case.

But finishing empty­handed, at least in terms of individual or relay champi­onships, didn’t mean the Polar Bears failed to end the season on a high note.

Rather, Fairmont Senior’s swim teams accomplished exactly what they set out to do on the final day of the Class AAA state meet Friday at the West Virginia University Natatorium.

A short-handed boys’ squad, whose competing swimmers you could count on one hand, got a pair of top-five finishes from sen­ior standout Andrew Bonasso and several strong relays to place 10th overall. The Polar Bear girls, meanwhile, used a fourth­place run in the 200 freestyle relay, some out­standing efforts from their freshmen and a number of sizeable gains from Thursday’s preliminary.  Bridgeport, which placed top five in all but one event, took the boys’ team title with 209 points, ahead of runner-up George Washington (191.5). In the girls’ standings, Winfield (127) nipped George Washington (120) for state gold. Much like day one, Bonasso stole the show among local competitors.

He was the lone Marion County swimmer to climb the top five individually — the next closest was seventh — with a pair of fourth-place finishes in the 50 and 100 free.

After setting the school mark in the 100 just a day earlier with a time of 49.31, Bonasso didn’t miss a beat in Friday’s finale and came within striking dis­tance (49.35) of the record. He nearly pulled a deja vu in the 50 as well, finishing one-hun­dredth of a second (22.70) behind his preliminary run.

“He was right there with his (preliminary) times,” Fairmont Senior coach Steve Sandor said. “I would say now he’s one of the three greatest Polar Bear swimmers, of all the swimmers we’ve had,” he continued. “He’s the perfect example of what you’re supposed to do when you come down here — get your mind right and stay calm. He looks at this as a fun.”

Bonasso teamed with Alex Petry, Andrew McCoy and Logan Demyon to take seventh in the 200 free relay (1:37.72). In the 400 free relay, Bonasso, Petry, Demyon and Evin Mathai worked their way to an eighth-place finish (3:42.35). Both teams improved upon their preliminary times.

“(Andrew) led by example and the kids followed suit,” Sandor said. “The 200 relay ended up moving from eighth (in the prelims) to seventh and picked us up four extra points. That’s big. And Andrew set the tone by finishing that up.”

Petry had a strong finish, too, nabbing a career-best time in the 100 backstroke (1:01.22) and placing 10th.

East Fairmont’s Grant Chapman did the same in the 200 IM (2.18.99), bettering his preliminary time with an 11th­place finish and shattering a school record. He also set a new Bees’ career mark in Thursday’s 100 fly run.

“He went out in style today,” East coach Brenda Moran said. “He didn’t have anything else in the tank. He laid it all on the line and had a great day.”

Fairmont Senior’s girls also had a solid second day, high­lighted by freshman Zela Wyrosdick.

Seeded 10th in the 500 free, Wyrosdick ending up winning her heat with a seventh-place finish, shaving nearly seven seconds off her preliminary time in the process. Earlier, she took ninth in the 200 free (2:12.89).

“Zela had a super day,” Sandor said. “I think, maybe, she could have been a little nervous (Thursday) because she’s a freshman. She sure did­n’t show it today. This is a relaxing day — that first day, you’ve got to do it.”

Fairmont Senior’s best finish came in the 200 free relay, where the quartet of Brionna Minney, Tessa Gardner, Sarah Cover and Chelsea Clark placed fourth with a time of 1:49.62.

Two other girls relays took eighth. That included the 200 medley relay team (2:04.76) of Minney, Cover, Autumn Hansen and Alexandra Murray, along with the 400 free relay team (4:06.84) of Cover, Gardner, Wyrosdick and Clark.

In addition, Minney was sev­enth in the 100 fly (1:06.07) and 12th in the 50 free (27.94), Erica Amos was 10th in the 100 backstroke (1;09.80), Clark was 11th in the 100 free (59.59), Cover was 11th in the 50 free (27.84), and Murray was 11th in the 100 breaststroke (1:19.19).

Of the group Amos, made the biggest leap. In the two-day span, she went from a 20th seed to a top 10 finish.

“Amos is a very bright girl. She’s going to be a doctor,” Sandor said. “She made 33 on her ACT, which is extremely high, and she uses that mind to carry the body. She did that (Friday).”

But she was from alone in earning praise, and ending the swimming season in a big way.

“Our girls swam great today. I couldn’t have asked for more,” Sandor said. “As far as what they did — they moved up a lit­tle bit, they got us a few more points and we were a solid eighth. I thought we might be five, six or seven, but we ended up eight and that’s because some teams broke records.

“We had a wonderful meet.”