Grace Richoux, Dylan Kippes and Merryn Guidry pace Stingrays with three wins apiece

By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

LAPLACE — The Riverlands Country Club swim team seemed a little anxious to get the summer league started with a false start in the very first race of the season., a freestyle for children six and under. But it was smooth sailing after that for the Stingrays as they swam passed Sun Villa early and often, and took the win by a final score of 464-89.

It didn’t take long for the Riverlands team to score what would turn out to be the winning margin as they tallied 92 points in just the first 12 events of the freestyle races. After sweeping the first three events in first, second and third place, Sun Villa’s Sharks broke onto the board with a 1-2 finish. But the Stingrays would allow only a handful of first and second place finishes slip through their hands on their way to a convincing victory to get their schedule started.

Highlights of the meet include performances by Grace Richoux (in the girls 6 and under grouping), Merryn Guidry (in the girls 13-14 grouping) and Dylan Kippes (in the boys 13-14 grouping). Richoux helped to get the scoring underway with a first place in all three individual events in which she participated. Guidry got three more first place finishes for Riverlands in the freestyle, backstroke and butterflywhile Kippes got three wins in the freestyle, breastroke and butterfly. Gavin St. Pierre put up the first points of the meet with a first place finish in the boys 6 and under freestyle and backed that up with another win in the breastroke to go with a second place finish in the backstroke.

The Stingrays were even more dominant in the end of the meet when the relays began. Their depth of talent shown early and often as they won all but one of the medley relay and the free relay respectively.

&#8220I’m proud of our team,” said Stingray coach Carla Lambert. &#8220The little ones put us in the lead early and the older kids kept it all going. We couldn’t ask for a much better start.”

First place individual winners

Freestyle

Gavin St. Pierre

Grace Richoux

Wesley Melancon

Jack Young

Elise Loisel

Andre St. Martin

Kayleigh Smith (tied)

Dylan Kippes

Merryn Guidry

Cody Chaupetta

Allison Young

Backstroke

Will Torres

Grace Richoux

Jeffery Cupit

Patrick Cupit

Charley Arceneaux

Andre St. Martin

Brett Landry

Merryn Guidry

Kyle Wilking

Allison Young

Breaststroke

Gavin St. Pierre

Grace Richoux

Daniel Jaubert

Jack Young

Mathew Torres

Laura Hane

Dylan Kippes

Merryn Guidry

Cody Chaupetta

Ashley Wilking

Butterfly

Daniel Jaubert

Lindsey St. Pierre

Emile Cupit

Matthew Torres

Kayleigh Smith

Dylan Kippes

Caroline Torres

Kyle Wilking

Macie Waguespack