The combined Port Washington-Roslyn varsity girls swimming and diving team is the Nassau County champion for the first time. The team scored 383.5 points at the county championship meet on Saturday, November 7, at the Nassau Aquatic Center in East Meadow, a year after finishing second at the same meet.

The county title completes a sweep of the season's three team championships. The squad had already won its conference and its division before the county meet, so it ends the fall holding all three.

A program that is three years old

The team is a co-op that draws swimmers and divers from two North Shore districts, the Port Washington Union Free School District and the Roslyn Union Free School District. The two programs were combined three years ago, which puts this county title in the program's third season. The Roslyn School District announced the result on November 8.

Who won what

Roslyn senior Carina Dai won two individual county titles. She took the 50-yard freestyle in 23.91 seconds and the 100-yard butterfly in 55.29.

Dai also swam on two winning relays. In the 400-yard freestyle relay she was joined by three Port Washington swimmers, Mae Straesser, Mila Fisher and Kamila Ko, and the four finished first in 3:29.97. The team also won the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Relays are scored at a higher value than individual events at a championship meet, which is why a team with deep relay squads can build a lead that individual wins alone would not. Winning both freestyle relays carried a large part of the 383.5-point total.

The coaches

The team is coached by Joe Lennon, Meghan Harding and Erick Zizic.

Next: the state meet

The season is not over. Port Washington-Roslyn swimmers who qualified will compete at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships in Webster, outside Rochester, beginning Friday, November 20. Results from the state meet are posted by the districts and by the state association as each session finishes.

Families and classmates who want to follow along can watch the athletics pages of both districts, which post meet results and team news through the season.

Sources