The West Hartford-based swim team earned its first league championship during the winter 2015 season.

Front row, from left: Allie Keith, Charlotte Otis, Kali Dominguez, Maddie Hagberg. Top row from left: Jamie Amell, Aeva Silverman, Maddie Crowley, Tahlia Crowley, Patrick Keith. Submitted photo

Submitted by Larah Winn, Mandell JCC

At the closing of the 2015 winter swim season, the Mandell JCC Sharks Swim Team has much to be proud of, enjoying a multitude of first place wins.

A founding father of the Central Connecticut Winter Swim League (CCWSL) over 30 years ago, the Mandell JCC Sharks made team history by winning the league championship for the first time this year.

Coming off their league win, the Sharks competed in CT Regional Championships, where they showcased multiple best times. The team rounded out their season with a Top Ten finish at the CT Swimming’s Age Group Championships, otherwise known as the State Championship for Youth Swimming. In addition, the Sharks sent Mason Revis to compete at NCSA Juniors Meet; one of the most competitive meets in the country.

At the CCWSL Championship the Sharks had 29 first place winners. Two league records were also broken in the both the girls and boys 200 Medley Relays.  The swimmers competing in the relays included Maddie Hagberg, Charlotte Otis, Sammy Hagberg, Tahlia Crowley, Ethan Brown, Jamie Amell, Jett Rosner, and Will Layden. Event Champions were Lucy Benoit, Allie Keith, Kali Dominguez, Hannah Ganey, Carson Raisner, Tyler Grubelich, Owen Brown, Gavin Sherry, Ethan Brown, Jamie Amell, Jett Rosner, Will Layden, Victoria Laydenm, Mackenzie Headley, Maddie Hagberg, Charlotte Otis, Sammy Hagberg, Tahlia Crowley, Alissa Palmer, Patrick Keith, Matthew Shea, Ian Harker, and Ryan Arnold.

The Sharks enjoyed multiple wins at the CT Regional Championships with 95% of their swimmers receiving best times. Regional Champions include Bruno Casanova, Tyler Grubelich, Malone Revis, Erika DiPietro, Eva Ramey, Aeva Silverman, Quinlan Hinerfeld, Ben Zamstein, Lucy Benoit, Niklas Fink, Gavin Sherry, and Carson Raisner.

Most notably, at the CT Age Groups, the Sharks finished in the Top Ten with several individual finishes. 10 year-old Kali Dominguez was the 2015 CT Age Group Champion in the 50 Fly. The team also had nine CT Zone Team qualifiers at the meet: Kali Dominguez, Allie Keith, Tahlia Crowley, Maddie Hagberg, Charlotte Otis, Aeva Silverman, Jamie Amell, Maddie Crowley, and Patrick Keith. These swimmers, along with Coach David Laudati, who was recently selected to coach the CT Zone Team, will compete for Team Connecticut at the Eastern Zone Championships on March 26-29, 2015.

Sharks practices are held at the Mandell JCC, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT. For more information visit www.mandelljccsharks.org or contact Head Coach David Laudati at 860-231-6320.