A group of local swimmers representing Knox and Waldo Counties have enjoyed a winning, record-setting summer as they travel throughout the New England region and even to Washington D.C. 

Below are three event recaps, along with results, composed by local swimmer Bill Jones. 

To submit event results, email sports@penbaypilot.com. 

World records, world championships and a lot of serious swimming is in “Olympic” 50-meter pools. Maine doesn’t have any. Maine high-school swimmers go to St. John, New Brunswick to compete in 50-meters. Masters’ swimming discontinued its formal 50-meter championship in 2012. Since then, the informal New England 50-meter masters’ championship has been the venerable Jenny Thompson meet in Dover, New Hampshire.

This year, the host Great Bay Masters challenged other teams. In all, 14 teams were represented at the meet, plus Canadian swimmers. Swimmers from outside New England included the New York Adirondacks and Ellen Shockro, who summers in Hancock County, from Arizona.

When all the points were counted, Maine emerged victorious with 1,196 points to 1,078 for host Great Bay, 716 for the Granite State Penguins, 357 for Connecticut and 283 for Charles River Masters.

Maine’s victory depended heavily on MidCoast masters: five swimmers from PenBay Y (Drew Darling of Camden, Bill Jones of Hope, Ellen O’Donnell of Warren, Doug Roth of Warren and Susan Rardin of Camden) and two from Waldo County Y (Pieter deHart of Thorndike and Brittany Harrington of Searsport) of the 19 representing Maine.

The Midcoast seven won 460 points, as follows:

50m free
Doug Roth 55-59 men 34.48 3rd
Bill Jones 80-84 men 39.11 1st

100m free
Pieter deHart 35-39 men 1:00.29 1st
Drew Darling 65-69 men 1:32.81 2nd
Bill Jones 80-84 men 1:35.48 1st

200m free
Brittany Harrington 30-34 women 2:34.42 1st
Pieter deHart 35-39 men 2:13.51 1st
Doug Roth 55-59 men 2:58.63 1st
Drew Darling 65-69 men 3:15.86 3rd

50m back
Ellen O’Donnell 60-64 women 50.26 2nd
Bill Jones 80-84 men 54.02 1st

100m back
Ellen O’Donnell 60-64 women 1:47.84 1st
Drew Darling 65-69 men 1:53.92 3rd

200m back
Pieter deHart 35-39 men 2:39.03 1st
Doug Roth 55-59men 3:27.47 1st
Ellen O’Donnell 60-64 women 3:46.53 1st
Drew Darling 65-69 men 4:02.75 1st
Bill Jones 80-84 men 4:42.01 1st

100m breast
Brittany Harrington 30-34 women 1:34.76 1st

200m breast
Bill Jones 80-84 men 5:02.67 1st

50m fly
Susan Rardin 65-69 women 51.93 1st

100m fly
Brittany Harrington 30-34 women 1:25.97 1st

200m fly
Brittany Harrington 30-34 women 3:08.21 2nd

200m individual medley
Pieter deHart 35-39 men 2:37.54 1st
Doug Roth 55-59 men 3:34.90 1st
Susan Rardin 65-69 women 4:24.95 1st

400m free relay
Mike Hurd, Ted Clark, Pieter DeHart, Ben Morse

Men 160+ 4:59.56 2nd

400m medley relay
Doug Roth, Grant Gerber, Tim Lecrone, Caelan Lecrone

Men 120+ 5:35.40 1st
Mike Hurd, Ted Clark, Bill Jones, Pieter DeHart

Men 200+ 6:06.88 1st
Drew Darling, Dale Syphers, Susan Rardin, Brittany Harrington 

Mixed 200+ 6:41.23 1st

Maine’s relays were the margin of victory. Metric rules average the age of team members. Thus, Darling, Rardin and Jones pulled their younger relay-mates into the 50+ category, and victory. Time will tell whether these relays gain national rank. None of them set records, but they did take their places on the Maine all-time list. The mixed 50+ 400m medley relay with Darling, Rardin & Harrington took over third place. The men’s 30+ version of the same relay with Roth was fifth. The men’s 50+ version with Jones & DeHart was 6th. The men’s 40+ 400m free relay with DeHart was fifth. Individually, Jones broke a New England record in the 100m free, Maine records in the 50 and 100m free, the 50 and 200m back, bringing his total of 80+ New England 50-meter records to six and of Maine records to 12 of the 17.

Gary Isherwood Memorial Meet (Bangor YMCA; June 24)

50y free
Susan Cooney 45-9 women 29.87 1st
Mara Crans 50-4 women 31.84 1st
Susan Rardin 65-9 women 35.91 1st
Ellen O’Donnell 60-4 women 36.86 1st
Kerry Black 65-9 women 40.25 2nd

100y free
Mara Crans 50-4 women 1:11.46 1st
Bill Jones 80-4 men 1:20.79 1st ME & NE record

200y free
Doug Roth 55-9 men 2:24.43 1st
Mara Crans 50-4 women 2:38.32 1st

500y free
Susan Cooney 45-9 women 6:20.85 1st
Doug Roth 55-9 men 6:40.29 1st
Mara Crans 50-4 women 7:10.55 1st
Bill Jones 80-4 men 9:29.25 1st

1000y free
Doug Roth 55-9 men 13:42.87 1st
Mara Crans 50-4 women 15:03.45 1st
Ellen O’Donnell 60-4 women 17:05.69 1st
Susan Rardin 65-9 women 17:45.82 2nd
Bill Jones 80-4 men 19:26.48 1st — Maine record

50y back
Pieter DeHart 35-9 men 29.95 2nd
Jennie DeHart 40-4 women 33.10 1st
Ellen O’Donnell 60-4 women 43.01 1st
Kerry Black 65-9 women 52.41 1st

100y back
Ellen O’Donnell 60-4 women 1:33.83 1st

200y back
Susan Cooney 45-9 women 2:37.81 1st
Ellen O’Donnell 60-4 women 3:20.30 1st

50y breast
Doug Roth 55-9 men 42.86 1st
Kerry Black 65-9 women 55.57 1st

100y breast
Pieter DeHart 35-9 men 1:04.16 1st
Jennie DeHart 40-4 women 1:14.68 1st

50 fly
Kerry Black 65-9 women 45.73 1st
Susan Rardin 65-9 women 45.86 2nd
Bill Jones 80-4 men 47.42 1st

100y fly
Pieter DeHart 35-9 men 59.52 1st
Susan Rardin 65-9 women 1:54.63 1st

200y fly
Doug Roth 55-9 men 4:36.74 1st
Bill Jones 80-4 men 4:39.85 1st

200y IM
Pieter DeHart 35-9 men 2:11.69 1st
Jennie DeHart 40-4 women 2:29.90 1st
Susan Rardin 65-9 women 3:40.48 1st

Bill Jones (80+ Men) at the Washington D.C. Department of Recreation & Parks swim meet (July  9)

100m backstroke: 1:58.85 — Set Maine record in Sarasota

50m butterfly: 53.69 — Maine & New England record

100m butterfly: 2:09.55 — Maine, New England & Colonies’ Zone record

200m butterfly: 5:51.52 — Maine record

200m IM: 4:26.25 — Maine & New England record