Indian River is looking to stretch its National Junior College Athletic Association title streak to 40 on the men’s side and 32 on the women’s side, and they started things out the right way by sweeping all four first-day relays. With Daytona State College’s swimming program cut, Indian River will face little competition at this meet, and that showed with their dominance on day 1.
The women’s team started the meet with a 3:44.47 in the 400 medley relay, with a team of Yurie Nakano (55.88), Patricia Casellas (1:02.89), Barbara Caraballo (54.78), and Rebecca Derogatis (50.92). Nakano the leadoff is transferring to North Carolina State next season. Meanwhile, Caraballo is just a freshman, but with that swim should start catching a lot of interest from Division I programs for when she becomes eligible to transfer after next season.
Iowa Lakes took 2nd in 4:05.20, and South Georgia College was 3rd in 4:09.97.
Next, the women swam a 7:21.97 to lap the field in the 800 free relay. Nakano again led them off in 1:47.75, and Josefine Hippi (1:50.55), Shelby Leonard (1:51.79), and Georgina Allin (1:51.88). They lapped the runners up from Iowa Lakes who again took 2nd in 8:06.54, and McClennan Community College took 3rd in 8:08.28.
The men’s races were a bit closer, though not by much. Indian River started with a win in the 400 medley relay in 3:15.33 with the group of Stefan Stojmenovic (47.81), Shota Nakano (54.45), Heinrich Alberts (47.90) and Spencer Williams (45.17). That’s an impressive result, especially from the freshman Shota Makano, who is the younger brother of Yurie.
Sough Georgia took 2nd in 3:29.96, which included a 45.75 anchor from Christian Marchione, and Iowa Lakes was 3rd in 3:30.42.
The Indian River men matched their women in lapping the field (though again, not by quite as much) with an impressive 6:37.38 in the 800 free relay. The group was Quinn Poti (1:40.22), Alec Scott (1:39.20), Adam Wise (1:37.86), and Michael Ragan (1:40.10).
Editor’s note: the 800 free relay has IRSC’s two middle legs reversed, but Wise actually swam the 1:37.8.
McClennan was 2nd in 7:05.12, including 1:41 bookends from Michael Klugo and Gustavo Ramos dos Santos, and Darton College took 3rd in 7:07.23.