In the age 8 and under freestyle event, there were 24 boys competing and 23 girls. This means multiple heats for each group. In the boys’ event the Sharks’ Aaron Fairbanks had the best time by over two seconds. The girls’ event was the first sweep of the night for the Lake Monticello team with Ava Gray and Ann Kraft finishing first and second. The age 9-10 freestyle event had over 50 boys and girls competing. The Sharks were shut out of first and second in both the boys’ and the girls’ events. In the girls’ 11-12 freestyle event, Julia Tomaras was second. In the boys’ 13-14 freestyle event Hunter Strickland was the winner by approximately two and a half seconds. In the 15-18 age group Morgan Milburn was second for the boys and Zoe Morgan was a winner for the girls.
In the girls’ 8 and under breaststroke, Ava Gray was a winner for the Sharks, besting the second place finisher by an impressive eight seconds. In the girls’ 9-10 breaststroke Anna Amato took second. In the boys’ 11-12 breaststroke it was Jackson Hopkins winning for the Sharks. In that age group for the girls, Julia Tomaras was second. In the boys’ 13-14 age group, Noah Amato posted a second place finish for the Sharks. In the girls’ 15-18 competition, Morgan Maupin swam to victory.
In the boys’ 8 and under backstroke, the Sharks took first and second. Aaron Fairbanks was the winner, while Gavin McAdams took second. The girls’ backstroke event in the same age group was won by Ann Kraft. In the 9-10 age backstroke, the Sharks got second place finishes from Jaxon Brooks and Sierra Miller. In the boys’ 13-14 backstroke, Owen Strickland was the winner of a near dead heat. He won by .02 seconds. In the 15-18 backstroke events, the Sharks were strong. Morgan Milburn won for the boys, while FeFe Nardone won for the girls.
The butterfly is the final of four individual swimming disciplines. In the 8 and under category Aaron Fairbanks was second for the Sharks, and Ava Gray was a winner. In the 9-10 age group the Sharks got another first place finish from Anna Amato. In the 11-12 age group the Sharks recorded second place finishes by Jackson Hopkins and Ava Amato. In the 13-14 age group, Lake Monticello’s boys swept first and second with Hunter Strickland and Noah Amato. Both finished well ahead of the competition. The 15-18 butterfly event was a repeat of 15-18 backstroke for the Sharks. Once again, it was Morgan Milburn in first and FeFe Nardone grabbing second place.
This meet ended with a series of eight relay races. Unfortunately for the Sharks, they were only able to post two wins in these races. In the boys’ 13-14 freestyle relay, the team of Gabe Nardone, Noah Amato, Owen Strickland and Hunter Strickland was victorious. In the last race of the very long evening, the Lake Monticello 15-18 girls’ relay team of Jordan Franco, Morgan Maupin, Zoe Moore and FeFe Nardone finished well ahead of their competition.
Coaching 150 swimmers from ages 6-18 is no easy task, yet Csapo is in her fifth year at the helm. She is ably assisted by Sito Arroyo, Maria Arroyo and Alexis Goodwin.
