The Rye Golf Club Swim Team has competed in three dual meets and has won two of them.

By Melanie Cane

The Rye Golf Club Swim Team has competed in three dual meets and has won two of them. They beat Wykagyl Country Club at home 251-215 on July 1, and Coveleigh Club away 237-232 on July 7. They lost to Lake Isle at home, 247-223, on July 10. The meet against Coveleigh was decided by the boys’ 17-and-under 200 freestyle. The relay team is comprised of Thomas Mackey (16), Pat MacAulay (17), Ryan Cicchiello (17), and Ryan Whittington (13). The boys did not know they had scored the winning points for their team until the following day.

Other team members who had a terrific meet were swimmers Peter Whittington (9) and Zack Pastrikov (8) and divers Katie Laverty and Michael Ackert. Both divers were double winners in two age groups and the Whittington brothers and Pastrikov won three events. Coach Cathleen Ferguson attributes the team’s success to “the dedication of the older boys and the talent of the new younger age groups.”

Mackey, MacAulay, and Cicchiello, who’ve all been on the team for ten years, agree that this year’s team is very strong, especially in the younger age categories. “We have a lot of really good little kids.”

RGC’s next meet is against Greenburgh away on July 16. Rye was scheduled to compete against Westchester Country Club on July 14, but the meet was postponed to July 17 due to weather, so that will now be their last Division 1 meet.  
Of the 104 swimmers on the team, 65 will be competing in the Westchester County Meet (for ages 9 and over) at Playland July 21-July 31. Only the top two in each age category qualify to compete.

The Westchester County Swim Conference Meet, for clubs only, is coming up August 1-7. Coach Ferguson said this summer’s schedule is very rushed, because the summer vacation is shorter than usual and with July 4th falling on a Friday, it became even shorter. “We are scrambling to get all our meets in.”