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Their team finished in third place, but Laurel High School senior Caitlin Raynor and sophomore Jade Hill each emerged with an individual title at the 4A/3A Central Regional Swim Championships Saturday afternoon at the Fairland Regional Aquatic Center in Laurel.

Raynor won the 100-yard butterfly (1 minute, 3.98 seconds) by nearly 6 seconds over Roosevelt senior and close friend, Emma Varner. Hill successfully defended her regional title by taking the 100 breaststroke (1:13.25) by 3 seconds over Varner. Raynor was second to Roosevelt sophomore Courtney Like-Mathews in the 100 backstroke, and Hill was second to Like-Mathews in the 200 individual medley. Both Laurel swimmers will get the chance to challenge for state championships on Saturday as the state Class 4A/3A meet gets under way at 9 a.m. at the University of Maryland in College Park.

"It was awesome," Raynor said of her first postseason title. "I knew Emma would be great competition in the fly. She's a versatile swimmer and she's one of my best friends. I'm looking forward to going to states and I'm just going to concentrate on doing my best."

Raynor, Hill, and juniors Emily Yeagley and Meredith Passmore combined to take second behind Roosevelt in the 200 medley relay (2:10.01). Junior Jessica Robey, Passmore, Hill and Raynor combined to finish second in the 400 free relay (4:26.60) behind another Roosevelt grouping.

Despite the myriad of second-place finishes in the individual events and the relays, Laurel (260 points) finished third behind Roosevelt (398) and Bowie (284) in the team standings. Charles H. Flowers (212), Parkdale (179), Oxon Hill (157) and High Point (115) completed the top half of the 14-team standings.

"We were really hoping to beat Bowie," Hill said. "That's been our goal all season. They beat us [94-75] in the dual meet and we thought we could beat them [on Saturday]. I was glad that I won the breaststroke again, but I didn't do my best time. I am still hoping to go 1:09 at the state meet."

The Laurel boys also finished third in the 14-team standings on Saturday with 246 points, well behind Bowie (374) and Roosevelt (368) but comfortably ahead of Flowers (193), Oxon Hill (188), High Point (145), and DuVal (105). The Spartans will send several relays and individuals to the state 4A/3A meet on Saturday, courtesy of their top-four finishes at the Central Region meet.

Laurel senior Zach Kapanoske, junior Maury Quijada and sophomores Zach Poston and Ricky Johnson combined to take third in the 200 medley relay (2:19.60). Senior D.J. Evans, Kapanoske, Johnson and junior Will Hoover placed fourth in the 200 free relay (1:52.61). Poston, Evans Quijada and Hoover finished fourth in the 400 free relay (4:23.49).

Hoover earned an automatic berth in the state meet individually, thanks to his fourth-place effort in the 50 free (24.77 seconds). He later finished sixth in the 100 free (56.47). Evans and Poston were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 200 free.

Yeagley was sixth in the girls' 200 free. Passmore was sixth in the 100 free and seventh in the 50 free, while Yeagley was fifth in the 100 fly and Robey was fifth in the girls' 500 free.

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.