The Jefferson Swim League is divided into three divisions. For a number of years the two Fluvanna County based swim teams have been in different divisions and have not competed against each other. This year the Fluvanna Aquatic Sports Team (FAST), nicknamed the Makos, and the Lake Monticello Swim Team (LMST), nicknamed the Sharks, are both in Division II. Accordingly, they were scheduled to meet this year on July 13.
Thunderstorms and rain in the late afternoon forced the cancellation of that meet. It was rescheduled for Monday, July 18. Again, thunderstorms threatened. This time the teams were able to complete an abbreviated meet that ended with the FAST team narrowly ahead by a score of 288 to 254. The meet included the initial relay races and the freestyle and breaststroke events. However, the backstroke and butterfly events and the final relays could not be completed.
The meet began with a series of medley relay races and LMST excelled in these events in the younger age groups. In the mixed 6 and under race, Gavin McAdams, Charlotte Gifford, Landon Kovarik and Lily Cooley carried the Sharks to victory. The same was the case in the boys’ age 8 and under contest, which was won by Brett Hicks, Harrison Williams, Matthew Rea and Aaron Fairbanks. This LMST team won by a razor thin .15 seconds. In the girls’ 8 and under the LMST team of Ann Kraft, Lila Kate Robinson, Emma Pittman and Gracie Shields was victorious.
In the 9-10 age group FAST got its first medley relay win with the team of Cole Gustafson, Josh Hodges, Cole Owen and Jack Johnson. On the girls’ side, it was LMST in first with a team of Abbie Ford, Julia Tomaras, Brenna Rea and Reese Matula. In the 11-12 age group, FAST took the boys’ and the girls’ medley events with teams of Reese D’Alssandro, Colten Sawyer, Ahmad Woodson and Zach Thurston-Wells and Joey Hagan, Ally Lounsbury, Grace Farist and Megan Farist.
In the 13-14 medley relay events the teams split. LMST won the boys’ event with a team of Gabe Nardone, Logan Milburn, Nathaniel Smith and Jason Dech. FAST won the girls’ event, with a team of Emma DiFazio, Abby Harlow, Abigail Brown and Gracie McWilliams. The oldest age group in these events is 15-18. There was a split in this age group as well. FAST won on the boys’ side with a team of Mike DiFazio, Aden Johnson, Taylor Odham and Brennan King. LMST won the girls’ medley relay with a squad of Fefe Nardon, Caylyn McNaul, Morgan Maupin and Zoe Moore.
The freestyle events in this meet started with the boys’ 6 and under 25-meter swim. The Sharks dominated this event taking the first six places. Landon Kovarik finished first and Gavin McAdams was second. The girls’ 6 and under race was also all Sharks with Lila Kate Robinson winning and Ann Kraft second. In the boys’ 8 and under 25-meter event, FAST’s Ivan Patchett was the winner and the Sharks’ Aaron Fairbanks was second. In the girls’ same age group it was FAST that dominated. First place and second place went to Makos’ swimmers Audrey Harlow and Ruth D’Alessandro respectively.
In the 9-10 age group, the freestyle distance goes up from 25 meters to 50 meters. For the boys in this age group it was FAST’s Cole Gustafson in first place and FAST’s Josh Hodges in second. This race finished in a near dead heat, as Gustafson won by .06 seconds. The girls’ side in this age group was not nearly as close. Emily Farist of FAST topped Madison Kovarik of the Sharks by more than six seconds. In the boys’ 11-12 50-meter freestyle race, FAST’s Reese D’Alessandro was the winner, followed by LMST’s Aiden Kraft. In the girls’ 11-12 race FAST took first and second. Ally Lounsbury was the winner, with Megan Farist in second. The LMST team bounced back to win the13-14 freestyle event behind Hunter Strickland. Luke Gustafson took second for FAST. In the girls’ 13-14 event FAST took first and second, Abby Harlow and Emma DiFazio finished well ahead of their LMST competition.
The freestyle competition ended with the 15-18 age group. In the boys’ event, FAST took first and second. Aden Johnson won the race and Brennan King was second. Hannah Brown of FAST won the girls’ event, with Caylyn McNaul of LMST in second place.
In the boys’ 8 and under breaststroke event, Ivan Patchett of FAST won by an impressive ten seconds. His teammate James Johnson was second. Similarly, in the girls’ event, the Sharks also had a dominate winner. Lila Kate Robinson finished seven plus seconds ahead of teammate Emma Pittman. In the 9-10 age group, FAST took first and second in the boys’ race and first in the girls’ race. Cole Owen and Josh Hodges touched first and second and Emily Farist was a winner. Julia Tomaras of the Sharks was second in the girls’ race.
The 11-12 age group in the 50-meter breaststroke was dominated by FAST swimmers. Ahmad Woodson and Colten Sawyer were first and second on the boys’ side, while Ally Lounsbury and Joey Hagan were first and second in the girls’ event. In the 13-14 age group, Luke Gustafson of FAST was first and Noah Amato of the Sharks was second. The Makos were dominant on the girls’ side with Abigail Brown in first and Gracie McWilliams in second. In the 15-18 age group, Aden Johnson and Taylor Odham finished first and second for FAST. In the girls’ race, Morgan Maupin and Caylyn McNaul were first and second for LMST. This race was a near dead heat with Maupin winning by .05 seconds.
In the one backstroke event that was completed, the 6 and under boys’ event LMST had the first six finishers. Gavin McAdams was the winner and Jacob Devane was second.
