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Sports

YMCA Swimmers Strike Gold in National Tournament

Coach: 'This team never ceases to amaze me.'

It is a summer to remember for the swimmers at the Somerset Valley YMCA.

Team members captured six YMCA National Championship individual and relay titles, three YMCA National Meet records and seven New Jersey swimming records that launched the Somerset Valley YMCA to a third place overall team finish at the Long Course YMCA Nationals last week in Atlanta.

It was the team’s best showing — ever.

The men’s team finished third, winning the Y National title in the 200 meter and 400 meter medley relays and  setting a new national record in the 400.  The medley relay team of Dylan Sali (Bridgewater-Raritan  High School), Zack Warner (Montgomery High School), David Chung and Brad Zdroik (Hillsborough High School) broke their own meet record in the 400 during the Y Nationals meet, which took place July 29 through Aug. 2 at the Georgia Institute of Technology Aquatics Center.

“The men got the ball rolling last summer by winning the 400 Medley Relay in record-breaking fashion,” said Matt Donovan, head coach and director of competitive swimming at the Somerset Valley YMCA  “Since then we’ve never looked back.”

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The women’s team also finished third, winning the 200 and 400 Freestyle Relays and taking the women’s relay titles for the first time ever in Somerset Valley Y history.  Lindsay Temple and Julieyanna Parker (Hillsborough High School)  teamed up with Holly Christensen (Hunterdon Central High School) and Katrina Kuhn (Bishop Arh High School) for the event.  The 200 relay also broke the Y National meet record.

“The women certainly did not want to be outdone by the guys and they stepped up big, winning two of the three freestyle relays this summer,” said Donovan.

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The third place finish in the 2013 Nationals is the highest overall finish in team history. 

In the men’s events, Dylan Sali won the Y National title by placing first in the 50 and 100 backstroke, breaking, the New Jersey swimming record in the backstroke in the process.  Sali, a graduating senior, will swim for Cornell University in the fall.

Zack Warner, who returns to the team as a senior next season, also brought home individual medals.  Warner finished second in the 50 and 200 breaststroke and third in the 100 breast.  He broke the Y National meet record in preliminaries before it was re-broken in the later heats.

Brad Zdroik joined Warner on the podium as a top-three finisher, placing second in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Zdroik, a junior, will have two more years with on the Somerset Valley squad

All three swimmers qualified for the Junior Nationals in Irvine, Ca. earlier this month

The girls were paced individually by Lindsay Temple, who finished second in the 200 backstroke and third  in the 100 back.  Temple qualified for Junior Nationals as well, and will return to the Y team in the fall as a senior. 

Holly Christensen also made top-three individually, finishing second in the 50 freestyle and qualifying for

The Junior Nationals in the process. She joined Rachel Stoddard, who will swim for Rutgers University, who finished third in the 50 breaststroke.

“Individually, the tone was set in the very first event with Joanna Kostin's swim in the 1500,” said Donovan.  “Joanna was the first Somerset Valley Y swimmer ever to score points in that event.  From then on out, each swimmer wanted to match the success of the other.”

In addition to the team’s awards, Donovan was selected as the recipient of the YMCA National Coach of the  Meet Award for the team’s performance.  The award is voted on by all of the coaches at the meet.

"It is a truly humbling experience to be honored this way,” said Donovan, “and I accept this award on behalf of the coaching staff here at Somerset Valley Y, especially Coach Rob Rynone. He has been with me since pretty much from the beginning.”

“We are elated with the performance of the national team, as well as with the level of sportsmanship and class our athletes exhibited all season,” said Dan Roth, Head Age Group Coach.  “While we couldn’t be prouder of our national team, we are excited to build on this success in the coming seasons.  The future is very exciting for SVY.”

 Earlier in the season, the younger swimmers finished an equally impressive long course campaign, with

Somerset Valley Y taking third overall at the LC Junior Olympics, breaking 24 team records. The 11-12 Girls Freestyle Relay also broke a New Jersey record.

“This team never ceases to amaze me,” said Donovan.  “I am extremely eager to get back to work with this crew in September.”

 The Somerset Valley YMCA swim team is a four-time state champion. More than 400 young athletes train with the team each year at its three branch facilities in Bridgewater, Somerville, and Hillsborough.  Swimmers compete at all levels, based on their ability and performance.

 Team tryouts for the Somerset Valley short course competitive winter team will be held on Sunday, Aug.18 at the Bridgewater YMCA.  For more information about the Somerset Valley Y swim team including tryout times, visit www.svynj.org.

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