SOCKING IT TO THEM: Natan Wysocki competes in a meet earlier this summer for the Community Park Bluefish swim team. Wysocki helped the Bluefish place first in the team standings at the Princeton-Area Swimming and Diving Association (PASDA) championship meet last month. Wysocki finished first in the 50-yard freestyle and second in the 50 backstroke at the meet. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Kelsey Schwimmer saw a greater intensity around the Community Park Bluefish swim team this summer than in the past.

“One of the things that stood out to me was how much participation and involvement we had,” said Bluefish co-head coach Schwimmer. “It is always pretty high, but we were seeing huge turnouts at our morning practices. Usually that first hour is a little less well attended because it is earlier, but it was full every single day. I think that really just goes to show how hard our coaching staff was working and how much the kids were enjoying it and excited to come out and swim and be with their friends.”

That hard work paid dividends as the Bluefish enjoyed another exciting campaign, going 4-0 in dual meet competition and then placing first in the team standings at the Princeton-Area Swimming and Diving Association (PASDA) championship meet. The Bluefish piled up 3,862.50 points at the championships with Ben Franklin Swim Team taking second with 1,786.

The squad has won 44 straight dual meets and is undefeated over the last 10 years. It has now won the PASDA meet for 10 straight times as well.

In reflecting on the program’s dominance, co-head coach Mike Uchrin pointed to the team’s depth and work ethic.

“We had a great meet at the PASDA championships; we had a really high level of participation from our team which was fantastic,” said Uchrin, noting that the team boasted 250 swimmers this summer. “A lot of kids came and a lot of kids really showed their stuff. There were a lot of fast times and a lot of records. It was the culmination of an entire season worth of hard work and it came together in a really great way.”

Several Bluefish swimmers produced some great stuff at the PASDA championships as they were named as meet MVPs. Among the boys, David Brophy was the 18U MVP with Nathan Ricciardi earning the honor for the 12U boys. Annie Flanagan and Sabine Ristad were the co-MVPs for the 18U girls, while Alexis Julian was the choice for the 12U girls and Alicia Ben got the honor for the 8U girls.

In Uchrin’s view, the support system of parents and coaches has been crucial to the program’s success.

“We are fortunate to have the support that we have as far as numbers go and the community buying into it,” added Uchrin, whose coaching staff includes many Bluefish veterans. “The other thing has been the coaching. We have so many great coaches, most of them are former Bluefish who have put in years of time. I am looking at people like Cami Davis and Piper Dubow, they are really the embodiment of what the program is about as well as all of the other coaches. That is why we are able to keep this streak going and keep the kids involved and having fun.”

Two of the two’s youngest kids, Zeeon Zang and Sam Spross, came up big for the boys’ six-and-under group at the PASDA meet. Zang placed second in both the 25-yard freestyle and 25 backstroke while Spross took third in the 25 free and sixth in the 25 back.

“Zeeon was showing up every day working hard, he actually ended up swimming with the 10-and-unders in practice,” said Schwimmer. “He was really excited to get out there and help put whatever he could in relays. It was the same for Sam, he was coming every single day. He was so dedicated. He actually swam up, he got 12th overall in the 8U 50 butterfly going against seven and 8-year-olds.”

As for the 6U girls, Rose Goodrich excelled, taking seventh in the 25 back and eighth in the 25 free.

“Rose really blew us away,” said Schwimmer. “She worked so hard and showed up with a smile every single day. We were so proud of her.”

Manning Xia starred for the 8U boys, placing first in the 100 individual medley and second in the 25 butterfly. Jack O’Dowd also performed well, finishing second in the 25 back and third in the 25 breaststroke while Ryan Costello took 10th in the 25 free.

“Manning is one of those kids who we have been able to rely on, he has been awesome,” said Schwimmer, who also got a good meet from Reid Goodrich as he came in fourth in the 25 breast and sixth in the 25 fly. “Ryan and Jack are both excellent swimmers. They have been great with the team, they have been really cheering for their friends. Their improvement has been off the charts this summer.”

Alicia Ben dominated in the 8U girls, taking first in the 25 fly and 25 breast. In addition, she broke a team breast record that had been set in 1977.

“Alicia was one of those kids who was always ready to swim, you know she is going to put in her best effort,” said Schwimmer, who got a first place finish from Claudia Defoe in the 25 free. “She really gave it her all. She got the MVP, she set records in almost every stroke. She put everything she could into her swimming.”

As for the 10U boys, Nicholas Weihe placed fourth in the 25 fly and ninth in the 100 IM while Theodore Cotter finished first in the 25 breast and Jax Cherian finished third in the 25 back.

“Nicholas has been so consistent and so determined this summer to improve,” said Schwimmer. “When he comes, he is working hard and trying to drop seconds. Theodore has got an older brother and a younger brother and that family has been so helpful all summer. The boys are just so excited to be here, they are so ready to help out and cheer. Jax came to every single practice this summer. He has worked so hard to make sure that his strokes were better and to drop seconds. He has been part of the backbone of the team.”

Carlin Markey posted a big win for the 10U girls, taking first in the 25 back with Aurelie Bachner coming in second. Peyton Shoop placed second in the 25 free, fourth in 25 free, and fifth in the 100 IM with Ida Zlotchew taking fifth in the 25 breast and sixth in the 100 IM.

“It was really unique this summer for our 10-and-under girls because there was such a huge amount of depth,” said Schwimmer. “We didn’t just have one swimmer who stood out for everything, we had a huge amount of girls who were placing left and right and were dropping time and pushing each other to do better. The girls were just such great supporters of one another and were working hard all summer. We were really proud of them.”

Nathan Ricciardi stood out for the 12U boys, placing first in the 100 IM and 50 back. Jay Kumar took fourth in the 50 breast and sixth in the 100 IM while James Cotter finished fourth in both the 50 free and 50 breast and Huxley Shoop came in fifth in the 50 free.

“Nathan ended up being the MVP; he was on the free relay with Jay Kumar, James Cotter, and Huxley Shoop and they won by nine seconds,” said Uchrin. “It was really impressive stuff out of Nathan. That group had a lot of fun, they are very team-oriented.”

As for the 12U girls, Alexis Julian took first in both 50 free and 50 fly with Adelyn Ben coming in second in both the 50 back and 50 fly, Oceana Hsieh finishing first in the 50 breast and second in the 100 IM, and Clementine Nieman taking fifth in the 100 IM.

“The 12-and-under group for the girls was incredible, you could do an entire article on the 12-and-under girls,” said Uchrin. “If you look at the 12-and-under 50 fly, they took first, second, third, and fourth (Julian followed by Ben, Sophia Huang, and Joviale Wu). These are girls that are really dedicated to our program. They have been together since they were 8-and-under and now they have kept moving up together. The relays that they won for the 11-12 girls are the same relays they have been swimming since they were 8 years old.”

Natan Wysocki led the way for the 14U boys, excelling in both the free and back as well as the relays.

“Natan won 50 free which was great, he took second at 50 backstroke,” said Uchrin, noting that Max Wang also starred in the 14U age group, taking seventh in the 50 back and ninth in the 50 free. “His relay (which also included Wang, Bryce Capone, and Maxwell Barone) won the free relay by 20 seconds, which is pretty unheard of in PASDA. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a relay win by that margin. They really came together and worked hard on that.”

Charlotte Flanagan produced some good work for the 14U girls, taking second in the 50 back.

“Charlotte Flanagan was great last year for us and repeated it again for us this year,” said Uchrin. “The girls placed second in the free relay. That group was not our largest group but there was a really strong core there. The girls were really positive in supporting each other.”

The pair of David Brophy and Kentaro Bauer spearheaded the 18U boys. Brophy won both the 50 free and 50 fly while Bauer took first in the 50 breast and second in the 100 IM. Shawn Elwood placed eighth in the 50 free.

“David flies through the water, he glides over the water,” said Uchrin. “He had a great stroke. He broke the PASDA record in his 50 fly at the meet. He has been dominant for us all season. Kentaro did great, he coached for us as well. He is a great guy as far as team spirit and also really works hard and it shows. At the PASDA championships both of his swims, the IM and the breast, were team records so that is impressive stuff.”

Uchrin was also impressed with the efforts he got from others in that age group.

“I work directly with the 18-and-under group and Shawn Elwood, Braedyn Capone, and Mark Lackner are diehard Bluefish,” added Uchrin. “They have been with us their whole lives. They really embody what this program is about so I am really proud of how they have done and their efforts all season.”

Sabine Ristad and Annie Flanagan sparked the 18U girls’ group as Ristad took first in both the 50 fly and 100 IM while Flanagan won both the 50 free and 50 back. In addition, Zoe Bitterman placed second in the 50 fly and fourth in 100 IM.

“They are a fierce group of competitors,” said Uchrin. “You look at Annie, she is a speedster. You have got Sabine who was just crushing her 50 fly. Also performing really well was Zoe Bitterman; she has been with the Bluefish forever. She was fantastic for us, she has such great team spirit and positivity with the other girls. The relay of Annie, Zoe, Sabine and Kyleigh [Tangen] broke both the team and league record in their free relays. I am really proud of that group even beyond just Annie, Sabine, Zoe, and Kyleigh. We had a number of really positive and great participants with people like Sophie Robertson, Natasha Gold and Charlotte Quick. These are girls that have been with the team for a long time and they continue to give it their all.”

Reflecting on the summer, Uchrin credited the team’s swimmers and families with giving their all throughout the season.

“Last summer was tough, summer conditions-wise. It was cold and then it was smoky,” said Uchrin. “That was a difficult summer across the entire league, a lot of kids really struggled to get going. It didn’t really get warm until early July. To see our families come back at full force this summer and have really great participation really speaks to the buy-in from the community. We so appreciate that.”