A
pair of individuals and one relay team from the Stevens Point Dolphins YMCA (SPDY)
swim team recorded Top 10 times in their age group this season, while Julia
Stupar earned a trip to the YMCA National Meet.

Sadie
Cronce and Drew Harris each finished with the ninth-fastest time in the 1,650 freestyle
out of all YMCA swimmers in the nation for their age, while the 200 medley
relay team of Kennedy Gilbertson, Mackenzie Swiecki, Anna Vandehey and Casey
Summers were eighth in their age group.
Meanwhile,
Stupar competed in four events at the 2016 National YMCA Short Course Meet in
Greensboro, N.C., April 11.
“All
of these swimmers train with our highest level group and have put in countless
hours in the pool preparing for success,” said SPDY head coach Eric Demrow. “Qualifying
for the YMCA National Meet or achieving a Top 10 age group time does not happen
by accident.
“These
kids have been involved in the sport of swimming for a number of years, and in
many cases have gone above and beyond the day-to-day practices we offer,” he
said. “They will put in extra time, either in the pool on their own or in the
gym lifting weights and improving on their overall fitness.”
Competing
in the open division against swimmers up to 18 years old, Stupar, 16, participated
in four events at the National Meet in April.
She
finished 46th in the 100 freestyle with a time of 52.62 and 52nd in the 200
freestyle with a time of 1:54.43.
She
also came in 65th in the 200 IM with a time of 2:09.99, and was 75th in the 100
butterfly in 58.35 seconds.
“It
has been five years since we have had a swimmer attend the YMCA National Meet,
so I am very proud of Julia and her accomplishments this season,” said Demrow. “It
was a great experience for her to witness some of the best YMCA swimmers in the
nation, and I believe the experience will fuel her desire to return next year.”
Cronce,
13, recorded a time of 19:05.83 in the 1,650 freestyle at the Wisconsin YMCA
State Meet at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer March 18, which
was the nation’s ninth-fastest time in the event for her age.
Also
at the State Meet, Harris, 14, had a 17:19.38 in the 1,650 freestyle to finish
ninth in his age group among all YMCA swimmers in the country.
Gilbertson,
Swiecki, Vandehey and Summers teamed up at the State Meet March 20 to finish the
200 medley in 1:52.68, which ended the season as the eighth-best time in the
event for all 13-14-year-old girls.
“All of these swimmers have a
terrific inner drive and have a very strong work ethic and commitment to the
sport,” said Demrow. “It is these qualities that will make them successful both
in and out of the pool.

“I am very proud and excited for
their successes this past season,” he said. “And I am hoping that it will
inspire our younger athletes to strive for the same.”