Empire Swimming Wins Women’s, Combined Team Titles at Geneva Futures

2017 USA SWIMMING FUTURES CHAMPIONSHIP

• Thursday, August 3 – Sunday, August 6, 2017
• Geneva, OH (Spire Institute)
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The 2017 USA Swimming Futures Championships came to an end on Sunday, with Empire Swimming taking the women’s team and combined team titles in Geneva, OH. Empire Swimming is based in Westchester county in New York and is coached by Ilan Noach. The women’s team, who held a convincing lead most of the meet, set pool records in each of the relay events. The men’s team rounded out the top five in the standings and secured a combined team win for Empire.

DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS

Meghan Joram competed in the distance session, claiming her second title of the meet by posting a time of 16:57.74, 28.81 seconds faster than her 5th place seed time, and 23 seconds faster than the second place finisher. Joram will resume her career as a Pittsburgh Panther in the upcoming season.

In the last women’s individual race of the meet, the 200 IM, two swimmers tied in a competitive final where no swimmer was slower than 2:22. Giovanna Cappabianca of Hudson Explorer Aquatic Team touched at the same time as Schenectady’s Margaret Wyngowski in 2:19.90. It was Wyngowski’s 3rd title of the meet, as she won the 200 breast and 400 IM earlier in the week. She also finished second in the 100 breast.

Empire Swimming women claimed their 3rd relay title of the meet as the team of Maureen O’Sullivan, Josephine Panitz, Kate Amar, and Madison Hartigan touched in 4:19.87, a new pool record. Hartigan pulled away from Schenectady in the last leg posting a split of 58.30 0n the anchor leg.

North Penn Aquatic Club’s medley relay team was also able to sustain its men’s team lead in convincing fashion by finishing the race in 3:54.74, nearly four seconds ahead of second place finisher Tide Swimming. The team of Aidan Daly (59.57), Sean Faikish (1:05.75), Noah Jamieson (56.65), and Tyley Fein (52.77) capped of the meet by cementing their men’s team first overall finish.

Other Day 4 Winners:

• Kyle Iorizzo of Scarlet Aquatics won the 800 free in 8:24.32, over 4 seconds ahead of the field. Before this race, Kyle had finished 2nd, 3rd, 3rd in the meet (1500 free, 200 fly, 400 free respectively). Kyle’s 69 points were the most of any male swimmer and helped his team finish second in the men’s team standings.
• Madison Ledwith, of Radnor Aquatic Club won the women’s 100 free in 57.63, backing up her 50 free title earlier in the meet. She was out in 27.4, well ahead of the field and held on to finish just .16 in front of second place finisher Danielle Ghine of Retriever Aquatic Club.
• Sam Neaveill was the men’s meet sprint champion, also earning titles in both the 50 and the 100. He was the only male swimmer under 52, clocking a 51.68.
• Fourteen-year-old Danielle Ghine (RAC), second place in the 100 free earlier in the session, was the lone backstroker under 2:17, posting a time of 2:15.98. Ghine scored 95 points in total in Geneva, the most of any female swimmer at the meet
• Sean Faikish of North Penn Aquatic Club helped contribute to his team’s lead in the last individual race of the night by touching first in the men’s 200 IM with a time of 2:07.96. Faikish was also a member of the winning 400 Medley Relay team.
• Fourteen-year-old Matthew Fenion won the 200 back by nearly two seconds. His time of 2:05.26 was one of the fastest in his age group’s history, placing him firmly within the top 10 at #7.

Final Team Standings:

Men’s Top 5:

1. North Penn Aquatic Club – 202.5
2. Scarlet Aquatics – 178
3. Bluefish Swim Club – 174
4. Hudson Explorer Aquatic Team – 156
5. Empire Swimming – 144

Women’s Top 5:

1. Empire Swimming – 267
2. Victor Swim Club – 235
3. Schenectady-Saratoga Swim Club – 217.5
4. Hudson Explorer Aquatic – 201.5
5. Bluefish Swim Club – 161

Combined Top 5:

1. Empire Swimming – 411
2. Victor Swim Club – 358.5
3. Hudson Explorer Aquatic Team – 357.5
4. Bluefish Swim Club – 335
5. Tide Swimming 239.5