The Montclair Dolphins YMCA swim team finished the short-course season with some outstanding results at state championships and regional competitions with many more swimmers qualifying to compete than in previous years in the action-packed February and March meet schedule.
A huge pod of 165 Dolphins raced in combined gold, silver and bronze championships in New Jersey, and the regional competition that marks the end of the season in Charlotte, North Carolina. That was up over 30% from the 126 Dolphins that competed last year.
“At the start of the season, our goal was to qualify more swimmers than ever for the NJ YMCA State Championships and Season Ending Sunkissed Championships” said Dolphins Coach Kyle Laracy. “Our team greatly exceeded my expectations and surpassed that goal. “
A squad of 17 Dolphins aged 11-16 traveled to the Sunkissed invitational event in Charlotte on March 21-24. This is a regional-level competition with fast qualifying times that Dolphins swimmers aspire to make each season. Sixteen teams from six states raced at the meet.
The highest placed finishers for the Dolphins were Brenna Laracy (Montclair), who came in second in the girls 100-yard breaststroke for the under 13 girls, and Christian Olderog (West Orange), who placed third in the 50-yard breaststroke for the under 13 boys. The girls 13-14 year-old medley relay placed fourth.
“The atmosphere at Sunkissed is electric and incredibly festive,” said Coach Kyle. “It is an especially fun meet for our team to end the season with, while our athletes were impressive in making and improving in so many of the top 16 finals swims at night.
Also in March, 16 Dolphins raced at the top in-state competition, the YMCA State Championships. The Dolphins had several finishers in the top 8 at this most competitive meet. Sawyer Beauboeuf (Verona, above) came in fifth in the 200-yard backstroke for 12 and under boys, a great result after he seeded in 13th place. Toby Arbelaez (Montclair) finished eighth in the 50-yard fly for the 10 and under boys.
The Dolphins had more swimmers than last year at the event, when 10 Dolphins competed.
The Dolphins youngest swimmers put in a remarkable showing at the 8 and under State Championships in February. A squad of 28 swimmers took part, double the size of the team that competed in 2023. The Montclair YMCA finished seventh out of 23 teams. Sophia Landrove (Montclair) finished first in the state for the 50-yard freestyle for the 7 and under girls. The boys 7 and under freestyle relay team also won their event.
The young Dolphins placed 7th out of 23 teams.
“I truly hope that all of our youngest athletes and their families feel proud of their accomplishments this season,” said Coach Kyle. “When I think back to many of these swimmers’ first tryouts in July and then their first time trials in September, I’m struck by their growth in many ways, not only their swimming, but their demonstration of the Y’s values.”
At the Silver Championships in February , 27 Dolphins raced, up from 20 in 2023. At the Bronze Championships, some 67 swimmers raced and came home with 10 winners and a haul of 27 podium finishes.
Earlier in the season, the Dolphins were unbeaten in a series of dual meets with teams from other YMCA’s in New Jersey, such as Morristown, Wayne and Sussex.
“More important to the success of our swimmers in competitions was their individual improvements, which were tremendous on all fronts,” said Coach Kyle. “We ultimately want our swimmers to be great teammates, demonstrating respect and dedication. I’m proud of the exceptional community we are building with our team too.”
At the last dual meet in January, the Dolphins celebrated their graduating seniors. Congratulations to Sophie Beauboeuf (Verona), Tyna and Tyler Davis (Bloomfield), Kaya Gumusayak (Verona), Katie Song (Glen Ridge), Brianna Surichaqui (Belleville) and Zoe Troxler (Montclair).
“I’m so glad our senior swimmers stayed with the program and competed, trained, and coached with us this year. They brought a lot of wisdom to the team and were good models for our youngest swimmers. They are well rounded young adults. I’m excited to hear about their upcoming adventures.”
Montclair Dolphins thank the seniors for the hard work, commitment and invaluable contributions to the team over the years, and wishes them every success for the future.
The swimmers will soon start training for the long-course summer season, where they compete in 50-meter pools. Over the winter short course season, the swimmers race in 25-yard pools.
