Ben Nalle, FAST assistant coach, said of the meet, “we had a great fun meet last week. It was exciting to see all of the swimmers improve on their times and we hope to continue to improve through to the end of the season.”
Assistant Coach Nathan Johnson had a similar opinion of the meet. He said “the relays at the end of the meet were very exciting to watch. The kids were a joy to coach and overall we saw many time drops.”
The time drops in the meet are far from atypical. To FAST Head Coach Cos DiFazio, meets with time drops and exciting relays are all in a day’s work. He said “we love a good close meet like this one was. The team spirit creates excitement and it helps the kids continue to improve their times, which is what we are all about. We focus on the process of learning so our kids are improving quickly, and that is why they are such good swimmers.”
The FAST swim team just edged out Glenmore winning the meet 508 – 502. Swimmers from all age groups contributed to this score.
In the 8-and-under age group Audrey Harlow took first place in the 25 freestyle and Ivan Patchett took 2nd in two races, the 25 breaststroke and 25 butterfly. The 9 -10 age group had several standout performances, including Emily Farist who took first place in the girls’ 9-10 100 meter individual medley (IM), the 50 freestyle and the 50 backstroke. Cole Owen also took first place in the boys’ 100 meter IM as well as the 50 backstroke. Josh Hodges also scored several points by taking 1st in the 50 breaststroke and in the 50 freestyle.
The 11-12 boys’ freestyle relay team took first place. The team included Reese D’Alessandro, Zach Thurston-Wells, Ahmad Woodson and Gus Jones. Gus Jones also won the 100 meter IM, 50 breaststroke and the 50 backstroke while Ahmad Woodson won the 50 freestyle and the 50 butterfly races. 12-year-old Ally Lounsbury won the 100 meter IM as well as the 50 meter breaststroke. Grace Farist won the 50 backstroke.
The 13 -14 age group was very competitive. Abby Harlow took 1st place in the 100 meter IM as well as the 50 freestyle, while Emma DiFazio took first in the 50 backstroke and the 50 butterfly. In the 15-18 age group Hannah Brown took first in the 100 meter IM and the 50 freestyle. Mike DiFazio took first in the 50 butterfly.