Sea Dog Boys’ Team Uses Depth To Snag Short Course Championship

March 14, 2010 by Greg Lederer

The 2010 YMCA Short Course Senior Open brought elite swimmers from around state together at Wesleyan University. Familiar names were announced in championship heats and the crowd thoroughly cheered their top finishes from March 4-7.
No boys from the Cheshire Sea Dogs received an individual gold, silver, or bronze medal. However, they brought home the biggest prize of all. Cheshire swept all five relays to win the championship, combining with the girls‘ team for third place as a club. It was the first short course boys’ title for Head Coach Sean Farrell, who took the reigns in 1999.
“We don’t typically have the same team as in the summer (long course),” explained Farrell. “I’m really proud of the guys. Sometimes they don’t get the same attention because of what our girls have done.”
Kyle Neri, Christian Sinchi, and Joe Shepley won their first five championships. They joined Adam Shaw for the 200- (1:40.65) and 400- (3:41.67) medley relays, along with clocking the victorious 200-yard freestyle time (1:30.97). Erik Saberski earned gold with the 400- (3:21.28) and 800-yard (7:21.88) freestyle teams while contributing in the 50-yard freestyle (13th, 22.94), 100-yard backstroke (14th, 59.7) and 400-yard medley relay (Hevin Na, TJ Rodenbush, Andrew Eigner; fifth, 4:01.39).
“We put together some good ‘A’ and ‘B’ relays,” stated Farrell. “Those teams came together.”
Depth was the decisive factor behind securing the elusive title. The 100-yard breaststroke was a strong event, with Greg Han (fifth, 1:00.81), Sinchi (sixth, 1:00.89), and Shaw (1:01.84) finishing in the top 10. Sinchi also compiled top times for the 200-yard breaststroke (fifth, 2:13.45) and 200-yard individual medley (seventh, 2:02.3), placing 14th in the 100-yard freestyle (50.32). Shepley (200-yard individual medley, 14th, 2:04.64) finished fifth through the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.47), while Neri (100-yard freestyle, 11th, 50.15) produced the best individual finish for the 50-yard freestyle (tie for fourth, 22.63).
Han displayed versatility in the 200-yard breaststroke (ninth, 2:14.56), as well as the 200- (15th, 2:05.59) and 400-yard (10th, 4:19.75) individual medleys. Shaw swam the 200-yard individual medley (13th, 2:03.2), 400-yard individual medley (11th, 4:20.41), and 200-yard backstroke (14th, 2:03.74). Rodenbush competed in the 200-yard breaststroke (12th, 2:18.1) and 200-yard freestyle relay (Eigner, Tyler Steslka, Na; fourth, 1:40.64).
“We worked hard and wanted to have fun,” said Shaw, who combined with Rodenbush and Eigner on the 400- (Steskla; fifth, 3:37.24) and 800-yard (Na, Eigner; third 7:48.62) freestyle ‘B‘ teams. “I was trying to get them going in the locker room.”
Brendan Smalec (10:36.94; 1,650-yard freestyle, 10th, 17:43.54) and Dan Mongillo (10:39.64) posted 13th and 14 place, respectively, for the 1,000-yard freestyle.
“At practice and meets, we can cover a lot of events,” added Shaw.
Lauren Solernou and Justine Ress, along with Kim Jerome, led the girls' team to another strong performance. The Sea Dogs finished third behind Wilton (champion) and SONOCO.
Solernou (56.13) and Ress (2:02.3) captured the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes, respectively. They used to swim against each other before Ress switched from SONOCO to Sea Dogs last December. Ress finished second (56.24) to Solernou and added ninth in the 500-yard freestyle (5:05.93).
“We did push each other,” said Solernou, who earned the bronze medal for the 200-yard backstroke (2:03.98). “It was a lot of fun.”
“It felt pretty good because that's my favorite event,” added Ress, of the 200-yard backstroke. “I love having her as a teammate. It motivates me to swim faster. It's (Sea Dogs) such a positive group of swimmers.”
Solernou, a multi-time national champion in backstroke, contributed heavily to relays. She teamed with Jerome on the 200-yard (Julia Courtney, Ally Barry; third, 1:49.49) and 400-yard (Elizabeth McDonald, Alivia Berg; second, 3:53.39) medleys, posting ninth for their 400-yard freestyle team (Barry, Danielle Hellstern; ninth, 3:42.95). Solernou and Berg propelled the 200- (Hellstern, Barry; third, 1:40.63) and 800-yard (McDonald, Karen Novak; fifth, 7:55.7) freestyle units to strong times, but it was her 100-yard butterfly (10th, 59.18) swim that meant most.
“It was exciting because I hadn't got a best time in three years,” Solernou explained. “It's the last year (of swimming short course), so I wanted to go out well.”
“The fly is something she has gotten better and better at,” stated Farrell.
Cheshire also benefited from Jerome’s versatility. Her 10 swims all cracked the top 10. Jerome placed runner-up for the 200-yard breaststroke (2:20.61) and 200-yard butterfly (2:09.28), posting personal-best times. Within strong competition, she placed third in 100-yard breaststroke (1:04.56). Butterfly and breaststroke are incorporated into the 200- (fourth, 2:08.69) and 400-yard (third, 4:30.28) individual medleys.
“I was so happy. I was looking forward to swimming it (200-yard butterfly,” explained Jerome, who was followed by teammate Catherine Patrell (fifth, 2:11.62). “I'm trying a lot of different strokes to improve my IM (individual medley).“
“The breaststroke and IM are her dominant events, but she has worked hard to improve her other strokes,” Farrell added.
The 200-yard breaststroke was also a personal-best time. Breaststroke is her strongest stroke and pitted Jerome against Wilton's K.C. Moss, who won the 100- (1:03.82) and 200-yard (2:18.2) events. Courtney took eighth place (2:24.52).
“She (Moss) is a great breaststroker,” reflected Jerome, who secured sixth place with her 800-yard freestyle team (Lexi Koukos, Stephanie Nguyen, Courtney; 8:04.09). “I was surprised to get that close to her. It is exciting before nationals.”�
The girls’ team showed their depth in distance events. Jen Tavares cracked the top 10 of the 1,650- (sixth, 18:06.42), 1,000- (eighth, 10:45.65), and 500-yard (fifth, 5:10.62) freestyles. Tavares and Novak (500-yard freestyle, eighth, 5:13.78; 1,000-yard freestyle, 16th, 10:55.4) factored into 200- (Melissa Metcalf, Courtney; 10th, 1:43.19) and 400-yard (McDonald, Berg; fourth, 3:38.76) freestyle teams. Koukos (11th, 10:46.89; 15th, 5:16.52) and Nguyen (12th, 10:52; 16th, 5:20.86)
secured top 20 times through the 1,000- and 500-yard freestyles, respectively. Kelly Dolyak (1,650-yard freestyle, 15th, 18:30.59) and Berg (500-yard freestyle, 10th, 5:08.37) added to the strength in numbers.
“They've been working their tails off,” said Farrell.
McDonald also faced strong competition in the 50-yard freestyle (13th, 24.91), 100-yard butterfly (13th, 1:00), and 200-yard individual medley (10th, 2:12.72). Amanda Steinfeld (200-yard backstroke, 15th, 2:11.58) added ninth for the 200-yard medley relay (Patrell Amy Calabrese, Hellstern; 1:53.86).
The Senior Open serves as a tune-up for the National Championships, scheduled for April 7-10 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“I think we will do well,” reflected Jerome. “We have new swimmers that have added a lot of depth.”