The Eastern Express Holiday Classic XXX was held at the Sonny Werblin Pool on the campus of Rutgers University, Dec. 16-18. With 47 teams and well over 1,200 swimmers in attendance, this USA Swimming meet is always one of the most competitive short course meets in the region. This year was no exception. The Montclair YMCA Dolphins sent 29 of their fastest swimmers who qualified to swim in this meet.
Amazing performances were achieved by Connor Townsend, 12, of Glen Ridge, with three top-10 finishes (50, 100 and 200 Backstroke); Avery Best, 13, of Montclair, with two top-10 finishes (50 and 100 Freestyle); and Howard Zhuang, 10, of West Orange (50 Breaststroke) and Carly Frank, 10, of Montclair (100 Backstroke), who each had one top-10 finish.
Additionally, Liam Hood, 14, of Glen Ridge tied for 11th place in the 200 Backstroke.
Head Coach Paulo Madeira said, “The Holiday Classic provides a great chance for our swimmers to compete against the fastest swimmers in the region. We expect to see lots of personal bests at this meet and we were not disappointed.”
The Dolphins will head to the Raritan Bay YMCA in Perth Amboy this weekend, Jan. 6-8, to compete in a three-day Winter Splash meet, hosted by the Red Bank YMCA.
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.
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