RV YMCA Swimmer Takes 5 State Medals

The 12 & under YMCA State Meet, held February 22nd to 24th at Ocean County YMCA in Toms River, brings together the very best swimmers from 27 different YMCAs in New Jersey. Qualifying times are extremely selective, as less than 20% of competitive swimmers achieve times to attend the meet each year. The 10 & under girls age division featured 11 individual events for approximately 150 of the state’s best young athletes. Katherine Kennedy stood out from the pack, winning the 50, 100, and 200 Free (27.60, 59.42, 2:14.81) as well as 100 and 200 individual medley (1:08.64, 2:29.84). She also added a second-place in 50 Fly (30.03).

“She probably had a shot to win in some other strokes as well, but you are only allowed to enter 6 events maximum. It’s hard to choose for her because she’s very well-rounded,” said Brian Rose, RVY Riptide head coach. “It’s unbelievable how she keeps getting better by the week. Your best swimmer to begin the year is rarely your most-improved swimmer by the end of the year, but that’s Katherine. She keeps coming to practice with a sense of maturity and purpose. She’s one of the few younger kids for whom I could give them a written practice, and they’ll keep the whole lane on task even if a coach isn’t instructing them the entire time.”

Several other swimmers for RVY Riptide earned point-scoring finishes (top-16) at the meet. Riptide loaded up on points in the freestyle events, getting scores from East Brunswick’s Isabella Loufek (15th in 200 Free, 2:35.02) and East Windsor’s Elizabeth Molinelli (14th in 200 Free, 2:34.88; 15th in 100 Free, 1:09.33). Kaileigh Kennedy finished 10th in 100 Free with 1:08.11 and 8th in 200 Free with 2:27.75, making the Kennedy sisters the two all-time fastest 10 & under girls in 200 Free over the 24-year history of the RVY Riptide swim team.

Molinelli, Loufek and the Kennedy sisters combined to finish 3rd in the 200 Free Relay, an unusually high finish in a meet normally dominated by larger YMCAs. The 200 Medley Relay team of the Kennedys, Molinelli, and South Amboy’s Erin Noble finished 8th.

Joey Guadagnino, age 9 from North Brunswick, finished 9th in the Boys 10 & under 50 Breast. Guadagnino is more than a year younger than most of the event’s competitors, and began the day seeded 33rd.

“I love watching the 10 & unders and the 12 & unders compete at this meet,” said Rose. “They have a level of professionalism toward their practices and races, you would never believe how young they are. They push themselves in ways that many adults would back down from. Swimming develops incredible people. And we have a real team here. This is not an individual sport. We’ve got a lot of very talented young kids who will be pushing each other to become better for years to come.”

Tryouts for next winter’s swim team will be held in July and are open to swimmers age 5 and up. Swimmers looking to prepare for the tryout, or the summer season, can sign up now for Riptide’s “Spring Fling” training program, which starts in April. More details are at rvyriptide.org. Non-swimmers can learn to swim by attending Raritan Valley YMCA swim lessons or joining the Raritan Valley YMCA summer camp, details at raritanvalleyymca.org.

About RVY Riptide

Founded in 1995, RVY Riptide is a YMCA Swimming and USA Swimming team located in Central New Jersey, with primary practice locations at Middlesex County College, Raritan Bay YMCA (Perth Amboy), and North Brunswick High School. Our purpose is to provide all participating athletes with the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential, consistent with their level of commitment and motivation, within an atmosphere of spirited competition, positive attitude and self-image, and superior sportsmanship. We help kids become great swimmers, as well as great people who reflect the YMCA values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. For more information, visit rvyriptide.org.

About Raritan Valley YMCA

Raritan Valley YMCA has been serving area communities since 1867. We are a not-for-profit organization committed to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities throughout our area. Our facility, including our childcare center and a state-of-the-art fitness center, is located at 144 Tices Lane, East Brunswick, NJ. We offer health and wellness programs, preschool/kindergarten and afterschool programs, day camp, swim lessons, a competitive swim team, and more. For more information, call 732-257-4114 or visit www.raritanvalleyymca.org.

###