North sectional swimming: Powerful Acton-Boxboro girls flex muscles

CAMBRIDGE — Many of the names were the same and some were new. But when all was said and done, the results were the same as the previous three years for Coach Gretchen Turner and Acton-Boxboro on Sunday at MIT’s Zesiger Center.

Led by double winner Isabela Texiera, the Revolution made it four consecutive North swimming and diving titles, easily outdistancing rivals Andover and Winchester with a 315-point team total.

“I told all the girls coming in that all I could ask for was for them to do their best,” Revolution coach Gretchen Turner said. This group is special with the freshmen and seniors we have.”

Fittingly, it was a member of each of those classes who played pivotal roles in helping the Revolution to yet another gold trophy.

Texiera, a senior bound for Cornell, and freshman Lucy Tyrrell paced a tone-setting win in the meet-opening 200 medley relay where they shaved five seconds off their qualifying time.

Texiera then delivered a statement swim in the 200 free where she earned All-American consideration by turning in a 1:50.52, eight seconds better than second-place Amelia Barron from Andover.

Texiera later added a win in the 100 butterfly before Tyrrell clinched the title for A-B.

Swimming out of lane three in the final heat, Tyrrell took four seconds off her qualifying time to out-touch Reading’s Laila Paulsen in 1:08.76.

“Isabela is one of those swimmers who I can put in any event we need, and she will perform. She is just special,” Turner said. “And Lucy did great all season and is so strong mentally and physically. I’m shocked but I’m not shocked at what she did.”

The race for second place was a three-team battle all night long, but it was Winchester’s win in the event-capping 400 free relay that gave them a 13-point margin over Andover.

Emma Kawai had a standout night for Winchester, winning the 200 IM and adding a second in the 100 backstroke.

There were two other double winners on Sunday. Academy of Notre Dame’s Mackenzie Gibbons and Haverhill’s Sophie Caruso had the race of the day, going stroke for stroke in the final yards of the 50 free. Fittingly, they finished in the same time of 24.10 seconds.

Caruso later completed a freestyle sweep by taking the 100 in 53.33. Gibbons won the 200 back over Kawai.

The boys competition was won by North Andover, who saw Jack Ventre set the lone meet record of the day with a 53.41 swim in the 100 backstroke.