Rye Golf Club Girls Break a Record at Counties, but Lake Isle Rules

By Melanie Cane

The 93^rd Annual Westchester County Championships at Playland Pool are all over but the shouting. The top-place finisher was once again Lake Isle Country Club, which dominated all comers with a grand total of 203 points. Next up was Rye Golf Club with 120 points. But Rye Golf swimmers and divers had a lot to shout about, starting with the Girls’ 10 & Under 200-yard Freestyle Relay team breaking a 14-year-old record. The team comprised of 10-year-olds Kayla Lombardo, Grayson Findlay, Lieve Geelen, and Sophia Lord set a new record of 2:04:59, breaking the old record by more than a second. “All of our hard work paid off,” said the foursome, who also won the 200-yard Medley, joyously after the event.

Geelen and Lombardo went on to more glory at the Counties. Geelen came out on top in the 50-yard Breaststroke and 50-yard Freestyle, with Lombardo nipping at her heels in both events. In the 10 & Under 50-yard Butterfly, Geelen came in a close second. And in the Girls’ 10 & Under category overall, Geelen was the second highest scorer in the and Lombardo the third highest.

Rye Golf also won the team diving competition, thanks to Katie Laverty’s (16) first-place finish in the 14-17 1–meter and Colin Farrell’s (15) second-place finish. Zachary Pestrikov (12) was the second highest scorer in the Boy’s 11-12 individual events category. He also won the 12 & Under 50-yard Butterfly and the 50-yard Freestyle and placed third in the 50-yard Backstroke. Pestrikov and teammates Charlie Pearman, Benedict Lloyd-Roath, and Nathaniel Findlay took third place in the Boys’ 13 & Under 200-yard Freestyle Relay.

In other noteworthy performances by local swimmers, Coveleigh Club’s Grace Kujawski won the Girls’ 17 & Under 100-yard Breaststroke and Westchester Country Club’s Avery Simmons came in second. Kujawski also helped propel her 200-yard Medley Relay team (Lizzie Ford, Maggie Scala, and Dylan Kujawski) to a second-place medal. Westchester’s Nick Speres excelled as well, placing second in the Boys’ 14 & Under 100-yard Backstroke and third in both the Boys 14 & Under 100-yard Freestyle and 100-yard Breaststroke.