Riptide Wins Again, More Records Broken

The Virginia Run Riptide faced the Hiddenbrook Hurricanes on Saturday in another close meet that came down to the relays but ultimately, the Riptide prevailed with a score of 213 to Hiddenbrook’s 207. The Riptide swimmers put up 40 personal best times and two records were broken: Jackson Blansett lowered his own free record from last week to 26.21 in the 13-14 boys 50 free, and Charis Roundtree lowered her own back record to 34.85 in the 9-10 girls 50 back.

The Riptide fell just 6 points behind in the freestyle round, but 8 and under swimmers Tyler Harris and Matthew Kelliher took second and third, and Caitlin Do placed first in that age group. Nicholas Harris took first with Anna Kelliher and Caroline Friess earning second and third for the 9-10 group. Bryan Kim took second for the 11-12 group, while Montse Garduno Estrada and Ginny fitch brought home second and third. Jackson Blansett and William Whitton earned second and third, as did Isabelle Cogan and Caitlin Kelliher for the 13-14s. William Beamon and Noah Schettini took home second and third with Allison Hickey placing first for the 15-18s.

The backstroke round proved strong for the Riptide, earning 51 points in the event to Hiddenbrook’s 39. Nathan Tonthat placed second and Caitlin Do placed first in the 8 and unders; Nicholas Harris and Aiden Bange brought home first and third, with Charis Roundtree and Carson Coughlin doing the same for the 9-10s. Davis Collinsworth placed first with Luke Thomas taking third, and Ginny Fitch placing first for the 11-12s. William Whitton earned first while Isabelle Cogan and Neha Srinivasan took home first and third in the 13-14 group. Anthony Tonthat, Sarah Boyle and Chelsea Nguyen brought home second, first and third for the 15-18s.

After backstroke, the score was close, 93 to 87 in favor of the Riptide. The breaststroke round saw Declan McCrea and Elisabeth Taddeo both placing third for the 8 and unders; Ryan Garcia and Mason Conlon took first and third, with Jenna Van Buren and Anna Kim bringing home second and third for the 9-10s. Davis Collinsworth and Angela Thomson swam for first for the 11-12s and Nathan Ryman also brought home first with Allison Nguyen taking second for the 13-14s. William Beamon and Michael Hart brought home second and third with Allison Hickey placing first for the 15-18 group.

The butterfly round began with a score of 132 to 138 in favor of the Hurricanes. The competition was fierce as both teams battled for points in a close race. Tyler Harris and Elisabeth Taddeo earned first and third for the 8 and unders while Christopher Thomson took home second, and Charis Roundtree and Anna Kelliher put points on the board with first and third in the 9-10 age group. Jackson Blansett, Caitlin Kelliher, and Allison Nguyen placed second, first and third for the 13-14s, and Sarah Boyle took first with Anthony Tonthat and Maddie Whitton placing third in the 15-18 group.

Again this week, the meet was decided in the relay round. The score was 173 to 187 in favor of the Hurricanes as the relays began.

The boys 9-10 relay team of Nicholas Harris, Ryan Garcia, Christopher Thomson, and Desmond McDonough won with a time of 1:21.87, as did the girls 9-10 relay team of Charis Roundtree, Jenna Van Buren, Caroline Friess, and Anna Kelliher with a time of 1:16.11.

The boys 11-12 relay team of Luke Thomas, Davis Collinsworth, Ryan Friess, and Bryan Kim won their race with a time of 1:07.69 and the girls 11-12 relay team of Ginny Fitch, Angela Thomson, Montse Garduno Estrada, and Mia Carranza won as well, with a time of 1:12.56.

The 13-14 girls relay won with a time of 1:05.12 and the team of Neha Srinivasan, Allison Nguyen, Caitlin Kelliher, and Isabelle Cogan. And the 15-18 girls 200-meter relay team of Chelsea Nguyen, Allison Hickey, Sarah Boyle, and Maddie Whitton won with a time of 2:13.18.

It all came down to the final two events, the mixed age relays. The boys mixed-age relay of Bryan Kim, Nicholas Harris, Jackson Blansett, and Noah Schettini swam hard and pulled off the win against a formidable opposing team bringing the score before the final relay to Virginia Run 208, Hiddenbrook 207. The girls mixed age relay team of Ginny Fitch, Charis Roundtree, Isabelle Cogan, and Sarah Boyle dominated again in this event, finishing more than three seconds ahead of the competition to seal the win for the Riptide.

Next week the Riptide hosts Oakton at home for their final ‘A’ meet of the season, and on Wednesday night, 11 relay teams from the Riptide will compete in the All Star Relay Carnival.