SEALS Set New Records, Place 65 Top County Times in Loss to Sea Lions
By Contributor Jim Riley
The Southbridge Seals fell to 1-1 after a 2953.5 to 2094.5 loss to the Kingsbrooke Sea Lions during Week 2 of the Prince William Swim League summer season June 22 at Kingsbrooke. The Sea Lions’ 186 swimmers notched 501 splashes during the meet compared to the Seals’ 97 swimmers and their 237 splashes.
Despite being vastly outnumbered and swimming against a team two divisions higher, Southbridge was able to remain competitive by averaging 8.8 points per splash compared to an average of 5.9 points per splash for Kingsbrooke. Twenty-three Seals swimmers recorded 57 Top 25 times for the week including Lindsay Juhlin who had the top time in the county for the Girls 13-14 50M Fly.
Seals relay teams fared just as well with eight of them landing Top 15 times for the week led by the Girls 13-14 200M Medley Relay team of Alyssa Giovinazzo, Lindsay Juhlin, Samantha Kayne, and Stella Nolan who scored the top time in the county and set a new team record.
Seven new Seals records were set — two individual and five relays: Owen Howery (Boys 13-14 50M Back); Hunter Howery (Boys 15-18 50M Back); Boys 11-12 Medley and Free Relay teams consisting of Justin Shahateet, Jacob Lattanzi, Parker Juhlin, and Zach Alachnowicz; Girls 13-14 Medley and Free Relay teams comprised of Alyssa Giovinazzo, Lindsay Juhlin, Samantha Kayne, and Stella Nolan; and the Boys 13-14 Medley Relay team of Will Murphy, Aaron Hall, Ryan Parkzes, and Owen Howery.
Seals Head Coach Greg Giovinazzo said, “We had a terrific morning at the pool. Although we were outnumbered, our kids showed up and competed well against a very talented team. With the poor weather we had over this past week, I was excited to see that the kids didn’t miss a beat and continued to improve across the board.”
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. This year, the Seals have moved up into the PWSL’s Green Division after winning the Black Division championship in 2018. They will face off against Brookside and Westridge for the division championship July 27 at Westridge. Founded in 2009, they have won division championships in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018.