Stingrays swim team places second in state meet

For the second year in a row, the Connecticut River Valley Stingrays Swim Team finished second in Division IV, at the recent Vermont Swim Association State Championship held at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center in White River Junction.

The team finished just 30.5 points behind Waterbury Swim Team.

“I am so excited for our swim team here at the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center,” said Christian Craig, executive director of the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center. “The team has grown by leaps and bounds over the past two years with new swimmers signing up each season. Not only are more kids being exposed to the great values of hard work, dedication, discipline, but the kids are having fun and their times are getting faster.”

Two Stingrays were crowned state champions. Leading the team was Ari Cioffi, who won the 11-12 girls 50- and 100-yard freestyle. She won the 50-free with a personal best time of 27:02 and the 100-free with a time of 1:00:32. Ari was also runnerup in the 11-12 girls 100-yard individual medley (25 yards of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and free) and the 50-yard fly.

Team Captain Sam Mirra won the girls 17-18 50-yard breaststroke with a personal best time of 33:18. She was state runnerup in the girls 17-18 100-yard breaststroke, fourth place in the 50-freestyle and fifth place in the 100-freestyle.

Janie Thompson also placed in the Top 5 in all her events. Janie was runnerup in the girls 11-12 50 yard breaststroke and swam a personal best time of 36:47. She finished third in the girls 11-12 50-yard butterfly and the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 100-yard individual medley.

The other highlight of the meet were the girls’ 9-10 100-yard medley and freestyle relays. Three out of four of their relays were heat winners.

The girls 9-10 100-yard medley relay team of Niavh Gibney (backstroke), Alyson Lantz (breast), Savannah Rose (fly) and Rowan Caulkins (free) won its heat and improved its best relay time by six seconds (1:39:75 to 1:33:62).

The following day, the girls’ 9-10 100-yard freestyle A and B relays won their heats, back-to-back. The girls B relay comprised of Ruby Kiefer, Lexi Dole, Savannah Rose and their anchor Aubrey Seman. The B relay won their heat and crushed their seed time by 23 seconds (1:55:55 to 1:32:70). The A relay of Sarah DeLorenzo, Niavh Gibney, Alyson Lantz and anchor Rowan Caulkins also won and beat their seed time by four seconds. (1:21:41 to 1:17:85).

The following swimmers swam personal best times at the state meet:

• Lexi Dole (25 free, 50 free);
• Sarah DeLorenzo (25 free, 25 back);
• Niavh Gibney (25 free, 50 free);
• Joey Sluka (25 free, 50 free);
• Thomas Anderson (25 free, 50 free);
• Aubrey Seman (25 back);
• Ari Cioffi (50 fly, 50 free, 100 free);
• Janie Thompson (50, 100 breast, );
• Sam Mirra (50 breast, 100 breast, 100 free);
• Haley Raciot (100 free, 50 back, 50 free);
• Miles Garvin (100 free);
• Dylan Burrow (50 free, 100 free) and
• Gwen Roundy (50 free, 100 back, 200 free).

Other Stingrays that had a great season include: Charlie Kiefer, Ariana and Elisabeth DeLorenzo, Caleigh Plunkett, Gunnar Thibideau, Aloura Cyr and Hazel Kekic.

The Stingrays were coached by Christian Avard and assistants Sam Holmberg and Kristin Burlew.

For more information about joining a swim team or about the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center at (802) 885-2568.