THE SPORTS REPORTS: HORSEHEADS' COLE NAMED 'BOYS SWIMMER OF YEAR;' WELLSBORO'S WEBSTER EARNS SECOND-TEAM ALL-REGION HONORS (2023-03-29)

The Sports Reports
A state title, an all-American honor, and three state medals. It was quite the season for Horseheads’ Cullin Cole and he headlines The Sports Reports “All-Region Swimming & Diving” all-region team.

Cole won the 50 free state title in 20.51 seconds. Then, in the 200 free relay, he swam even faster as the leadoff leg, going 20.44 to earn All-American honors in the 50 as well.

It was the first state title and All-American honor for a Horseheads swimmer since 1986.

Cole also took fourth in the 100 free in the public school and, was also part of a state-medal winning 400 free relay team.

Both the 200 and 400 free relay teams that Cole was a part of broke school records.

While Cole is the “Swimmer of the Year,” Corning’s Brenden Jardin-Reed is the “Diver of the Year.”

Jardin-Reed ended the season with the third best six-dive score in the state (325.00) and sixth best 11-dive score (538.85). He was a Section IV champion and took 15th in the state meet. He broke the Watkins Glen pool record for 11 dives and the meet record for the Maine-Endwell Invite.

Waverly’s 200 free relay of Jerrell Sackett, Oscar Williams, Ryan Clark and Liam Wright made history, winning the first state title in school history and they are the “Relay of the Year.” The four Wolverines swimmers won the public school state title, with Sackett hitting all-American time in the 50 free as the leadoff leg of the relay.

Corning’s Joey Crisco is the “Newcomer of the Year.” The seventh-grader placed fourth in the 200 IM and third in the 100 breaststroke at the Section IV Championships. He hit a split of 52.05 anchoring the 400 free relay, which helped Corning clinch a tie with Horseheads for the team title at sectionals.

The “Coach of the Year” is Horseheads’ Chris Bankaitis. He helped coach Horseheads to the division title. Tie for the team title at sectionals and he sent all three relays to states and two individuals in a total of seven events at states.

Along with Cole and Jardin-Reed, the first team includes the four members of the Waverly relay — Sackett, Williams, Clark and Liam Wright.

Horseheads’ Shoonfon Li is on the first team, he was a state qualifier in four events, two individual and two relays, and a state medalist in the 400 free relay; and Creed Hackett of Elmira, a state qualifier in diving, is on the first team. Horseheads’ Alexander Villegas and Kaden TenEyck, state medalists in the 400 free relay are on the first team with Elmira’s Andrew Degnan.

The second team features Athens’ Chris DeForest, a district champion in the 50 free and state qualifier, along with Corning’s Caden Faulk, Crisco and Marvin Reimsnyder.

Owego’s Christian Hodges and Magavin Allen are on the second team with Towanda’s Luke Tavani and Wellsboro’s Hayne Webster.

SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: Cullin Cole, Horseheads
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Joey Crisco, Corning
COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris Bankaitis, Horseheads
DIVER OF THE YEAR: Brenden Jardin-Reed, Corning
RELAY OF THE YEAR: Waverly 200 free relay

FIRST TEAM
Cullin Cole, Horseheads
Brenden Jardin-Reed, Corning
Jerrell Sackett, Waverly
Oscar Williams, Waverly
Shoonfon Li, Horseheads
Ryan Clark, Waverly
Creed Hackett, Elmira
Andrew Degnan, Elmira
Kaden TenEyck, Horseheads
Alexander Villegas, Horseheads
Liam Wright, Waverly

SECOND TEAM
Chris DeForest, Athens
Caden Faulk, Corning
Christian Hodges, Owego
Luke Tavani, Towanda
Magavin Allen, Owego
Joey Crisco, Corning
Marvin Reimsnyder, Corning
Hayne Webster, Wellsboro