Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, February 14, 2025 MV Eagles Secure Third Place at MIAA North Sectionals Meet By Emily Brennan T he Mystic Valley girls' swim team kicked off their postseason with a historic performance at the MIAA North Sectionals on Saturday, held at MIT's Zesiger Center. With a total of 241 points, the team earned an impressive third-place finish. Lana Albuquerque, Isabelle Pennachio, Britney Nayiga, and Sydney Cao Isabelle Pennachio The meet kicked off with excitement as the 200-medley relay team, composed of Sydney Cao, Brittney Nayiga, Isabelle Pennachio, and Lana Albuquerque, took first place with a time of 1:53.01, smashing the school record by nearly three seconds. This victory also marked Mystic Valley’s first-ever relay title. In the 200 individual medley, Isabella Cirame had a standout performance, finishing fifth with a time of 2:15.89. Teammate Lucia Antonucci followed closely in eighth place, achieving a lifetime best of 2:19.66. Pennachio rounded out the top 10 with another personal best of 2:22.28. Nayiga continued to shine in the 50 freestyle, setting a new school record with a time of 25.36, breaking a long-standing record set by Alyssa Savarino in 2010. Teammates Albuquerque (12th, 26.27) and Cao (16th, 26.54) also placed in the top 16, L ucia An t onucci, L ana Albuquerque, Isabelle Cirame, and Britney Nayiga while seventh-grader Benitah Mwebaza made a strong debut with a time of 26.99. After a brief break, Pennachio earned points for the Eagles with an eighth-place finish in the 100 butterfly, clocking in at 1:03.24. In the 100 freestyle, Cirame placed fourth with a time of 55.84, while Mwebaza placed 18th with a time of 58.58. The 200-freestyle relay team of Antonucci, Cirame, Albuquerque, and Nayiga made history once again, winning the event with a blistering time of 1:41.28, breaking the school record by two seconds and securing Mystic Valley's second-ever firstplace finish at Sectionals. Antonucci's dominance place finish is one of the greatest athletic achievements in the school’s history. Notably, both Nayiga and Antonucci tied the record for the most points Lucia Antonucci, Lana Albuquerque, Britney Nayiga, and Isabelle Cirame continued as she claimed the 100-breaststroke title with a lifetime best and school-record time of 1:09.57, becoming only the second-ever individual sectional champion from Mystic Valley. Nayiga also had an outstanding swim, as she placed third with a time of 1:10.38, just shy of her personal best. The meet concluded with the 400-freestyle relay, where the team of Cirame, Mwebaza, Cao, and Antonucci set another school record with a time of 3:49.55, securing third place. Overall, Mystic Valley’s performance was nothing short of remarkable. With three first-place finishes, and five school records broken, the team’s thirdWeek 5 – “Trying to Stay Alive” Jan. 29 at Ferryway Game 1 – Celtics 59, Lakers 39 The “Magic” Luck of the Irish was on full display on this day, as the Celts dominated with 4 double-digit scoring quarters & a very strong 28-8 advantage in the 3rd alone, which carried them to a nice Win to kickstart this week of games. The Celtics’ M. DaCosta dropped 16 and J. Sweeney (13) and D. Azzolino (11) rounded out their top scorers in the Win. The Lakers’ S. Warton scored a solid 15 but needed more help; he was the only player on his team to get double digits. They missed 14 FTs on the day as well, which can kill any momentum. Game 2 – Kings 47, Bullets 43 The Kings snatched a 2-basket victory from the boys in blue and got their revenge Win back from the 28th. The Kings’ Z. Pierre had 13 & was followed closely by C. Matheley with 12 for the close Victory. The Bullets’ C. Bolling led all with 20 and A. Hassan helped with 11. The 3rd was the one that gave their opponents the edge by going up by 4 – and trading baskets in the final frame, ~ Malden Neighborhood Basketball League ~ 11 apiece. Feb. 1 at Ferryway Game 1 – Celtics 54, Sixers 44 The emerald boys came to play again & got 2 wins on the weekend with a slight upset victory over the Sixers. Nice, rounded scoring happened throughout for the green, as D. Azzolino had a great day at the line, going 11-12; he & J. Sweeney each had 13 and J. Telemaque had 11 to secure the Win, especially thanks to a 19-6 run in the 3rd quarter. The Sixers’ D. Hector had a sweet 16 in the game and J. Geronimo hung close with 14. They did Britney Nayiga and Lucia Antonucci scored at the North Sectional Meet by a Mystic Valley swimmer, each earning 49 points, surpassing the previous high of 42 points set by Savarino in 2008. The team will next compete at the MIAA Division 2 State Meet on February 15th, held at the Boston University pool. outscore the green in 2 of the 4 quarters, but it wasn’t enough to cut the lead any closer. Game 2 – Kings 55, Lakers 37 The Kings climbed into 1st with a nice win. It was close until the 2nd half, and they pulled away behind a 22-7 edge in the 3rd – in part by J. Hampton with 19 and C. Matheley with 12. In the game, 8 of the 11 Kings scored, which was a bonus. The purple outscored the Kings in the 4th but the lead was just a bit too high for them to gain any traction in a comeback. It didn’t help that their best player wasn’t at the game. J. Ramirez-Pool did his part with 11, and W. Gavin ended with 10 himself. Would’ve probably also helped if they had more than 6 players at the game. Feb. 2 at Ferryway Game 1 – Pistons 48, Lakers 42 The Lakers were denied again – the Pistons jumped all over them in the 1st, going ahead 12-2. The Lakers showed a lot of character in the 2nd half after they were down 15 at the half. Their leading scorer, S. Warton, only had 5 in the game but it was a perfect 5-5 at the line. G. Leon, BASKETBALL| SEE PAGE 17
15 Publizr Home