Eagles Earn IAAM A Title

By: Zach Seidel

McDonogh won its sixth straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title last Sunday at University of Maryland Baltimore County, avenging an earlier loss to undefeated regular-season champion Mount de Sales.

The Eagles defeated the Sailors, 475-432, to win the title, taking seven of 11 events. Earlier this season, Mount de Sales ended McDonogh’s 51-meet winning streak that dated back to the 2000-2001 season, to capture the regular season title.

McDonogh dominated, finishing first or second in 10 of the 11 events and finished in the top three in every race.

Emily Dean of Mount de Sales won the 100-meter backstroke in 59.58 seconds and teamed with Theresa Gallagher, Erin Shea and Mattie Riley to win the 400 freestyle relay. But at the end of the meet, these were the lone victories for Mount de Sales.

The McDonogh 200 medley relay team of Lisa Tostanoski, junior Brileigh Pinkney, Anna Schuster and Rachel Schaffer started off the meet with a bang, winning the event in 1:51.21.

Rebecca Flora then won the second event for the Eagles, coming in first in the 200 freestyle in 1:57.21. Schaffer then won again, taking the 200 individual medley in 2:07.08, while Pinkney gave McDonogh four wins with a victory in the 50 freestyle in 25.20.

Tostanoski finished third in the 100 butterfly; it was the only event in which an Eagle didn’t finish first or second.

Schuster edged Riley, who won the 100 freestyle in last week’s National Catholic School Championships in the same event, finishing with a time of 55.27. Flora used a time of 5:15.94 to finish second in the 500 freestyle.

Schuster, Schaffer, Flora and Pinkney teamed up to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:40.25. Tostanoski finished 1.16 seconds behind Dean in the 100 backstroke for second place in the event.

Pinkney and Schaffer finished first and second in the 100 breaststroke. Flora and teammates Jo Baird, Audrey Olszewski and Renee Parsons ended the meet with a second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.

Posted Feb. 8, 2008