Swim Team Season Begins With a Splash!

The Richard G. Snyder YMCA is excited to announce that the 2015 - 2016 swim team season has begun with a splash! The Snyder Stingray Swim Team is starting its third season and looks to make this year the best one yet.

The team is made up of 63 children, ages 4 to 18, who will be competing in five YMCA dual meets. Swimmers also have the opportunity to compete in nine invitational meets as well as Section Championship, District Championship and State Championship meets. Swimmers compete as a team and as individuals to try to qualify for the District Meet that is held at Penn State University in March of 2016. If a swimmer qualifies for the District Meet, he or she will have a chance to qualify for the State Meet, also held at Penn State. Last year the Stingray Swim Team had 10 swimmers qualify for districts and 9 swimmers qualify for states.

The first invitational meet of the year was held on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at Youngstown State University. The meet was hosted by the New Castle YMCA and the Snyder Stingray team had 27 swimmers participate. Out of the 8 teams competing, overall the Stingray girls placed third, scoring a total of 885.5 points, and the boys placed fourth with a total of 554 points. The team brought home a total of 96 individual medals and 13 high point trophies.

The second invitational of the year was the Uniontown Swim Pink Invitational, which was held on Sunday, October 25, 2015 at California University. The Stingrays had 9 swimmers attend this meet. Out of the 14 teams competing, overall the girls placed ninth with a total of 97 points and the boys came in sixth with a total of 167 points. The team brought home a total of 39 individual ribbons and four high point trophies.

The following swimmers qualified for districts championships at the invitational meets: Caleb Matus – 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 individual medley, 50 butterfly; Lauren Bowser – 100 backstroke; Evelyn Bliss – 50 freestyle; Mattithia Burtt – 100 breaststroke; Malachi Burtt – 50 butterfly, 50 breaststroke, 100 freestyle and Ethan Weigel – 50 frestyle, 50 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke.

Mary Ann Lundgren, aquatics coordinator at the RGS Y, and Atalie Abranovic coach the swim team. They are looking forward to this 2015-2016 swimming season. “So far we are off to a terrific start. We are so proud of all of the swimmers and are looking forward to competing at districts and states again this spring,” said Lundgren.

The Stingrays offer practices Monday through Friday from 4:30-6 p.m., and most team members go to three or four practices a week. “These kids work hard to perform well and represent the Richard G. Snyder YMCA,” said parent Kelli Bowser. “Every year the program gets better and I am so proud of the Stingrays.”

The month of November will be busy for the Stingrays. The team will be competing in three Invitational Meets and hosting its first home meet on November 21, 2015 at the Richard G. Snyder YMCA Campus.

The Y organization in Armstrong County began nearly 150 years ago in 1867 and belongs to the national Y organization. In 2012, the Richard G. Snyder YMCA Campus opened its doors in a new 27,000 sq. ft., 6.2 million dollar facility on Water Street in Kittanning, beginning an exciting new chapter in the local organization’s history. The RGS Y is committed to strengthening the Armstrong County community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. For more information, visit www.rgsymca.org.