Riptide Swims to Victory in Close Meet Over Vienna Aquatic

The Virginia Run Riptide faced Vienna Aquatic on Saturday in one of the closest meets this season. The teams traded the lead throughout the meet, and it all came down to the final relay with the Riptide winning 212 to Vienna Aquatic’s 208. Jackson Blansett also broke the boys 13-14 50-meter freestyle team record with a time of 26.46, and the Riptide swimmers came away with fifty personal bests.

The Riptide led after the freestyle 55 to 35 with the 8 and under boys Tyler Harris and Matthew Kelliher placing first and second, Ethan O’Connor taking first for the 9-10 boys, Davis Collingsworth and Ryan Friess at second and third for the 11-12 boys, Jackson Blansett at first for the 13-14 boys and Noah Schettini taking second for the 15-18 boys. Caitlin Do came in second for the 8 and under girls, with Anna Kelliher, Caroline Friess, and Mary Schaad sweeping the event for the 9-10 girls. Charis Roundtree placed first in the 11-12 girls group, Isabelle Cogan and Allison Nguyen took first and third for the 13-14 girls as did Allison Hickey and Maddie Whitton for the 15-18 girls.

After Backstroke, the score was close with Virginia Run at 94 points and Vienna Aquatic with 86. The Riptide 8 and unders swam strong with Nathan Tonthat and Ernesto Garduno taking first and third and Caitlin Do earning second. Aidan Bange and Brock McDonough placed second and third for the 9-10s while Anna Kelliher and Carson Coughlin brought home first and third. Luke Thomas placed third and Ginny Fitch and Montse Garduno Estrada put points on the board with second and third for the 11-12 group. William Whitton earned second place with Isabelle Cogan and Caitlin Kelliher also scoring points at second and third for the 13-14s. Anthony Tonthat faced one of the best backstrokers in the league and placed an impressive second with Sarah Boyle showcasing her incredible skill in the event, bringing home first place for the 15-18 group.

The Breaststroke turned the tide in favor of the Vienna Aquatic team with a score in their favor of 143 to Riptide’s 127. Nathan Tonthat and Alden Conlon both took third for the 8 and under boys and girls, Ethan O’Connor took second with Jenna Van Buren bringing home a much-needed first place for the 9-10 group. Davis Collingsworth also put points on the board with his first-place finish and Angela Thomson and Ginny Fitch brought home second and third for the 11-12s. William Whitton earned first place with Allison Nguyen and Emma O’Connor bringing home first and third for the 13-14s and William Beamon and Jack Tweddle rounded out the event with second and third place while Allison Hickey brought home third in a competitive race for the 15-18 group.

The Butterfly round has been strong this season and remained strong with the Riptide taking back points and bringing the score to 177 to 184 with Vienna Aquatic owning the small lead. Tyler Harris and Matthew Kelliher started the event off right with first and third, and Sophie Giar placed third for the 8 and under girls and boys. Nicholas Harris and Christopher Thomson brought home first and third while Charis Roundtree, Caroline Friess, and Jenna Van Buren swept their race with an exciting first, second, and third place finish for the 9-10s. Ryan Friess and Luke Thomas placed first and third while Angela Thomson earned second in the 11-12s event and Jackson Blansett brought home first with Caitlin Kelliher and Neha Srinivasan placing first and third for the 13-14 group. Anthony Tonthat and Sarah Boyle finished off the event with dominating swims earning second and first for the 15-18 group.

Going into the relays, the win was up for grabs by either team and the competition was fierce from beginning to end. Team spirit was on full display as the swimmers cheered on their teammates and only seven points separated the two teams.

Virginia Run won the boys 8 and under free relay with a time of 1:17.95 by the team of Matthew Kelliher, Declan McCrea, Nathan Tonthat, and Tyler Harris. The boys 9-10 medley relay also won with Nicholas Harris, Ben Herndon, Christopher Thomson, and Ethan O’Conner with a time of 1:21.06.

The girls 9-10 medley relay brought the Riptide into the lead, 192 to 188 with their win by swimmers Charis Roundtree, Jenna Van Buren, Caroline Friess, and Anna Kelliher and a time of 1:16.95.

The boys 11-12 team of Davis Collingsworth, Luke Reed, Ryan Friess, and Luke Thomas won in a close race with a time of 1:10.75 to Vienna Aquatic’s 1:10.93. The 13-14 girls team of Neha Srinivasan, Allison Nguyen, Caitlin Kelliher, and Isabelle Cogan won with a spectacular swim and a time of 1:05.12 to the opposing team’s 1:11.94.

The score before the last two relays was Virginia Run: 202, Vienna Aquatic: 208 and the Riptide boys mixed-age free relay team won in a nail-biter of a race that had the crowd on their feet waiting for the times to be displayed. Davis Collingsworth, Nicholas Harris, Jackson Blansett, and Noah Schettini edged past the other team with a time of 1:59.54 to Vienna Aquatic’s 1:59.72.

As the final relay swimmers took their spots, the score was Virginia Run: 207, Vienna Aquatic: 208. The girls mixed-age free relay team of Ginny Fitch, Charis Roundtree, Isabelle Cogan, and Sarah Boyle brought home a solid win and a time of 2:03.05 and winning the meet for the team.

All eyes are on the relay swimmers as they head to the Division 4 relay carnival this Wednesday with leading times in the division. Following the Relay Carnival, the Riptide will face Hiddenbrook in their second-to-last meet of the season.