Woodbury showcased its depth and sprint strength on Thursday night, pulling away from East Ridge to secure a 107–76 varsity victory in a meet that featured strong performances across the lineup and several momentum swings in the middle events.
The Royals set the tone early in the 200 Medley Relay, as the A-relay of Grant McElwain, Ethan Lu, Roy Huebscher, and Andrew Qing cruised to a convincing win. East Ridge responded with solid second- and third-place relay finishes, but Woodbury’s clean execution gave them an early edge on the scoreboard.
That momentum carried into the 200 Freestyle, where Grant McElwain returned to the pool and controlled the race, touching first ahead of East Ridge’s Lucien Espinosa-Splichal. Woodbury added another scorer with Alex McElwain in third, but East Ridge stayed competitive with multiple top-five finishes to limit the damage.
The 200 IM proved to be a pivotal stretch for Woodbury. Aiden Johnson and Ethan Lu went 1–2 for the Royals, while East Ridge’s Benjamin Briese and Blake Moss kept the race tight in third and fourth. Still, the Royals’ depth allowed them to steadily build their lead.
In the 50 Freestyle, Woodbury’s sprint power was on full display. Andrew Qing led the field with a sharp win, followed closely by teammate Finn Novak. East Ridge countered with a strong third from Noah Nordman and added points with Shuaib Khan and Brian Lin, but Woodbury continued to control the tempo of the meet.
East Ridge made its biggest statement of the night on the diving boards, where Evan Twisk, Ryan Green, and Jamison Reese swept the top three spots. That surge briefly narrowed the gap and injected new energy into the meet heading into the butterfly.
The Royals answered immediately in the 100 Butterfly, as East Ridge standout Jamison Reese edged Woodbury’s Roy Huebscher for the win, with Brian Lin adding another scoring finish. Despite the East Ridge victory, Woodbury stayed firmly in front thanks to earlier point accumulation.
The 100 Freestyle brought another Woodbury highlight. Finn Novak powered to a sub-50 win, holding off East Ridge’s Tayo Sennowo, while Colton Rosinski added a third-place finish. East Ridge kept pace with additional scoring from Colton Rutkowski and Noah Nordman, but Woodbury’s sprint depth continued to show.
One of the most exciting races of the night came in the 500 Freestyle, where East Ridge’s Lucien Espinosa-Splichal and Woodbury’s Alex McElwain battled to an exact tie at 5:07.31. Woodbury followed with two more scorers, while East Ridge added points from Carter Smith and Nraj Singh, making the distance race one of the most evenly matched events of the meet.
Woodbury regained separation in the 200 Free Relay, as Andrew Qing, Ethan Lu, Alex McElwain, and Finn Novak combined for a decisive victory. East Ridge’s A and B relays followed, but the Royals’ speed on the front end extended their lead entering the final stretch.
The Royals continued to add points in the 100 Backstroke with a 1–2 finish from Grant McElwain and Colton Rosinski, while East Ridge stayed in the mix with Blake Moss and William Makela scoring behind them.
Woodbury capped its individual dominance in the 100 Breaststroke, sweeping the top two spots behind Andrew Qing and Ethan Lu. East Ridge responded with solid swims from Benjamin Briese and Paolo Dell’Anna, but the margin had grown difficult to overcome.
The meet closed with Woodbury putting an exclamation point on the night in the 400 Free Relay. The A-relay of Finn Novak, Colton Rosinski, Alex McElwain, and Grant McElwain powered to a commanding win, while East Ridge’s A-relay delivered a strong second-place finish.
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