Aquianas Are off to Zone Championships after Regional Win 

The New Canaan YMCA Aquianas Synchronized Swim Team captured 19 gold medals at the Region A Championships held May 16-18 in Andover, MA.  A total of 246 swimmers representing 12 teams competed at the Regional meet, traveling from as far away as New Hampshire and Massachusetts.  The New Canaan YMCA Aquianas Intermediate and the Age Group girls will now move on to their next level of competition and will compete in Westfield, NJ at the Eastern Zone Championships in early June.

The Aquianas began the competition strong in the Intermediate divisions, bringing home eight gold, three silver, and five bronze medals. New Canaan’s Emma Flynn took two golds in the 10 and under group:  1st in solo and again in compulsory figures. The 10 and unders followed up these two golds with bronze medals in the duet, trio, and team events.  The 10 and under duet of Katherine Connolly and Eileen Flynn took the bronze medal.  In trios, Katie Farrell, Camilla Kline, and Teresa Salamone came in 3rd as well, followed by teammates Ashley Evans, Annabel Hendrick, and Natalia Londono, who placed 4th.  The 10 and under team of Connolly, Eileen Flynn, Hendrick, and Kline also took home a bronze medal in that category.

The 11/12 Intermediate swimmers brought home three medals in their events. In 11/12 solos, Alexandra Lin took the silver medal. Alice Chidley and Ophelie Tousignant took the bronze in 11/12 duets.  In 11/12 teams, New Canaan’s Chidley, Evans, Farrell, Emma Flynn, Lin, Londono, Salamone, and Tousignant won the gold medal. 

Last up in the Intermediate category were the 13 and over swimmers, who rounded out the medal wins for the Intermediates with five gold, two silver, and one bronze medal.  The Aquianas swept the medals in the 13 and over compulsory figures category.  In a field of 34 swimmers, Rebecca Trinklein took the first of her four gold medals of the day, Lissie Feist the silver, and Sarah Dittmeier 3rd.  Dittmeier then went on to capture a gold medal for her solo performance in the 13 and over group.

In duets, Feist and Trinklein took the gold in the 13 and over group, and teammates Anisha Khosla and Priya Wadhwa took the silver. In 13 and over trios, the trio of Anastasia Lenskiy, Lauren Mayhew, and Trinklein captured the gold medal with a score of 50.657.  The 13 and over team then followed with their final gold for the team of Feist, Lenskiy, Mayhew, Trinklein, and Wadhwa.

The Intermediate girls will now compete at the Eastern Zone Championships in Westfield, NJ in June, the final event of their season.  “Our intermediates continue to look strong,” said Coach Thea Bardin. “They came out of the Connecticut Association meet with a lot of strength and looked good again at this Regional meet.  We know that they will do well at the Eastern Zone competition as they are working very hard to improve each time.”

In the Age Group classification, New Canaan’s swimmers continued to bring home the gold.  In the 10 and under group, figure and solo golds went to Sierra Rojas- Thomas. Rojas-Thomas captured the gold in solo, with a score of 50.185, well ahead of competitor Sophia Laperle of the Synchromaids of Central MA (42.098).

Next up were the 11/12 Age Group girls, and Erin Wheeler captured the figure and solo golds. Her solo was first of five solos, with a score of 54.461. She then partnered with Isabella Montgomery, and they again came in 1st with their duet, with a score of 54.861. Montgomery then went on to take her second gold with partners Diya Banerjee and Selena Liu in 11/12 Age Group trios, with a score of 53.495.  They were 1st in a field of 6 trios. The 11/12 Age Group team from New Canaan brought home another gold medal:  Banerjee, Khosla, Liu, Montgomery, Rojas Thomas, and Wheeler placed 1^st out of six entries and won with a score of 54.487. “The 11/12 Age Group girls had the Midas touch at this meet,” commented Coach Krista Bessinger. “They took the gold medals in figures, solo, duet, trio, and the team events. It was an awesome day for them!”

The 13-15 Age Group girls then took to the pool.  In 13-15 figures Marina Hoffman captured the gold, with a score of 63.833, placing 1st in a field of 69 swimmers. Hoffman also won the solo event, with a score of 66.267, ahead of silver medalist Alison Ziel from the ANA Synchers (63.125). Teammate Mina Shah took 5^th place in the group of 9 solos, up from a 7^th place finish last year. In duets, Laura Cardi and Amelia Clark placed 7^th, and Alison Commender and Jennifer O’Neill were 9^th.   Rounding out the 13-15 small routines, Commender, Ankita Mukherjee and O’Neill placed 6^th in 13-15 trios, with Abby Butcher, Sarah Dittmeier, and Amanda McKenzie placing 8^th.   The 13-15 Age Group team of Butcher, Cardi, Clark, Commender, McKenzie, Mukherjee, O’Neill, and Shah took the silver medal, edged out by the ANA Synchers. 

Last up were the 16-19 year old swimmers.   In 16-19 figures, Colleen Courtmanche took gold, with a score of 68.763, and teammate Rebecca Gordon took the silver, again in a large group of fifty nine 16-19 year olds. Courtmanche also captured the gold in solo, with a score of 72.832, beating her 2^nd-place finish last year.  Teammate Gordon placed 4^th in solos.

In 16-19 trios, New Canaan won the silver medal.  Gordon, Dana McLachlin, and Shah took 2^nd, with a score of 67.87.  The Capital District YMCA Sculpins took the gold, with a score of 68.304.

New Canaan’s Age Group girls will now compete alongside the Intermediates at the Zone Championships in New Jersey in early June before heading to Binghamton, NY in late June to compete at the Age Group National Championship.  The Binghamton meet is the Age Group final event of the season.