WEEK 5 & DIVISIONALS

In the last two weeks of the regular season, Little Falls delivered a one-two blow with a victory over the Tanterra Tarpons and a stunning first place finish in Divisionals. Who could have been happier with these results, bringing to a close a hard-fought season that had only produced a seemingly mediocre record (2-3)? It was at Divisionals that everything really came together for the Penguins in a way that had only been glimpsed in previous meets. Divisionals only features two swimmers per team in each event, and races are scored on a different point scale, resulting in a meet that favors strong individual performances rather than a team’s depth. Given the makeup of the Little Falls team, it was no surprise that we would do well in this meet, placing among the top three teams. However, a first place finish was unexpected, and was due entirely to the unyielding drive of our swimmers and outstanding performances in some races that were truly special. The following swimmers won their events: Rachel Danegger in 9-10 50 Free, 25 Breast, and 25 Fly; John Marder in 9-10 25 Back; Emily Rosenkoetter in 11-12 50 Back; James Marder in 8&U 25 Breast; Ethan Taswell in 13-14 50 Breast; Abby Baruch-Fry in 13-14 50 Breast; and Jill Berger in 8&U 25 Fly; as well as the participants of the Girls 175M Graduated Free Relay. Kit Uhar had the bad luck of having the same event schedule as Palisades’ Katie Ledecky (arguably the best 13-14 girl in the county), and finished a close second in Free, Back, Fly, and IM, leaving the rest of the pack far behind. Chris Garrity, 17, came in second in 100 Back with a time of 1:02.50, which places him 14^th in the county in that event, and second in 50 Fly with a time of 28.24, putting him well on the road to getting Ethan Benjamin’s team record of 27.80. Laura Valenstein, 18, swam 50 Fly in her first and last Divisionals, bettering her ninth-place seed with an eighth-place finish. Emily Adams, 18, swam in her last race ever and dropped .03 off her 100 Free time. David Hogan, 15, took out his 100 Breast at world-record pace, touching the wall first at the 50 mark. Unfortunately for David, Adrien Downey, the number-one breaststroker in the county, was also in that event, along with number-eight Steven Goldberg. Neither one planned on losing the race. Liz Mayio placed third in 50 Breast in the ultra-competitive 11-12 Girls age group. Alex Berger placed third in 11-12 50 Free and 50 Fly, as well as helping the Girls 200M Medley Relay to a third place finish. 18-year-old Patrick Hearle brought the Boys 200M Medley Relay home to a second-place finish with a blazingly fast anchor leg. Congratulations to the aforementioned swimmers and everyone else who contributed to a fantastic meet!

WEEK 4 SUMMARY

Little Falls reached for the win but pulled up just short in an agonizingly close meet with the Northwest Branch Dolphins on Saturday. Down just two points at halftime, and with a final score of 393.5 to 398.5, many Little Falls swimmers were left wondering what could have been. However, all performed to the best of their ability, and in only two weeks Little Falls will have a chance to once again prove its mettle to the Dolphins and others at Divisionals. The meet was a bittersweet occasion for many, as Little Falls honored graduating seniors Emily Adams, Patrick Hearle, and Laura Valenstein for their stellar contributions to the team over the past decade. Congratulations and good luck! Despite Saturday’s setback, Little Falls is still poised for success in the weeks to come. This was reaffirmed at Sunday’s Relay Carnival, where the Penguins were pleasantly surprised by an announcement that they were in first place after the break! Although this lead did not hold, Little Falls finished with a respectable third, sending six relay teams to All Star Relays. On the individual end of the spectrum, five Little Falls Swimmers have qualified to swim in Coaches Long Course, which takes place tomorrow at 6:00 pm at the Rockville Municipal Swim Center. If you are free and would like to see some of the fastest swimming in Montgomery County, come out and support Jill Berger, John Marder, Rachel Danegger, Emily Rosenkoetter, and Ethan Taswell as they race in an Olympic-size pool!

WEEK 3 SUMMARY

Little Falls faced tough opposition from the Palisades Porpoises at Saturday’s A-meet. The meet ended with a 51-point loss and was one of the more taxing meets this summer, not only in terms of competition, but also in terms of swimming conditions. Athletes on both teams were plagued with warm water and blazing sun, which are known to be a significant energy-drain. Little Falls was also missing several swimmers, and relying on swim-ups to fill empty lanes. It was in this climate that the Penguins really stepped it up to give an overall performance that was nothing less than outstanding. The event that really epitomized the team’s performance was the Girls 175M Graduated Relay, where 14-year-old Julia Tulloh joined the A relay in her first meet of the season. Barely holding off Palisades’ superstar Katie Ledecky in the third leg of the relay, Julia set the stage for a riveting anchor leg in which Little Falls 7-year-old Jill Berger pulled ahead to out-touch Palisades’ Chloe Cooper. It was a fantastic way to close the meet! Jill also set a team record in 8&U 25 Fly; her time of 19.35 topped a relatively new record set in 2009 by Rachel Danegger. In addition, several swimmers were driven by the fact that Saturday’s A-meet was the last chance to qualify for Coaches Long Course, in which the county’s top eight swimmers in each event are invited to swim. Currently, two Little Falls swimmers are in the top-eight position in their events, and three others are in the first- or second-alternate position. We hope that John Marder, Emily Rosenkoetter, and Ethan Taswell will get the chance to swim in this prestigious meet, in addition to Jill Berger and Rachel Danegger, who already have guaranteed spots. Final Seedings for the meet will be posted on or before Wednesday evening.

WEEK 2 SUMMARY

The Little Falls Penguins made the first home meet a success with a thrilling 60-point victory over the Seven Locks Sharks. The Penguins demonstrated their full potential on Saturday with a larger turnout than at the previous weekend’s A-meet at Lakelands. There was also a large and energetic cheering section thanks to everyone who attended the meet even though they were not swimming. It was quite a meet to watch. Those who were there bore witness to several extraordinary feats, including an MCSL record-setting performance by Rachel Danegger in the 9-10 25 Breast. With a time of 17.64, Rachel edged the previous record of 17.69, becoming the second-ever Little Falls swimmer to hold an MCSL record in the 53 years of the league’s existence! Emily Rosenkoetter set a team record in the 11-12 50 Back, with a time of 35.50 that puts her 9^th in county in that event. The Girls 175 Graduated Relay, consisting of Rachel Danegger, Emily Rosenkoetter, Kit Uhar, and Jill Berger set the team and pool records, posting an impressive time of 1:51.93. The 15-18 events were also very exciting, and the Seven Locks Sharks offered some real competition in this age group, having arguably the best 15-18 boys in the county. Little Falls may not have lost so many pool records had 18-year-old Kevin Carroll been in attendance. In the younger age groups, the Penguins were able to trounce the competition, and many swimmers participated in sweeps, which contributed to the favorable outcome of the meet. The half time cheers went well, and the Secret Swimmer ritual was performed in style, albeit with an original spelling of the team name. Next week Little Falls will face Palisades and looks to tarnish the Porpoises’ 2-0 record.

WEEK 1 SUMMARY