A broken dehumidifier and matchup against one of the best swim teams in the area did not deter the Pam Pack from performing at a high level on Saturday. Despite the shirt-soaking conditions, the Washington Aquatic Center was wall-to-wall with screaming spectators and swimmers, cheering on their respective teams.

When everything was said and done, the Washington boys were able to secure a hard-fought first place finish over D.H. Conley and Wilson Hunt to remain perfect at home, while D.H. Conley girls took first with 140 total points.

“We had some really good swims today. They knew it was going to be competitive coming in,” said Head Coach Spenser Pake. “I told them to have fun and do the best they could and they really showed up to swim today.”

Eric Lovenburg, who’s proved to be one of Washington’s most consistent swimmers this season, broke the record he previously set in the 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.27. The senior swimmer also picked up first place finishes in the 200 yard individual medley with a time of 2:11.19 and the 400 yard freestyle relay with a collective time of 3:29.66.

His brother Tony had a productive day in the water as well, finishing less than two second behind his Eric in the 200 yard individual medley and winning the grueling 500 yard freestyle by more than 30 seconds with a time of 5:32.81.

“Both Lovenburg boys are phenomenal swimmers,” said Pake. “They’re a great asset to any team.”

With a team of three freshman and one sophomore, the girls had out decisive victory in the 200 yard medley relay with a time of 2:03.89, but struggled in the individually at times. Megan Baldwin came out on top in the 200 yard individual medley with a time of 2:24.78 and the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 26.23, despite having to leave the meet early.

Lanie Godley had one of the most exciting races of the day in the 100 yard butterfly, finishing just .02 seconds behind D.H. Conley’s Shelby Micham.

The boys 200 yard freestyle relay also merited deafening applause from the fans, as Kevin Andrews, Eric Lovenberg, Robert Sandy and Justin Clark edged University of North Carolina commit Dalton Shaw and D.H. Conley by a second.

“[Shaw] is a phenomenal swimmer and a great kid. I’ve known him for a long time as well and I’m very proud of him that he’s going to UNC and swimming after high school.”

The Pam Pack will rematch against East Carteret and Croatan on Thursday at 4 p.m. in their last meet before regionals.

“We’re going to practice and use this last meet as a kind of tapering meet and really get our bodies ready for a championship level,” said Pake.