The Gators recorded the largest margin of victory at Cherry Bowl in a decade, scoring 1,014 points to win the program’s fifth title in seven years.
The Erlton Gators have been by far the most successful swim team at Cherry Bowl over the past decade.
Since 2008, Erlton is the only team to have finished in at least third place or better in every Cherry Bowl. The Gators entered the 2018 meet as defending champions and winners of four of the last seven.
However, the Gators’ performance at Saturday’s Cherry Bowl exceeded anything the team had accomplished in years past.
Erlton finished the 2018 Cherry Bowl with 1,014 points, outdistancing the second place Willowdale Dolphins by 119.5 points. The Cherry Bowl title is Erlton’s fifth in the last seven years and the margin of victory was larger than any of the Gators’ previous first place finishes.
“I just think our kids swam amazing today,” head coach Mike Wilkinson said. “We had significant time drops in every event so that made the difference.”
The Gators built their lead on the back of strong performances from its youngest swimmers. In the medley relay events, Erlton took first place in the boys and girls 8-and-under 100 medley relays and first place in the boys 9–10 100 medley relay. With relay events counting for twice as many points as individual events, the Gators were able to build a huge lead early and maintain it the rest of the day.
“It really starts with the little kids,” Erlton senior Anna Mecca said. “We have a coach’s squad, all of the 15–18s are helping out the coaches every day, teaching (the younger swimmers) strokes . I think it really starts with the little kids and making all of these traditions live on.”
Erlton senior Jack Webb has been a part of Erlton’s program since he first began swimming over a decade ago. He remembered a time when Erlton celebrated third place finishes and said the program has come a long way.
“More than anything, it’s a testament to our coach,” Webb said. “He’s the best. Top to bottom, he cares about everybody and I think that’s what makes it special.”
Wilkinson said the program has stayed consistent throughout its success over the past seven years.
“We still are keeping it as we always did,” he said. “We have fun first, fundamentals, success comes from all of that. But we haven’t changed any aspect of what we do or how we run the team.”
Mecca believes Wilkinson’s dedication and calm demeanor has been a big reason for Erlton’s success.
“He really brings this team together and doesn’t make all the kids feel like there’s a lot of pressure on them,” Mecca said. “You just swim as fast as you can and have fun.”
Erlton’s Cherry Bowl win comes after the Gators won the 2018 Tri-County Swimming Pool Association B Division championship with a perfect 5–0 record. Erlton will compete in TCSPA’s A Division next year, the highest division in the TCSPA.
Erlton also set new program highs with its Cherry Bowl performance. Erlton’s 1,014 points is the second-most the team has every recorded at the meet. The Gators also became the first team to win Cherry Bowl by at least 100 points since 2008, when Kingston Estates won the meet by 146.5 points.
Taking home the second place trophy were the Willowdale Dolphins with 894.5 points. It was the first time Willowdale has finished second place in Cherry Bowl since 1988. Old Orchard Swim Club finished in third place with 878.5 points. It was the fifth consecutive year the Otters finished in the top three at Cherry Bowl.
