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TVSC Wins 2000 County Championships by 31 Points
 I am not sure where to begin when describing one of the most exciting county championships ever in which TVSC prevailed over Half Hollow Hills. The meet reminded me of two great heavyweights slugging it out for 15 rounds. The coaching staff is very proud of the kids, not only for their efforts in the pool but for the sportsmanship that they showed in victory. We would also like to thank the parents for their tremendous support and enthusiasm. I love the county championship meet because it is a reminder of what is possible when we all work together toward a common goal. On Saturday, TVSC had 18 more swimmers in finals and consolations than Half Hollow did which helped to establish a 65 point lead after the first day. The highlights from the first day included 5 county champions winning 8 events, 2 team relay records and one Top 16 cut. The 11-12 girls started the evening off on a high note for the team as Julia Smit won the 200 IM, with Caitlin Napoli, Nicole DaSilva, Erica Mutschler, Meredith Tish, and Taylor Kelly all scoring points for the team. Julia also won the 100 Back later in the evening. Jayne Molano kept the team rolling two events later with a win in the 100 IM, while Alana Sprow finished third with Molly Papish coming in 10th. Shaun Armstrong was TVSC's next county champion as he and Travis Brennan provided a one two punch in the 13-14 100 Fly. Shaun later won the 100 backstroke after qualifying for a Top 16 cut in the AM with a time of 54.38. Jon DaSilva won the county championship in the boys 9-10 Fly. Jon showed great heart by swimming well this weekend after banging up his face in a fall a few days before the meet. Also in the 9-10 boys, John Giunta won the 50 backstroke title with an impressive swim in a best time of 33.72. Jayne Molano and Christy Clifton followed up by going 1-2 in the girls 9-10 50 Back. Two TVSC team records were broken by the 9-10 girls and 11-12 girls medley relays. The 9-10 girls relay consisted of Christy Clifton, Alana Sprow, Jayne Molano and Molly Papish. The 11-12 girls relay was Nicole DaSilva, Julia Smit, Caitlin Napoli and Kandra Kane. On Sunday, the tables were reversed. This time Half Hollow had 13 more swimmers coming back for finals and with a lead of only 65 points, the coaching staff knew that it was going to be very close. At one point after the 11-12 boys breastroke, the score was actually tied. Alex Smith had a great swim in the 100 breastroke finishing 3rd in lane 1. Julia Smit had an eye popping 55.5 to win the 100 Free. She also won the 100 Breast. Julia won all 4 individual events and swam on both winning 11-12 girls relays. Michael Smit won the 200 IM at the beginning of the night and had a great meet overall qualifying for finals in all his events. I felt that the older boys for TVSC really stepped it up this meet and had some excellent performances throughout. The 100 Freestyle was very exciting and Richard Sanzo ended his career as a TVSC swimmer with a county title. Steve Shapiro, Chris Brandenberger and Dan Laidlaw also swam great for the team in this event to put a little breathing room between the two teams. Michael Cipollino won the consolation heat with a best time of 49.1, dropping more than a second off of his personal best. The relays were quite entertaining as usual. TVSC's 9-10 and 11-12 Girls Free Relays both qualified for Top 16 consideration. The 13-14 Boys Free relay also qualified for Top 16 consideration. The boys on the relay were Travis Brennan, Michael Smit, Mark Quinones and Shaun Armstrong. Simon Gao swam well on the 9-10 boys relay that finished 2nd. I mention Simon because he showed a lot of sportsmanship and class at the meet and was representative of what competitive sports is all about. TVSC should be proud of what we accomplished this past weekend. Congratulations to the entire TVSC community. |