CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The local delegation to the annual New England masters’ swimming championship at Harvard University was small this year with only four locals attending.

Despite the small size, Mara Crans and Susan Rardin of Camden, Bill Jones of Hope and Donna Edelbaum of Union made a powerful showing.

While some of the group’s younger swimmers competed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, others competed at Harvard in a meet that drew over 750 swimmers. The Harvard meet draws from across the nation but mainly from New England, with 34 Maine Masters. 

When fully mobilized, Maine has won this meet in the past. This year, hampered by the absence of Maine Masters who coach the youngsters and by lax organization, Maine was fourth among 77 clubs, losing out to Charles River and two Rhode Island teams.

The Pen Bay Y squad swam 44 individual events, an average of 11 each. They made five relays possible. They garnered 27 individual gold medals and three relay firsts, two of which broke Maine and New England records. They scored 643 of Maine Masters’ 2938 points, or 22% of the state’s points. 

Crans, 52, was in the toughest age group with up to 20 competitors in every race. She made two trips to Massachusetts to be able to swim in the maximum possible 13 individual events as well as two relays. She gained two third place finishes, two fourth places, five sixth places, two seventh places and an eight place.

Crans also suffered the group’s most dramatic mishap. At the start of the grueling 500-yard freestyle, her double swim caps and goggles came off; with long hair obscuring her vision, she couldn’t finish. Nevertheless, she was 20th highest point winner among the meet’s 327 women who scored points.

Rardin, 69, also in a highly competitive age group, won five gold medals — including those in all three butterfly events — four silvers and one bronze. Her 100-yard butterfly broke the listed Maine record, but she already had a better time in another recent meet.

Rardin was the oldest woman to complete the 200-yard butterfly. Her point score of of 176 was seventh among the 327 point-scoring women and highest on the Maine team.

Jones, 82, had little competition, winning all 12 of his individual events. That made him third point-winner among the 348 men who scored and highest on the Maine team.

Jones was unable to enter a capped 13th event, which, if swum, would have earned male high-points. He broke no records, except in 75+ men’s relays, but continues to hold many from swims two years ago. Six of his times are likely to gain national top 10 when the year closes at end May.

Edelbaum, 85, faced no competition in her eight events, winning all the gold medals. All eight times will easily rank in national top 10 for the 2018-19 season.

Edelbaum now holds Maine records in every event she has swum since her last birthday and is expected to set the remaining ones at a May meet at Waldo County Y for a total of 18. She holds numerous New England records as well.

Edelbaum skipped the 200-yard butterfly, an event in which she has already broken the records, to concentrate on the shorter butterfly races. No 85+ American woman completed the 200 fly last year and Edelbaum is the only one to do so so far this year. Her 136 ponts placed her 22nd among the 327 point-scoring women.

Full results for the local swimmers, including their place and time, are below. 

50-yard freestyle
Mara Crans — 6th — 30.51
Susan Rardin — 2nd — 34.22
Bill Jones — 1st — 38.54
Donna Edelbaum — 1st — 57.14

100-yard freestyle
Mara Crans — 7th — 1:06.77
Susan Rardin — 3rd — 1:24.12
Donna Edelbaum — 1st — 2:10.38

200-yard freestyle
Mara Crans — 6th — 2:30.03
Bill Jones — 1st — 3:28.89

500-yard freestyle
Susan Rardin — 2nd — 8:13.22
Bill Jones — 1st — 10:30.86
Donna Edelbaum — 1st — 12:17.17

1650-yard freestyle
Mara Crans — 4th — 23:05.16

50-yard backstroke
Mara Crans — 7th — 37.36
Bill Jones — 1st —  50.59
Donna Edelbaum — 1st — 1:05.27

100-yard backstroke
Mara Crans — 4th — 1:19.47
Bill Jones — 1st — 1:51.26

200-yard backstroke
Mara Crans — 3rd — 2:52.76
Bill Jones — 1st — 3:57.53

50-yard breaststroke
Mara Crans — 6th — 42.31
Susan Rardin — 1st — 49.53

100-yard breaststroke
Mara Crans — 6th — 1:32.34
Susan Rardin — 1st — 1:47.22
Bill Jones — 1st — 2:03.19

200-yard breaststroke
Donna Edelbaum — 1st — 7:30.50

50-yard butterfly
Susan Rardin 1st 45.64
Bill Jones 1st 52.37

100-yard butterfly
Susan Rardin — 1st — 1:49.11
Bill Jones — 1st — 2:04.59
Donna Edelbaum — 1st — 3:47.37

200-yard butterfly
Susan Rardin — 1st — 4:47.68

100-yard individual medley
Mara Crans — 8th — 1:20.40
Susan Rardin — 2nd — 1:36.81
Bill Jones — 1st — 1:48.01
Donna Edelbaum — 1st — 2:50.61

200-yard individual medley
Mara Crans — 6th — 2:58.28
Susan Rardin — 1st — 3:37.98
Bill Jones — 1st — 4:05.88
Donna Edelbaum — 1st — 5:53.02

400-yard individual medley
Mara Crans — 3rd — 6:21.81
Susan Rardin — 2nd — 7:30.54
Bill Jones — 1st — 9:13.03

200-yard freestyle relay, men 75+
Maine (JONES, Rupert, Hagmann, Cooke) — 1st — 6:09.00 [Maine and New England record]

200-yard medley relay, mixed 35+
Maine (CRANS, Pelish, Trainor, Kay Thomas) — 5th — 2:24.44

200-yard medley relay, men 75+
Maine (HDPride, JONES, Cooke, Hagmann) — 1st — 3:13.45 [Maine and New England record]

400-yard medley relay, mixed 45+
Maine (Uecker, Gardella, Lecron, CRANS) — 1st — 4:47.91

400-yard medley relay, men 65+
Maine (Rupert, Cooke, JONES, Siebecker) — 2nd — 6:42.85

Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.