Montclair YMCA Dolphins swimmers splash to success at Princeton invitational

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The Montclair YMCA Dolphins entered 84 swimmers  at the DeNunzio Natatorium at Princeton University in an invitational swim meet sponsored by the Princeton Tiger Aquatic Club, Jan. 21-21. The meet featured 1,577 swimmers from 25 teams.

More than a quarter of the Dolphins who entered to compete achieved top 10 finishes, including: Aurora Auld, 9; Avery Best, 13; Gaea Caro, 13; Troy Dibble,  10; Natalie Dripchak, 11; Carly Frank, 10; Elizabeth Habjan, 12; Natalie Nowaczek, 10; Leo Powers, 12; Sumner Smith, 13; and Millie Steffe, 14; of Montclair; Justin Cueva, 10; Nathan Espiritu, 14; Ryan LoCicero, 10; and Mizell McEachin, 13; of Bloomfield; Izzy Deubner, 13; Katie Song, 10; Connor Townson, 12; and Enzo Wood, 13; of Glen Ridge; Sol Jordan, 12; of Kearny; Brendan Moy, 16; of Parsippany; and Kazuri Lateef, 10; and Howard Zhuang, 10; of West Orange.

Outstanding performances by Frank, Townson, Lateef, LoCicero and Zhuang yielded six or more top 10 finishes each, including first place for LoCicero in the 200 free and Townson in the 100 back.  Best also took first place in the 100 free. Head Coach Paulo Madeira said, “Our swimmers have great momentum going into the championship season.  I am really excited to see what our swimmers can achieve over the next couple of months.”

The YMCA of Montclair Dolphins swim team offers a year-round opportunity for competitive swimming in both YMCA and USA Swimming competitions as well as seasonal instructional clinics for aspiring competitive athletes. The team is comprised of girls and boys from age 6 through high school. More than 200 athletes train with the team each year. They compete at all levels, based on their skill set.

For more information about the Montclair YMCA Dolphins swim team, contact head coach Madeira at pmadeira@montclairymca.org or 973-744-3400.