Tsunami Earns Division Championship

— Despite a persistent rainfall and a near 30-degree drop in temperature Saturday morning July 21, Riverside Gardens’ Tsunami swim team defeated the host team from High Point Pool by a score of 269-151. With the win, Riverside Gardens became NVSL Division Six champions. The Tsunamis ended the season undefeated: 5-0. On July 11, the team also became co-champions in the Division 6 relay carnival.

In the final dual meet on Saturday, six Tsunami swimmers took first place in two separate events.

Shannon Artman, 8, finished first with a time of 19.87 seconds in the 8&under girls’ 25-meter freestyle and 26.79 in the 8&under girls’ 25-meter backstroke.

Elizabeth Dexter, 14, finished first with a time of 31.94 seconds in the 13-14 girls’ 50-meter freestyle and 39.45 in the 13-14 girls’ 50-meter backstroke.

Jack Garland, 10, finished first with a time of 36.06 seconds in the 9-10 boys’ 50-meter freestyle and 18.25 in the 9-10 boys’ 25-meter butterfly.

Gloriya Mavrova, 16, finished first with a time of 39.94 seconds in the 15-18 girls’ 50-meter breaststroke and 29.57 in the 15-18 girls’ 50-meter freestyle.

Carolyn Murphy, 16, finished first in the 15-18 girls' backstroke with a time of 34.50, and 34.62 in the 15-18 girls' 50-meter butterfly.

Graduating senior Sean Sullivan, 18, capped a perfect season in which he won every individual event he swam, finishing first with a time of 25.43 seconds in the 15-18 boys’ 50-meter freestyle and 28.07 in the 15-18 boys’ 50-meter butterfly.

Other individual winners for Riverside Gardens included Jack Lohrer (8&under boys' freestyle), Dax Campbell (8&under boys' backstroke), Michael Ghattas (9-10 boys' backstroke), Morgan Long (9-10 girls' backstroke), Johnathan Letai (11-12 boys' backstroke), Marley Gilliam (11-12 girls' backstroke), Patrick Murphy (15-18 boys' backstroke), Sean Finn (8&under boys' breaststroke), Anne Feighery (8&under girls' breaststroke), Teddy Feighery (9-10 boys' breaststroke), Olivia Scheidt (11-12 girls' breaststroke), Paul Dubois (13-14 boys' breaststroke), Michael Ryan Clark (15-18 boys' breaststroke), and Kelsey Anderson (13-14 girls' butterfly). Riverside Gardens won nine out of the 12 relays competed on Saturday.

On their way to their Division 6 championship, the Tsunami have seen five team records broken this season. Teddy Feighery set a new team record of 44.49 in the 9-10 boys' breaststroke. At the All-Star Relay carnival on July 18, the team of Patrick Murphy, Michael Ryan Clark, Sean Sullivan, and Kevin Grant set a new team record of 1:53.32 in the 15-18 boys' 200 meter medley relay, and a team record of 1:40.32 in the 200 meter freestyle relay. Carolyn Murphy, Gabrielle Bomberg, Gloriya Mavrova, and Melanie Bomberg set two team records of their own this season, with a time of 2:13.54 in the 15-18 girls' 200 meter medley relay, and a time of 1:57.28 in the 200 meter freestyle relay.

On Saturday, July 28, Riverside Gardens swimmers will go to Mantua to compete at the individual divisional championships.