The quartet of Peter Graffeo, Matt Sonn, Cooper Legato and Ben Turley broke Cherry Bowl records in the boys’ 9–10 medley and freestyle relays at Saturday’s Cherry Bowl.
The Covered Bridge Crocodiles may have found the perfect combination for their boys’ 9–10 relay teams.
The quartet of Peter Graffeo, Matt Sonn, Cooper Legato and Ben Turley spent their Saturday afternoon at the 2016 Cherry Bowl winning a lot of races. The four not only teamed up to win both the medley relay and freestyle relay races, but they also shattered the Cherry Bowl records in both events.
In addition, Graffeo, Legato and Turley also won individual events. Legato won the boys’ 9–10 50-meter freestyle, Turley was the winner in the boys’ 9–10 25-meter backstroke and Graffeo finished in first place in the boys’ 9–10 25-meter breaststroke. Sonn finished in second place in the boys’ 9–10 25-meter butterfly, but recorded a time that was less than a second away from breaking the meet record.
The group’s achievement in the relays was what stood out the most. In the boys’ 9–10 200-meter freestyle relay, Covered Bridge finished with a time of 2:11.96, shattering one of the oldest standing Cherry Bowl records. The previous record was 2:19.84 set by Woodcrest Swim Club in 1980.
Earlier in the day, the quartet also won the boys’ 9–10 100-meter medley relay. Their time of 1:10.72 easily beat the old record of 1:13.16 set by Old Orchard Swim Club in 1995.
The record setting performances didn’t come out of the blue. This team has been near the top of the Tri-County Swimming Pool Association’s top times list for the entire summer and had recorded times better than the Cherry Bowl record during the regular season.
“We knew we could break the record,” Graffeo said after the medley relay. “Our best time beat that record by four seconds.”
The four Covered Bridge swimmers have competed together for the past four years. They all agree competing in Cherry Bowl has been one of the most memorable parts of their time swimming for the Crocodiles.
“It was so cool,” Legato said reflecting back on his first Cherry Bowl race. “It was just the best feeling getting off the block.”
The four all recall competing in Cherry Bowl’s youngest division, the 8-and-under group, and getting advice from the some of their oldest teammates. They credit some of the teen swimmers on the team with helping them improve their times.
“Last year they showed us how to do the freestyle relay start.,” Sonn said.
The quartet’s success is partially due to their ability to complement one another. All four swimmers are fast in a different stroke, making them a very tough medley relay team to beat.
Out of the pool, all four boys love competing for Covered Bridge. Legato and Turley said practices and meets are only a small part of the fun they have had at the swim club.
“We get to hang out with all of our friends,” Legato said.
“Our cheers are a lot of fun,” Turley added.
There’s still one big meet left for the Covered Bridge swimmers as they now set their sights on the Tri-County Swimming Pool Association championships on Aug. 6 and 7. The quartet currently has the best time in the boys’ 9–10 freestyle relay in the TCSPA this season and the second-best time in the TCSPA next to a relay team from Wedgewood Swim Club in Haddonfield. Legato said he is confident Covered Bridge can sweep both events next weekend.
“We did our best time today,” Legato said. “We’ll see if can get back on top.”
