YWCA Greenwich Dolphins Swim Team Holiday Invitational Results

Paced by five gold medals and another 13 bronze and silver medals, the Greenwich YWCA Dolphins Swim Team made a big splash at the Annual Nations Capital Aquatic Club Holiday Invitational held December 6 – 9, 2018, at the University of Maryland. The meet, which featured over 60 teams and 600 swimmers from across the East Coast and featured over 120 events contested over 3 ½ days of Senior and Age Group level competition and is regarded as one of the top Age Group and Senior Meets in the USA.

The Dolphins girls made a big splash, with Penny Lazar, 12, taking the 11-12 girls age group High Point Award with 4 golds and three silver medals. Lazar started the meet off with a 5:08.29 time in the 500-Free and went on to add gold in the 100 and 200-Free with respective times of 54.43 and 1:57.23, as well as touching first in the 200-Butterfly at 2:13.01. Lazar’s silver came in the 50-Free at 25.15; 400-Individual Medley at 4:42.39 and the 100-Butterfly at 59.13. Lazar’s Age group teammate Abby Bleil, 12, claimed a gold in the 200-yard Breaststroke at 2:30.71 and added a pair of silvers in the 50 and 100-Breaststroke events at 32.02 and 1:08.02, respectively.

Swimming in the senior division, the Dolphins Meghan Lynch, 15, picked up where her GHS season left off taking silver in the 200 and 400-Individual Medley events with personal best times of 1:59.04 and 4:12.07, respectively. Lynch also took silver in the 200-Breaststroke, lowering her State record to 2:12.30. Silver came for Lynch in the 200-Freestyle at 1:48.97 along with a fourth in the 500-Frestyle at 4:48.56 and a pair of fifth place efforts in the 100-Breaststroke at 1:03.04 and 100-Free at 50.53. Kate Hazlett, 18, best finish was in the 200-Backstroke where her 1:56.90 was the best by a Connecticut resident this year for silver and added a bronze in the 50-Free at 22.98 and a fourth place in the 100-Back at 54.95. Lynch and Hazlett also combined with Alexander Hazlett, 15, and Parker Scott, 17 for a fourth place in the mixed 200-Free Relay at 1:29.93 and in the mixed 400-Free Relay for sixth and a time of 3:18.23. This was the first time the Dolphins and competed in mixed gender relays, which are being contested internationally as well.

Other Dolphins reaching the Championship finals included Ryan and Sydney Jee. Ryan, 14, picked up a pair of fourth place medals in the 200 and 400-Individual Medley races with respective times of 1:58.30 and 4:15.90. Sydney, 12, was fourth in the 50-Breast at 33.25. Rory Keller, 12, gained bronze in the 12-and-under 200-Backstroke at 2:15.09 and was sixth in the 12-and-under 500-Free at 5:32.45. Jonathon Packard, 10, picked up a bronze medal for his best finish in the 50-Backstroke at 34.00 and added a fourth and sixth respectively in the 100-back at 1:14.09 and 100-Butterfly at 1:13.91. Hanna Flakstad, 10, was sixth in the 100-Breasttsroke at 1:21.13. Other Dolphins scoring in the Top 16 included Ava baine,1 2, Felix Flakstad, 12; Audrey Lin, 12; Ainsley Sahrbeck, 10, and Samantha Scott, 17. Other finishers included: Olivia Baine, 14; Kate Boutry, 8; Olivia Cieciwa, 11; Samantha Ennis, 15; Melissa Geiger, 10; Anabelle Guarnera, 12; Sarah Huber, 12; Reed Keller, 9; Andrew Lowe, 12; Max Meissner, 15; Charlotte Milligan, 13; Daniela Pompa, 14; Emma Robinson, 14; Avery Sammons, 15; Campbell Steere, 13; and, Percy Wayne, 13.