Seals Top Marlins in Battle of the Potomac
By Contributor: Jim Riley
The Southbridge Seals entered Week 5 of the Prince William Swim League in a three-way tie with the other teams of the Black Division with a record of 2-2. The Seals traveled up Route 1 for their final away meet of the regular season to face the Veterans Park Marlins in a battle of the league’s teams located along the shores of the Potomac River.
The Seals started the meet off strong with wins in ten of the first 11 relays. That momentum carried over into the freestyle events where they had some stellar performances, including that of Christian Johnson who finished the Boys 8 & Under event in less than 20 seconds.
This was followed by the 100M IM as Seals swimmers had the opportunity to exhibit the hard work they have put in on honing all four strokes. While every age group excelled at this, none was more dominant than the Girls 15-18 where four Southbridge teammates — Ainsley Juhlin, Jordan Mumford, Macy Daly, and Jacqueline Riley — each recorded a PWSL Top 25 time in the same event.
The backstroke events maintained the level of excitement as two new Seals team records were set and a top time in the county was recorded. Mylin Windley shattered the Girls 9-10 50M Back record with a blistering time of 42.22 seconds, which was a two-second drop from her personal best. Caila Sullivan also broke her own record in the Girls 11-12 50M Back while recording the fastest time in the league this week.
Southbridge added to their lead in the breaststroke by scoring high in each age group category. Both Patrick Kayne and Ainsley Juhlin lowered their existing team records in the event. The Girls 8 & Under combination of Catherine King, Emily Le, and Ella Durham finished 1, 2, and 3 while the Boys 11-12 and Girls 11-12 both took the top four spots respectively in the 50M Breast.
The fly events capped off the individual portion of the meet with Seals swimmers Jacob Lattanzi, Sebastian Villanueva, and Cooper Clarkson capturing first, second, and third places in the Boys 9-10 25M Fly. The final event was a thriller with Jordan Mumford and Macy Daly going stroke for stroke in the Girls 15-18 50M Fly.
In all, Southbridge had 23 swimmers record 55 PWSL Top 25 times and 11 relay teams score Top 15 times for the week. Just as important, however, was that the Seals only had 20 DQ’s out of 267 splashes (9%) for the entire meet, showing their improvement as all around swimmers. Many of them have been working hard at practice on their “off” strokes leading to 12 swimmers this week recording a legal time in an event for the first time including Lydia Aboye – 25M Fly; Maty Aboye – 50M Back; Miguel Burset – 50M Fly; Eva Clarkson – 100M IM / 50M Fly; Arya Gallitz – 25M Fly; Christina Johnson – 100M IM; Aidan Katuskas – 50M Breast; Matthew Keeler – 50M Breast; Izzy Maduka – 50M Fly; Coen Pagel – 50M Fly; Cameron Phillips – 100M IM; and Kem Uketui – 25M Free.
“I continue to see the amazing growth and diversity of talent within the team,” said Seals Head Coach Greg Giovinazzo. “From the dominant relays swims to the 19 distinct individuals who placed first in their respective events, this was a true team win.”
Southbridge improves to 3-2 with the win, keeping pace with the rest of PWSL’s Black Division as both Old Bridge and Stonewall Park secured victories this week as well. The Seals wrap up their 2018 regular season next week at home when they welcome the Virginia Oaks Sea Devils. The division championship will be held July 28 at Stonewall Park.
The Seals are the official swim team of Southbridge on the Potomac located in Southbridge, Va., and includes swimmers from the Southbridge, Potomac Shores and other surrounding communities in southeastern Prince William County. Founded in 2009, they have won division championships in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016.