Mariners Swim Team Earns Top 10 Finish in Charlotte

A record number of Madison Mariner swimmers qualified and competed at this year’s SunKissed Junior/Senior Swimming Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 4-day meet, held annually at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center in late March, provided the back drop for a victorious finish to the Mariners’ season. The Mariners were represented by 32 swimmers, up from 23 in 2018, who raced to 5 individual team records and finished 9th out of 21 teams.

Both the Junior and Senior teams opened the competition with exceptional swims. Paving the way to the podium Thursday night, Collin Faraher (13) excelled to a 1st place finish and was crowned the Junior Champion for the 500 Yard Free, beating his closest opponent by over 13 seconds. Will Foucher (13) also had an excellent performance in the 500 free with a personal best and 14th place. Kaley Snarr (16) had a fantastic top 10 finish in the 1,000 Free dropping over 10 seconds to a personal record. Kyle Beebe (14), last year’s Junior 500 Yard Free Champion, and Philip Puccio swam to Top 20 honors in the 1,000 Yard Free while Artha Abeysinghe (14) dropped over 4 seconds to a personal best.

The Junior Boys team (13 & Under) continued to swim beautifully throughout the weekend. Collin Faraher and Owen Weller, both 13, lead the team with 82 and 50 points, respectively. In addition to his 1st place podium visit in the 500 Free, Collin continued to dominate in the Free events earning 2 more podium visits in the 100 & 200 Free and a 4th place finish in the 50 Free. He also crushed his 100 IM time, breaking the Mariner’s team record, and earned 4th place in the 200 IM. Owen had an outstanding weekend with 4 Top 10 performances. Owen earned 4th and 8th place in the 200 and 100 Back, 7th and 10th place in the 200 and 100 Fly swimming 2 personal bests, and a personal best in the 200 IM. Ransom Chang (12) also earned points for the team. He raced to two 13th place finishes in both the 100 & 200 Yard Breast while posting a personal record in the 100 IM. Will Foucher (13) continued to swim well over the weekend with personal bests in many of his events, including the 50, 100 and 200 Free as well as the 100 Back. Owen Smith and Anuthra Abeysinghe (both 11), the youngest male Mariners to qualify for the meet, both had strong performances in the 200 and 100 breast respectively, earning personal records for both.

The Junior Girls also contributed to the team’s success earning coveted spots in the Finals. Mary Gillen (13) lead the girls with 28 points while Alison Barton (13) contributed 12 points as well. Mary had spectacular races in the 100 and 200 Fly, earning 6th place in each and personal records. She also swam 4 more individual races over the weekend with personal records in all. Alison had outstanding performances in her individual events, dropping significant time in all. She also finaled in 3 events – 11th in the 100 Breast, 12th in the 100 IM, earning a new Mariner’s team record, and 16th in the 200 Breast. Katelyn Hoffelder (12) participated in one of the most exciting swim offs earning her a spot as a First Alternate in the 50 Free, also posting a personal record. She also swam personal bests in the 100 Free and had strong performances in her other 3 events. Molly Newman (11), the youngest female Mariner to qualify for the meet, swam well in her individual events including personal bests in the 100 & 200 Back and the 50 & 100 Free events. Caroline Cortese (13) and Ryan Sprague (12) had great performances in their individual events, both racing to personal bests in the 50 free.

The marquis event of any swim meet is the relay competition, Medley and Free, sprints and distance. The Mariners posted phenomenal results in all their relays although the Junior Team raced to 5 Top 10 Finishes. The Junior Boys excelled in all 4 relays in which they competed. Chang, Faraher, Foucher and Weller earned 5th place in the 200 & 400 Medley relays as well as 6th place in both the 200 & 400 Free relays cutting significant time in all. Hoffelder, Newman, Sprague and Gillen represented the Junior Girls sprinting to an 8th place finish in the 200 Free relay, all swimming sub-28 second legs.

The Senior Boys (14&Older) lead the Mariners with 3 new team records and all senior swimmers posted multiple personal records. Kyle Beebe (14) had stellar swims making finals in 3 individual events. He placed 11th in the 200 Back, earning him a new Mariners team record, 13th place in the 200 Fly and 14th place in the 50 Free. Kyle also added 14 points to the team’s total. Atticus Chang (14), last year’s 100 and 200 Breast Junior Champion, also posted a new Mariners team record in the 200 Breast with a personal best. Freestyler Philip Puccio also set a new Mariner’s team record in the 1,000 Free. Also adding to the team’s success were Artha Abeysinghe (14), Jimmy Dougherty (17), Brendan Fowler (18), Aiden Kagan (15), James Lord (16), Terry Luongo (15), and Ryan Snarr (14). Artha shaved time off his 1,000 Free for a personal best while Jimmy PR’ed in his 200 IM and 100 Back. Brendan, a Mariners and SunKissed veteran, excelled in his 100 Fly and 50 Free with career bests. Aiden posted 3 exceptional swims in the 100 and 200 Breast as well as the 200 IM. Also a freestyler, James boasted 2 PRs in the 50 and 100 Free while Terry excelled in his 100 Breast, 50 Free and placed 19th in the finals of the 100 Back. Ryan Snarr (14), returning from an injury, sprinted to a personal best in the 100 Back.

The Senior Girls used their years of experience to shine throughout the championship meet. In addition to Kaley Snarr’s 10th place in the 1,000 Free Thursday night, she slashed time off her 100 Fly, Back and Free events. Amanda Beneventano (14) had stellar performances in her Fly events, while Katie Caviness produced strong results in her Fly and Free events. Anya D’Costa (17) sprinted to personal bests in her 100 & 200 Free events and posted outstanding efforts in her other individual events. Gwen Lukasavage (15) produced strong results in her 50, 100 and 200 Events throughout the weekend. Hannah Corcoran (18), Emma and Sarah Dougherty (17) and Sarah Penrice (18) shined in their final SunKissed Championship Meet. Hannah raced to two personal records in her 50 Free and 100 Back and had strong performances in her other individual events. Emma PR’ed in the 100 & 200 Back as well as the 200 Free. Sarah D. slashed significant time off her 200 Back and 400 IM events while Sarah P. swam competitively throughout the meet with strong finishes in the 100 & 200 Back.

Five Mariners were celebrated during SunKissed’s Senior Night. The Mariners swim team and full coaching staff would like to thank them for their dedication, teamwork and leadership this year and wish them much success: Hannah Corcoran, Emma Dougherty, Sarah Dougherty, Jimmy Dougherty and Brendan Fowler.

Recognizing the needs of our members and neighbors, and the challenges and limitations of our current facility, the Madison Area YMCA has launched a community fundraising campaign to expand our Y and to continue our mission of providing financial assistance to those who need us. With your help, we will provide additional services to encourage a healthy and active community. Together, we will connect neighbors and families, strengthening the social bonds that promote understanding. Through your generosity, the YMCA mission will reach more people in our community, making sure we can say "yes" today and in the future. For more information about financial assistance or to make a donation, please call 973-822-YMCA (9622) or visit us at madisonareaymca.org.