Greenwich YWCA Dolphins Score High in National Meets This Summer

By Nick Cavataro

Head coach, YWCA Dolphins

Competing at the highest levels in the USA, with meets in California Florida, Virginia and Connecticut, the YWCA of Greenwich Dolphins made a big mark in USA Swimming this past summer with a collection of national qualifiers, medalists and records.

In USA Swimming, Inc., largest elite competition for swimmers ages 18-and-under – The Speedo Junior National Long Course Championships - the Dolphins’ Thomas Dillinger, 17, and Alexander Lewis, 18, both jumped up in the standings from their initial appearance last year at the same meet at the William Woollett, Jr. Aquatic Center Irvine, CA (July 30-Aug 3).

This year’s meet featured over 1200 swimmers from over 75 teams and 48 states and was the qualifying meet for the Pan Pacific Junior Championships and the winter USA Senior National Championships in Greensboro, December 4-6.

Dillinger, a rising senior at Greenwich High School posted a pair of finals swims finishing twenty-first in the 100-Meter Free posting a finals time of 517.72, after a preliminary effort of 51.61. Lewis, 18, who will enter Princeton, next month, took thirtieth in the same event at 51.93. Dillinger’s time qualifies him for the December USA Senior National Championships in Greensboro, December 4-6.

Dillinger also took twenty-fourth in the 200-Meter Individual Medley with a Senior National qualifying time of 2:06.56. Dillinger also qualified for the Senior Championship Meet with a 400-IM clocking of 4:33.67 and posted lifetime best efforts of 23.66 and 1:55.93 in the 50-Free and 200-Free, respectively.

Lewis also posted lifetime bests of 23.87, 55.90, 57.93 and 2:12.11 in the 50-Free, 100-Butterfly, 100-Backstroke and 200-Backstroke events respectively.

The USA Eastern Zone Long Course Age Group Championships held at Collegiate School Aquatics Center Richmond, Virginia – the exact same pool the 2008 USA Olympic Trials were held in that was dismantled and transported from Omaha, Nebraska and re-installed at the school – saw the Dolphins Alexander, Graham and Kate Hazlett make a statement.

The meet featured competition in over 100 age group events among the ten representative USA Swimming Eastern Zone regional local swimming committees (held August 6-9).

Kate Hazlett, 13, a student at Greenwich Academy claimed a gold medal in the 50-Meter Free with a lifetime best effort of 26.80, which qualifies her for the elite USA Swimming Junior National Short Course Championships in Seattle on December 11-13. The effort was also the fastest in Connecticut and the second fastest in the USA by a 13-year old this year.

Hazlett was also sixth in the 200-Back at 2:25.98; ninth in the 100-Back at 1:09.14; fifteenth in the 100-Butterfly at 1:07.79 and thirty-first in the 100-Free at 1:02.66.

Graham Hazlett, 16, a rising Junior at Phillips Exeter Academy, claimed second in both the 50-Free at 24.85 and in the 100-Back at 1:00.80. Graham was also fourth in the 100-Free at 54.14; seventh in the 200-Back at 2:16.53; and, nineteenth in the 100-Butterfly at 1:01.67.

Alexander Hazlett, 10, had a breakthrough meet into USA Swimming’s national age group rankings picking up a silver medal in the meet in the 200-Free at 2:21.86 and a trio of bronze medals with respective times of 29.81, 1:05.49 and 2:21.86 in the 50-Free, 100-Free and in the 200-Individual Medley. The ten-year old was also fourth in the 100-Butterfly at 1:13.15. The 10-year old’s 50, 100-200-Free were the fastest in Connecticut this year, with the 50-Free ranking twelfth fastest in the nation by a 10-year old.

One name already etched into USA and Connecticut’s record books, is Meghan Lynch, 10, who entered the summer as the nations fastest ever 50 and 100-yard breaststroke swimmer, duplicated the effort in the Olympic distance 50-Meter pool, jumping up against Connecticut’s best senior level swimmers. Lynch, was the youngest swimmer in the State Senior Long Course Championships at Wesleyan University swimming against swimmers as old as 22-years of age.

Lynch, competing in the bonus consolation finals of the 100-Meter Breaststroke, broke the national age group record in both the 50 and 100 distance in the same race clocking 36.13 on her first length and finished at 1:17.74, lowering the standard by over a second. The clocking gave Lynch the number one ranking in USA swimming and four national age records in six months. The time also qualified Lynch for the Eastern Zone Super Sectional Long and Short Course Championships scheduled for March, 2015.

Connecticut’s premier summer age group meet, the Long Course Age Group Championships at Wesleyan saw William Belmont, Alexander Hazlett, Kate Hazlett, Meghan Lynch, Julia Merrill, Suzy Ryckman and Taylor Schinto to claim a total of 15 gold medals along with another 22 silver and bronze medals by team members.

Lynch, 10, dominated the meet – showing her versatility in a variety of events and distances, going six for six in the meet taking titles in the 50-Free, 50-Butterfly, 100-Back, 200-Free, 200-Individual Medley and 400-Free with respective times of 29.93, 33.37, 1:16.84, 2:25.00, 2:41.02 and 4:52.15.

Belmont, 16, a classmate of Graham Hazlett at Phillips Exeter Academy, struck gold in the 50-Free at 24.59 and also claimed a bronze in the 100-Free at 55.39, both USA Eastern Zone Sectional qualifying times.

Alexander Hazlett, 10, took a pair of golds, three silvers and a bronze medal in the meet. The gold medals came in the 100-Free at 1:07.27 and the 200-Free at 2:26.54. The silver efforts came with respective times of 1:15.05, 31.23, and 34.75 in the 100-Butterfly, 100-Breaststroke and 50-Butterfly, respectively.

Kate Hazlett swimming in the 13-14 age group claimed gold in the 100-Backstroke at 1:07.03 and in the 100-Butterfly at 1:05.53. The 13-year old also claimed silver with respective times of 27.40, 1:00.66 and 2:12.78 in the 50, 100 and 200-Freestyle events. Hazlett also combined with Suzy Ryckman, Taylor Schinto and Julia Merrill for gold in the 13-14 200-Free Relay at 1:55.26.

Silver Medalist at the meet included: Brooke Collins, 16, in the 200-Breast at 2:48.43; Graham Hazlett in the 50-Free at 24.89; 100-Back at 1:01.42; 59.49 in the 100-Fly; Allison Opuszynski, 12, in the 50-Free at 29.03.

Bronze medalists included Samantha Ennis, 10, in the 200-Individual at 2:55.85; 50-Backstroke at 37.68. Graham Hazlett in the 200-Back at 2:16.43; Opuszynski in the 100-Free at 1:04.07. Emmy Sammons, 13, in the 100-back at 1:09.95.

Other swimmers reaching the championship finals included Collins in the 200-IM and 100-Breast; Riley Ennis, 16, in the 200-Breast and 100-Breast; Samantha Ennis in the 50-Free, 100-Fly, 100-Aback and 200-free; Graham Hazlett in the 100-free; Julia Merrill in the 50-Free; Claire Michalik, 11, in the 50-Fly; Opuszynski in the 200-Free and 200-IM; Ryckman in the 50-Free, 100-Free and 100-Back; and Sammons in the 200-Back.

The Dolphins, in addition to the 13-14 Girls gold in the 200-Free Relay posted seven other top 8-placings.

Graham Hazlett combined with Thomas Mackey, Belmont and John Dustin for a pair of silver medals in the 200-Medley and Free Relays with respective times of 1:44.91 and 1:56.85.

Sammons, Isabelle Wise, Hazlett and Merrill were fourth in the 200-Medley Relay at 2:14.79; Merrill, Schinto, Ryckman and Hazlett were second in the 400-Free Relay at 4:16.21.

The 200-Medley quartet of Ennis, Lynch and Robyn O’Connor and Emma Robinson were second in the 200-Medley Relay at 2:36.86 and fifth in the 200-Free version at 2:27.44.

Marcella Winget, Avery Sammons, Claire Michalik and Opuszynski were tenth in the 200-Free Relay and eleventh in the 200-Medley with respective times of 2:10.78 and 2:27.44.

Other scorers in the meet for the Dolphins included: Kate Ennis, 13; in the 100-Breast; Ryan Lynch, 14, in the 200-Breast; Thomas Mackey, 15, in the 100 and 200-Breast; Claire Michalik in the 100-Fly, 50-Breast and 50-Butterfly; Opuszynski in the 100-Fly and 100-Back.

Earlier in the summer, 25 Dolphins traveled to last scheduled swim meet to be held at the storied International Swimming Hall of Fame and returned with a combined 23 Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals. The Ft. Lauderdale International Age Group Classic featured over 600 swimmers from 10 states and a half dozen nations competing in 126 events in the Hall of Fame’s Olympic 50-Meter pool. The pool is closing next for an indefinite time as the site is redeveloped and modernized.

Leading the medal count was Meghan Lynch. The 10-year old went nine out of nine races won, taking her age group’s 50, 100 and 200-Free; 50 and Butterfly, Breaststroke as well as the 100-Back and 200-IM.

Kate Hazlett, claimed three golds winning the 13-14 age group’s 50-Free, 200-Back and 100-Breast. The 13-year old also was third in the 100 and 200-Freestyles and fourth in the 100-Butterfly.

Claire Michalik, 11, was third in the 11-12 100-Backstroke.

The Dolphins had four top three relays including victories in the 10-and-under girls 200-Free Relay where Samantha Ennis, Olivia Baine, Avery Sammons and Lynch combined for a win and a 2:12.26 time. Lynch, Sammons and Baine combined with Esme Merrill for second in the 200-Medley Relay at 2:36.95.

The 13-14 year old quartet of Emmy Sammons, Isabelle Wise, Julia Merrill and Hazlett won the 200-Free Relay at 1:56.59. The same quartet was second in the 200-Medley Relay 2:13.64.

The 11-12 group of Barbara Malone, Bettina Tapiero, Allison Opuszynski and Michalik were third in the 200-Medley Relay at 2:23.06. Tapiero, Michalik, Opuszynski and Ursula wise were fourth in the 200-Free Relay at 2:06.54.

Other Dolphin scorers in the Top 10 in Florida included: Dan Bailey, 12; Olivia Baine, 10; Kate Ennis, 13; Robert Hazlett, 16; Jack Horowitz, 12; Jesse Horowitz, 14; Ryan Lynch, 14; Barbara Malone, 12; Julia Merrill, 13, Avery Sammons, 11; Emmy Sammons, 13.

Others on the Florida travel team included: Elizabeth Biederman, 13; Caroline Cahilly, 12; Carlyn Marinaccio, 14; Jenna Marinaccio, 12; Mary Clare Marshall, 11; Peter Michalik, 9; Lily O’Sullivan, 9; Emma Robinson, 9; Parker Scott, 13; Ashley Wolpers, 11, and Jack Wolpers, 8.

The Greenwich YWCA will open their 2014-15 campaign on Tuesday, September 2, with a week of evaluations for new candidates. Swimmers ages 8-and-under should attend one session from 5:15-6:15pm and swimmer 9-years and under should attend one session from 6:15-7:15pm for placement.

Picture: Kate Hazlett (from Greenwich YWCA Dolphins)