26 Swimmers From EG Participate In Annual Bay Swim

Twenty-six swimmers from East Greenwich took part in Save the Bay’s 35th swim Saturday morning, out of a record 466 total participants. Brian Mulford was EG’s top male finisher, with a time of 46:52; Haley Falkenberry was EG’s top female finisher, with a time of 51:07.

A brother-sister pair finished fastest overall: Matt Gilson of Providence was first man to cross the finish line (38:09). His sister Meredith Gilson of Falmouth, Mass., was the top female finisher (39:21).

The 1.7-mile swim begins in the waters off the Newport Naval Station and finishes at Potter Cove in Jamestown. Swimmers and kayakers alike said the water was choppier than it had been last year, with slower swim times overall.

Yesterday’s swim was the 20th time Joe Serdakowski has made the trek. He swam the distance in 1:01:50.

For some East Greenwichers, the swim has become a family affair. Falkenberry was joined by both her mother, Allison, and her sister, Megan. Megan had come from Austin, Texas, with her boyfriend Landon Baker, who served as her kayaker. Continuing a long tradition, Steve Falkenberry kayaked for his wife, Allison. (Other East Greenwich residents took part in the event as kayakers, but no official list was available).

Four McCarthys participated: Sherrie swam and her husband, Larry, kayaked for her. Annie, 22, swam, while her brother, John, 20, kayaked for her.

Two husband-and-wife teams took part from East Greenwich too. Marie Therese and Bill Shaunessy have done the swim several times. So has Robert Wolfgang, but his wife, Lilly, was swimming for the first time.

“It was great,” she said afterward, a big smile on her face.

Here are the names and unofficial swim times for the East Greenwich swimmers:

• Brian Mulford  46:52
• Robert Wolfgang  47:39
• Haley Falkenberry  51:07
• Owen Devine  51:27
• Sally Miranda  52:08
• Tom Sprague  54:56
• Andrea Doyle  56:43
• Beth Rodewig  57:38
• Allison Falkenberry  59:01
• Joseph Serdakowski  1:01:50
• Marie Therese Shaughnessy  1:01:50
• William Shaughnessy  1:02:39
• David Splaine  1:02:50
• Annie McCarthy  1:03:01
• Sherrie McCarthy  1:04:53
• Joanne Navilliat  1:06:00
• David Egan  1:06:49
• Lilly Wolfgang  1:08:40
• Louis Sardelli  1:08:56
• Jim Wetzel  1:08:58
• Cynthia Blanthorne Thomas  1:12:00
• Christopher Daniel  1:12:38
• Edward Handy  1:13:51
• Stephen Cornwall  1:28:00
• Vincent Giordano  1:55:09
• Jim Lynch  2:08:30