BLUE WAVE: Kent Hong of the Community Park Bluefish displays his freestyle form in a recent meet, competing in the boys’ 10-and-under age group. Last week, Hong helped the host Bluefish produce a dominant performance at the Princeton Area Swimming and Diving Association (PASDA) championship meet. CP rolled to the PASDA Division 1 title, piling up 3,746 points to finish first of six teams with runner-up Lawrenceville Swim Association finishing more than 1,500 points behind as it tallied 2,215.50. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

It was raining on and off throughout the Princeton Area Swimming and Diving Association (PASDA) championship meet last week, but that didn’t dampen the parade of victories for the host Community Park Bluefish.

Thriving in their home pool over the two-day meet, the Bluefish dominated the competition in PASDA Division 1, piling up 3,746 points to finish first of six teams with runner-up Lawrenceville Swim Association finishing more than 1,500 points behind as it tallied 2,215.50.

CP head coach Mike Uchrin was proud of how his swimmers toughed it out through the inclement weather.

“It was cold and rainy but they came out and they were troopers,” said Uchrin, whose team had gone 5-0 in dual meets over the PASDA regular season.

“They did their best at championships. That was the best we have done all season so it was an exciting meet.”

With 240 swimmers in the Bluefish program, Uchrin has the resources to do some exciting things.

“You take a look at the relays, that is where you can really see the depth,” said Uchrin.

“The kids are going out and swimming for each other and doing the best they can. We had several relays in the top three or four spots. That is great representation for the team as a whole and it helps a lot as far as scoring well at championships.”

The Bluefish got some great work at 8-and-under girls from Zoe Bitterman and Caden Martin. Bitterman took first in the 25-yard butterfly and individual medley while Martin was winner of the 25 freestyle and runner-up in both the 25 backstroke and IM.

“Zoe Bitterman was given the MVP award for PASDA in that age group because she won the medley and the fly,” said Uchrin.

“She started the season hurt too; she had hurt her hand and missed the first part of the season. She was really raring to get back on the pool and she had a great meet. Caden Martin also did awesome, she won the free and was second in the IM and back.”

The team’s group of 10-and-under girls also produced some great results.

“The 10-and-under girls were probably one of our deepest groups led by Sabine Ristad there, she was the other one that won MVP for us,” said Uchrin.

“There were also a number of girls who did fantastic in the 10-and-under group, like Luna Bar-Cohen, a longtime Bluefish, Audrey Wilhelm, Charlotte Quick, and Scarlett Angelone, just to name a few. You could probably do a whole story on our 10-and- under girls, they were a great group this whole season.”

The 12-and-under girls had a fantastic summer in their own right. “The 11/12 girls were exceptional as well,” asserted Uchrin.

“Abby Walden, Alexandra Cherry, Katie DiVenti, Courtney Weber, and Emily Smith all did well. If you look at how they did in that 200 free relay, for example, they won that event by almost 15 seconds. Behind them we took second in that with Piper Dubow, Stella Miner, Kyleigh Tangen, and Courtney Weber. When those 11 and 12 year old girls would come in, that is when our team really started to show off our strength.”

The pair of Susannah Tuder and Ella Caddeau led the way for the 14-and-under girls. Tuder won the 50 free and placed third in the 50 breast while Caddeau took second in the 50 fly and third in both the 100 IM and 50 back.

“Both of those girls were the anchors all season long,” said Uchrin, referring to Tuder and Caddeau.

“Behind that group, we had a number of great girls who were working alongside with them in the relay spots and other individual events as well.”

Serena Sharpless and Cameron Davis anchored the 18-and-under girls. Sharpless won the 50 free and was fourth in the 50 fly while Davis placed third in the 50 back and fifth in the 100 IM.

“Serena and Cammie are another two who are longtime Bluefish vets, they came out and swam hard,” said Uchrin.

“It was really exciting to see those girls win the free relay, especially because Maddie Schwimmer was in her last race. She is graduating and going off to swimming in college. To have her last race be a win in that relay; I know the girls were really excited about that.”

Uchrin was excited about the work he got from his younger boys swimmers. In the 6-and-under division, Shavran Joshi took second in the 25 free and third in the 25 back while Logan Hong was first in the 25 back and third in the 25 free. In the 8-and-under group, Darren Elwood placed first in the 25 back and fourth in the 25 free.

“We had some great swims, Logan Hong and Joshi did a great job for us,” said Uchrin.

“Darren Elwood won the backstroke for the 8-and-under boys. We had great depth there with the younger boys and they were able to show their strength in the relays and a lot of the individual events.”

Kent Hong, David Brophy, and Arjen Fuller helped make the 10-and-under boys a strong group for the Bluefish. Hong placed second in the 25 breast, Brophy finished second in the 25 fly, and Fuller took fourth in the 25 back.

“There are a lot of teams that struggle with getting boys; we actually had more boys than girls on our team for the first time in a long time,” said Uchrin.

“I was really excited to see that because the sport in general is more popular with girls but we have been able to have a great group of boys. They came together, they had a blast, and they were having a lot of fun.”

Julian Velazquez and Paul La Cava had fun at the PASDA meet in the 12-and-under group. Velazquez won the 100 IM and placed second in the 50 fly while LaCava finished fourth in both the 100 IM and 50 back. Those two were also part of the winning 200 free relay and 200 medley relay teams. Matthew Baglio and Luke Cura joined them on the free relay while Baglio and Richie Catalina competed on the medley relay.

“They were another really strong group with Paul, Matt, Julian, and Luke,” added Uchrin.

In the 14-and-under group, Jason Kratzer and Owen Tennant led the way. Kratzer placed second in the 50 fly and the 50 free while Tennant won the 50 back and took second in the 100 IM.

“Jason Kratzer is another longtime Bluefish, his older brother Stephen had coached for us; the Kratzers are a longtime Bluefish family,” said Uchrin.

“Owen was huge for us in that age group all year long. He won the 50 back by a pretty healthy margin; he deserves credit for really holding his own.”

A quartet of stars, Calvin Ristad, Philip LaCava,  Charles Yandrisevits, and Dylan Torrance held their own in the 18-and-under boys’ division. Ristad took fourth in the 50 breast, LaCava was sixth in the 50 fly, Yandrisevits placed fourth in both the 50 free and the 100 IM, and Torrance was third in the 100 IM.

“We actually have great depth at the 15-and-over boys,” said Uchrin. “I worked with that group personally; a lot of teams struggle to keep those boys committed all the way to that level. We definitely had the strongest showing across PASDA as far as boys that were coming out and swimming hard. It showed in the relays and the individual events.”

The ongoing commitment from the families and community has made the Bluefish a model program.

“I think we have had great continued success over the years, this year being no exception,” said Uchrin.

“What I attribute it to is having great support from the community and our families. We have the best families and this is the best community for swimming, there is no doubt in my mind about that.”

A key component in the team’s success is its corps of assistant coaches, who are typically current or former Bluefish swimmers.

“We have the best coaching staff,” said Uchrin. “It is not just about pushing them to try to have the best times and places. The coaches understand that the focus needs to be on having fun, fostering a love for the sport and then getting the kids to do their very best. Our coaches work directly with the families for each of their age groups so we are able to have that close-knit community and not have that lost with being a larger team.”

That close-knit feeling helps the swimmers reach their potential. “The kids come together from different swim backgrounds, it doesn’t matter if you are a year-round swimmer or a club swimmer,” said Uchrin.

“For a lot of kids, this is their very first experience in swimming. At Community Park, I feel like we have created an environment where they can develop love for the sport, have fun with their friends, go out, and do their best. The success is really a by-product of all the fun and the hard work that they put together.”