The Long Island Aquatic Club competed in the annual Junior Olympic Championships and did very well. Port youngsters Calvin Ye, Derek Knight, and Madeline Competello were all there scoring points for the team, including several top five finishes for Madeline.
They were part of qualifying swimmers from teams all over the metropolitan area that showed up for the contest. The top clubs were all in attendance and the competition was fierce. These young athletes battled for the top 16 spots in the preliminary heats. Then they duked it out in finals to score points for their team.
It was a battle till the end, but The Long Island Aquatic Club succeeded with its 12th straight combined team championship. As if that title wasn’t enough, the team also won the combined 13-14 age group championship, and swept the inaugural 15-18 Team Challenge awards with the combined Men’s and Woman’s titles. That’s a lot of hardware for one weekend.
Long Island Aquatic Club has long been the top team in the metropolitan area. With swimmers qualifying for the Olympic Trials since 1996, the team continues to strive for excellence year after year.
This competition is an important stepping stone for these age group swimmers who have trained all year to qualify and compete on this level. The meet was very close down to the very end, and the swimmers battled it out until the last event.
Head coach Ginny Nussbaum had this to say about the team: “These young swimmers spent all season working on skills for this event. They were very excited to compete with the best swimmers in the metro area and we are proud of all of our achievements.”
