RMSC Wins Titles at Eastern Zone Senior LC Championships!
A team of 24 RMSC swimmers travel to Buffalo, NY to compete in the Eastern Zone Senior Longcourse Championships, held August 7-10. The meet featured almost 60 teams from all over the Eastern Zone (Maine through Virginia). Our team had been close to winning the meet in the past, most notably with a runner-up finish in 2021. But this year, RMSC broke through and took the Boys, Girls, and Combined Team titles with many outstanding performances, and all 24 of the athletes contributing to the victory. The Boys won with 404 points, finishing 34 ahead of Team Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics. The Girls finished with 581 points, 176 clear of the host club, Star Swimming of Buffalo. And our combined total of 985 was almost 300 ahead of Star Swimming. We had several swimmers who scored for the team by placing in the top 16 in their events, and incredibly, every single swimmer on the trip qualified for finals by placing in the top 32 in at least one of their events!
Brig Barnett was our team's leading scorer at the meet with 75 points. He finished 2nd in 50 back (27.52), was top 8 in 200 free, 100 back, 200 back, and 200 IM, and top 16 in 400 free. Mara Ahearn was the girls' leading scorer with 68 points, and our only individual event winner with her 1st place in 1500 free (17:30.50). She was also 3rd in 200 free (2:07.78) and 800 free (9:21.94), was top 8 in 400 free, and top 16 in 100 free. Justin Jarczynski had top 8 finishes in 400 free, 1500 free, 200 fly, and 400 IM, and a 9th in 800 free. Skylar Dean took 3rd in 400 IM (5:13.93), top 8 in 800 and 1500 free, and top 16 in 400 free and 200 back. Taisiya Ivanovskaya was top 8 in 400 free, 800 free, and 1500 free, and top 16 in 200 free. Ella Crown had top 16 finishes in 200 back, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. Maeve Cutter placed top 8 in 1500 free and 400 IM, top 16 in 800 free, and top 24 in 200 free and 400 free. Kevin Lee finished top 8 in 200 free and 400 IM, top 16 in 100 back and 200 IM, and top 24 in 400 free and 200 back. Michael Kueh was top 8 in 100 fly and 200 fly, top 16 in 50 fly, and top 24 in 100 free. Samantha Arias placed top 8 in 100 breast and 200 breast, top 16 in 200 IM, and top 24 in 100 fly. Elizabeth Chen finished top 16 in 200 free, 100 back, and 200 back, and top 24 in 100 free. Annie Tansey was top 8 in 50 free, top 16 in 50 breast, and top 24 in 100 breast and 200 breast. Ethan Hua finished top 16 in 50 breast, 100 breast, and 200 breast, and top 24 in 400 IM. Mia Fecko was top 16 in 200 free, 400 free, and 1500 free, and top 24 in 200 breast. Elle Floyd finished top 8 in 1500 free, top 16 in 400 IM, and top 24 in 400 free and 200 fly. Gracie Schur was top 16 in 50 free, 200 back, and 200 fly, and top 24 in 100 free, 100 back, 50 fly, and 100 fly. Jeremiah Germosen finished top 16 in 50 free and 50 fly, and top 24 in 100 free, 100 fly, and 200 fly. Also finishing in the top 24 and 32 at the meet were: Alex Chandran, Jason Cobb, Padraig Conley, Dominik Dolezel, Patrick Fisher, Piper Long, and Shawn Mashburn.
Much of our team scoring came in relays, where RMSC swam particularly well. In fact, each and every one of our Girls and Boys A and B relays scored by placing in the top 16! Our lone relay victory was in the girls 800 free (Dean, Cutter, Ivanovskaya, Ahearn), in which our B also placed 3rd (Chen, Fecko, Floyd, Crown). Our depth was also great in the Girls 400 medley, where we finished 2nd (Dean, Arias, Crown, Ahearn) and 3rd (Chen, Fecko, Schur, Tansey). Our Boys’ top finish was a 2nd in the 400 medley (Barnett, Hua, Kueh, Germosen). The Girls 400 free also took 2nd (Ahearn, Chen, Schur, Cutter) and 4th (Ivanovskaya, Tansey, Floyd, Dean). The Boys 800 free finished 3rd (Kueh, Barnett, Lee, Jarczynski), while the Boys 400 free took 4th (Barnett, Kueh, Germosen, Cobb). Both the Boys 200 free (Germosen, Fisher, Barnett, Dolezel) and Girls 200 free (Chen, Schur, Tansey, Ahearn) placed 5th. Conley, Chandran, and Mashburn also contributed to top 16 scoring relays at the meet.
Congratulations to the 2025 Senior Zone Team, and we’ll enjoy the Championship plaques to commemorate the victory (pictured)!