With a 20-year history of competition, the 3rd decade of the Greenwich Town Swim Championships was held this past Friday and Saturday at the Greenwich High School pool and saw 200 swimmers from both the YWCA Greenwich Dolphins and the YMCA of Greenwich Marlins take to the pool in 448 different age group events.
At the end of the day there were big smiles, happy swimmers, parents, and grandparents among the large crowd as well as some big winners.
Leading the way with four victories and two meet records was the Dolphins’ Luke Mendelsohn, 16. The two-sport GHS Junior took the top spot in the 200-Breaststroke with a 2:19.77 clocking, lowering by .21, the meet record set in 2018 by Alexander Hazlett, now swimming at Yale University. Mendelsohn also took down the 100-yard record set in 2009 by Eric Ronda by .47 with a 1:03.00 clocking. Mendelsohn claimed the top spot in the 15-and-over 400-yard IM (4:33.56) and 100-Butterfly at 56.35.
The 9-10 age group saw Catherine Ripp, 10, of the YMCA Marlins and Finn Dowling, 9, of the Dolphins each win 3 golds. Ripp took the titles in the 9-10-year-old 100-Butterfly (1:23.30), 50-Breaststroek (43.83) and 50-Butterfly (36.33).
Dowling claimed wins in the 50-Free (34.04); 50-Back (41.06) and 50-Fly (44.40). Teammate Vaughn Waters 10, touched first in the group’s 50-Breast (44.19).
Other winners in the 9-10-year-old group included: Kate DiMiero, 9; of the YMCA who won the 100-Back (122.30) and the 50-Back (38.38); The Dolphins’ Lucia Ernst, 10, took the 100-Breast (1:36.37) and teammate Natalie Ranta, 9, won the 50-Free (31.87).
The 11-12 age group saw the YMCA’s Meredith McDermott, 12, take three golds with wins in the 50-Free (28.23); 50-Breast 36.60) and 50-Fly (30.77). Teammate Elsa Wang, 12, took the 50-Back race (33.96).
The Dolphins’ Hudson Maciejewski, 12, took both the 11-12-year-old class 50-Free (27.23) and 50-Fly (30.83). The YMCA’s Carsten Wang, 12, won the 50-Back (31.58) with teammate Calder Kelly taking the 50-Breast event (38.30).
The 13-14 class saw Samantha Packard, 13, take three golds winning the 100-Free (56.81), 100-Back (1:06.06) and 100-Fly (1:02.31). Teammate Sophia Bens, 14, won the 100-Breast (1:16.48).
The boys 13-14 division had three boys each win two events. The Dolphins’ Scott Luecke won the open 200-Butterfly (2:14.97) and the 100-Butterfly (1:01.36). Fellow Dolphins’ Connor McMahon, 14, won the 100-Breast (1:09.57) and the 100-Free (54.69). The Marlins Charlie Hendrickson, 14, took the 200-Back (2:13.50) and 100-Back (1:02.29).
The 15-and-over groups winners on the girl’s side included Melissa Geiger, 15, who touched first in the 100-Free (57.06) and 100-Back 1:04.57); Teammates Julia Pujadas, 17, and Emma Stehmann, 16, won the 100-Fly and Breast races with respective times of 1:08.30 and 1:15.15.
On the boy’s side Jonathan Packard, 15, took the top spot in the 500-Free at 4:53.18, just missing by .12 the meet mark set by Hazlett in 2018. Packard also won the 100-Back at 58.60, with teammate Keegan Clark, 17, winning the 100-Free at 49.57.
The 8-and-under class saw double wins from the YMCA’s Kaya Ciraco, 8, who won the Girls 25-Free (17.87) and 25-Back (21.46). In the same group teammate Lucy Goldberger won the 25-Breast (23.67) and the Dolphins’ Morgan Melcher, 7, and the Marlins Jane Tuohey, 8, tied in the 25-Fly at 22.59.
The boy’s 8-and-under division had the Dolphins Gavin O’Connor take two golds, winning the 25-Fly (23.79) and Back (22.47) events. The YMCA’s Nico Vita, 7, won the 25-Breast (26.09) and teammate Willem Watson, 8, won the 25-Free (18.28).
Speaking of the 21st edition, Dolphins Head Coach Nick Cavataro commented, “This is a great yearly tradition where teams can bring all their swimmers across the age groups in one spot and see each other. The result is usually very exciting races and some great history. You look at the meet records and they are super-fast and include Gretchen Walsh, who at 8-years old in 2011 swam for the Dolphins and now is at Virginia where she holds the American record in the 50-Freestyle. There are many other meet alumni who went and are hanging onto great collegiate careers including Hazlett (Yale); Meghan Lynch (Stanford), Eric Ronda (Harvard), Jack Montesi (Notre Dame).
