Brandywine

Brandywine Wraps Up the Season in Style

Top-seeded swimmers in each NVSL division had a chance to shine at the Individual Divisional championship meets held last Saturday, July 31 across Northern Virginia.  After accepting their Division 13 team championship trophy, Brandywine swimmers dove in against five other Division 13 teams at the Divisional meet held at Rolling Hills.   Three new Brandywine team records were set and four Barracudas qualified for the NVSL All-Star meet.

Eight Barracuda backstrokers took one of the first three place finishes (25 meters for 8 & under; 50 meters for all other age groups):

• Ella Rose Friedman, 8 & under girls, 2nd place
• Riley Allison, 9-10 boys, 2nd place
• Alejandro Rodriguez, 9-10 boys, 3rd place
• Katie Little, 9-10 girls, 3rd place
• Julie Chung, 11-12 girls, 2nd place
• James Chung, 13-14 boys, first place
• Justina Whearty, 13-14 girls, 3rd place
• Caroline Hendrick, 15-18 girls, 3rd place

James Chung's 50 meter backstroke time not only won first place, but broke his own team record for 13-14 boys with a time of 32.02. 

In the breaststroke event, 5 Barracudas claimed one of the top three finishes (25 meters for 8 & under; 50 meters for all other age groups):

• Nathan Haverstock, 8 & under boys, 2nd place
• Abby Gill, 8 & under girls, 1st place
• Bryce Shanahan, 9-10 boys, 2nd place
• Mary Ellen Gill, 11-12 girls, 3rd place
• Younga Chang, 13-14 girls, tie for 2nd place with Rolling Hills swimmer Molly Miller

One of the top three spots in butterfly were awarded to the following 8 Brandywine swimmers (25 meters for 8 & under and 9-10 swimmers; 50 meters for all other age groups):

• Nathan Haverstock, 8 & under boys, 1st place
• Ella Rose Friedman, 8 & under girls, 1st place
• Katie Burruss, 8 & under girls, 2nd place
• Brett Bold, 9-10 boys, 2nd place
• Franc Lefors, 11-12 boys, 3rd place
• Charlie Lertlumprasert, 11-12 girls, 1st place
• Julia Wickard, 11-12 girls, 2nd place
• Justina Whearty, 13-14 girls, 3rd place

Like James Chung, Charlie Lertlumprasert beat her own team record for 11-12 girls in the 50 meter fly with a time of 32.43.

In the grueling 100 meter Individual Medley (IM), which requires swimmers to complete one leg each of butterfly, back, breast, and free, 7 swimmers placed in one of the first three finishes:

• Tae Chang, 10 & under boys, 1st place
• Brett Bold, 10 & under boys, 3rd place
• Marie Wickard, 10&under girls, 2nd place
• Julia Wickard, 11-12 girls, 1st place
• James Chung, 13-14 boys, 1st place
• Aaron Wickard, 13-14 boys, 2nd place
• Rachel C., 13-14 girls, 2nd place

The Barracudas came through again with 4 top three finishes in the last event of the day--freestyle (25 meters for 8 & under; 50 meters for all other age groups):

• Abby Gill, 8 & under girls, 3rd place
• Tae Chang, 9-10 boys, 1st place
• Bryce Shanahan, 9-10 boys, 3rd place
• Charlie Lertlumprasert, 11-12 girls, 1st place

Setting her second team record, Charlie Lertlumprasert swam the girls 11-12 50 meter free in 29.23, beating the record set in 1983 by Sandra Yatsko. 

Four Barracudas emerged from those races with a spot in the NVSL All-Stars meet next Sat. Aug. 7 at Broyhill Crest pool in Annandale:

• Nathan Haverstock, 8 & under boys breast, seeded 10th
• Tae Chang, 9-10 boys free, seeded 16th; 9-10 boys IM, seeded 15th
• Charlie Lertlumprasert, 11-12 girls free, seeded 4th; 11-12 girls fly, seeded 2nd
• James Chung, 13-14 boys back, seeded 11th; 13-14 boys IM, seeded 13th

After the long Divisional meet, parents went home to cook for the annual awards ceremony and potluck banquet held at Brandywine.  That evening, head coaches Mike Davis and Alex Miller had their heads shaved into mohawks to fulfill a promise if the team delivered an undefeated season.  After everyone sumptuously dined, Mike and Alex handed out trophies, plaques, ribbons, certificates, and other awards.  The girls 11-12 relay team that competed in the NVSL All-Star Relays on July 21 (Julie Chung, Samantha Harvey, Charlie Lertlumprasert, and Eliza Haverstock) received All-Star patches and rosette ribbons for placing 16th in the 100 meter medley relay and 17th in the 100 meter freestyle relay.  High-point awards were given to the following swimmers who scored the most points over the season for the team in each age group: 

• 8 & under boys: Nathan Haverstock
• 8 & under girls: Ella Rose Friedman
• 9-10 boys: a tie between Tae Chang and Bryce Shanahan
• 9-10 girls: Marie Wickard
• 11-12 boys: Franc Lefors
• 11-12 girls: Julie Chung
• 13-14 boys: James Chung
• 13-14 girls: Justina Whearty
• 15-18 boys: Jeremy King
• 15-18 girls: Caroline Hendrick

Following the feasting and award distribution, swimmers were treated to a special raffle of various donated items to reward team members who attended practices regularly.  Brandywine lifeguards held the pool open past the closing hour so the Barracudas could wrap up the festivities, along with another season of swim team memories.     

Undefeated Brandywine Seizes Division Championship

It's official.  After a perfect 5-0 season, Brandywine is the champion of Division 13 in the NVSL.  On Saturday 7/24, the Barracudas traveled to Laurel Hill for their last dual meet of the season.  The final score of 252 for Brandywine vs. 150 for Laurel Hill sealed the division championship.  Many long-time Brandywine swimmers viewed the meet against Laurel Hill as a rematch against a team that had previously beat them in a very close meet.  In 2008 when both teams were in Division 15, Laurel Hill beat Brandywine with a score 200.5 to 199.5.  The one point difference was a bitter defeat. [Editorial comment: It was also the only time in this tableworker's memory that a tie was recorded, splitting the third place points by .5 to each team.]  Winning by over 100 points on Saturday was the Barracudas' vindication.

Brandywine capped off the last dual meet of the season with 6 sweeps of the top three finishes in individual races:

• 8 & U girls 25 meter free: Ella Rose Friedman (1), Katie Burruss (2), Abby Gill (3)
• 9-10 boys 50 meter back: Alejandro Rodriguez (1), Riley Allison (2), Brett Bold (3)
• 13-14 girls 50 meter back: Justina Whearty (1), Rachel C. (2), Younga Chang (3)
• 9-10 girls 50 meter breast: Sarah Gill (1), Bonnie Bishop (2), Mackenzie Mastal (3)
• 11-12 boys 50 meter breast: Ethan Villavicencio (1), Torin Shanahan (2), Daniel Bonner (3)
• 13-14 girls 50 meter breast: Younga Chang (1), Hannah Lefors (2), Julia Hendrick (3)

In a continuing trend, Charlie Lertlumprasert beat her own 50 meter fly pool record for the 11-12 girls with a time of 32.44.

In relays, the Barracudas took first place in 8 out of 12 relays.  Spectators were on edge during a suspenseful race by the 13-14 boys 100 medley teams.  In a close finish, Laurel Hill out touched Brandywine with the winning time of 1:09.64.  Brandywine's Aaron Wickard, James Chung, Tristan Lau, and Daniel Bonner turned in a time of 1:09.77 in the hard-fought race.  In a fitting end to the season, Brandywine triumphed in the last two relays of the meet--the 18 & under 200 medley free mixed age boys and girls relays. 

A record number of Brandywine swimmers also turned in individual first place finishes in the last dual meet.  Congratulations go to: Tae Chang, Younga Chang, James Chung, Julie Chung, Spenser C., Abby Gill, Mary Ellen Gill, Sarah Gill, Ella Rose Friedman, Nathan Haverstock, Jeremy King, Charlie Lertlumprasert, Katie Little, Alejandro Rodriguez, Ethan Villavicencio, Justina Whearty, Aaron Wickard, Julia Wickard, and Marie Wickard.

The Barracudas celebrated their Division championship all night with the annual lock-in sleepover in tents at the pool.  While swimmers ate s'mores, watched movies, and played ninja games until the early hours of the morning, bleary-eyed chaperones reminisced about the amazing 2010 season. 

On Monday 7/26, Brandywine will compete against the five other teams in our developmental league in the Individual Medley Carnival at Annandale pool.  Swimmers in the 8 & under age group will race against each other in the 25 meter fly.

Next Saturday 7/31, the top seeded swimmers from all the Division 13 teams will compete in individual races at the Divisional meet hosted by Rolling Hills.  Brandywine will also proudly accept the Division 13 trophy for the season.

Swim Team Insanity: A Swim Team Mom’s Reflection  

Number of miles traveled in two roundtrips to my daughter’s camp on the day of the NVSL Relay All-Stars…360

Amount of money spent on gas…$45

Number of hours spent driving…8

Amount of money spent on All-Star Relay t-shirt, cap, program…$28

Amount of money spent to replace goggles that were lost after only one use…$17

Number of vuvuzelas blasting in my ear at meet…3

Number of times I have proudly watched my daughter swim at Relay All-Stars…3

Number of teammates that were happy to see her back from camp to avoid a forfeit…3

Number of sno-cones I bought for my son due to the scorching heat…3

Number of hours spent waiting for races…3

Number of total minutes of my daughter’s two relays…2 minutes, 11.60 seconds

Places her team finished…17th and 16th

Watching her learn that life is unfair…heartbreaking

Getting an appreciative hug from my All-Star daughter…priceless

 

Brandywine Barracudas Smash More Records

The Brandywine 13-14 Girls 200 Medley relay team has done it again!  At the Relay Championship meet on 7/18/10, the team of Justina Whearty, Younga Chang, Julia Pursell, and Rachel C. beat their own pool record they set at the Division 13 Relay Carnival meet with a time of 2:30.17. 

Another pool record was set at the B meet against Somerset-Olde Creek Pool, held at Brandywine on 7/19/10.  Charlie Lertlumprasert beat the 27-year-old record of 32.80 in the 11-12 50 meter fly set by Sheri White in 1983 with her finish of 32.75.  Earlier in the season, Charlie tied the record so now she can claim the spot on the record board all to herself.

At the meet against Little Hunting Park on 7/17/10, James Chung beat his own 50 meter fly pool record for 13-14 boys with a time of 30.79.  This is the third time James has broken this record so he is keeping the record board person busy! 

Who is the Brandywine Spirit Ninja?

Find out who is the flying Brandywine Barracuda featured as a "Spirit Ninja" on swimninja.com:

http://swimninja.com/spirit-ninja/

Brandywine Steamrolls to Victory in Two More Meets

What kind of water are those Brandywine Barracudas drinking in Fairfax, Virginia?  At the dual meet against Little Hunting Park on Saturday, July 17, the Barracudas won again with a score of 248 to 153.  The next day, they trounced all the teams in Divisions 8 through 17 to take home the Relay Championship trophy for the second year in a row.  The Relay Championship meet included as many as sixty teams and was created for all first place winners from each division's relay carnival, minus any teams that qualified for All Stars.  Brandywine sent 8 teams and won first place with a total score of 68 points, followed closely by the strong Rolling Valley that sent 12 relay teams.  

At Saturday's meet against Little Hunting Park, the Brandywine boy backstrokers were as hot as the temperature, which hovered near 100 degrees.  They turned in two 1st-2nd-3rd place sweeps:

• 9-10 boys 100 meter back: Alejandro Rodriguez (1), Riley Allison (2), William To (3)
• 11-12 boys 100 meter back: Timour Abduhalikov (1), Ethan Villavicencio (2), Daniel Bonner (3) 

In relays, the Barracudas finished first in 9 out of 12 races.  Successful boy relay teams included the 8 & under 100 meter free, 9-10 100 meter medley, 11-12 100 meter medley, 13-14 100 meter medley, and the 18 & under 200 meter mixed age medley.  The Brandwine girl relay teams that earned first were in the 8 & under 100 meter free, 11-12 girls 100 meter medley, 13-14 girls 100 meter medley, and the 18 & under 200 meter mixed age medley.  In the last race of the meet, the team of Charlie Lertlumprasert (12), Katie Little (9), Justina Whearty (14), and Caroline Hendrick (17) swam a suspenseful 200 meter mixed age medley that looked too close to call, even for the timers.  Brandywine timer Kevin King said, "The timers could not tell which lane touched first--it looked like a tie.  We had to compare time cards to see who won."  As it turned out, Brandywine clocked in at 2:17.13, just under Little Hunting Park's time of 2:17.17.      

The timers kept the spectators amused by announcing when timers got the same exact time among the three timers assigned to each lane.  "Doubles" were announced for two timers having the same time and "triples" meant all three got the same time.  No prizes were awarded, only bragging rights.   

Congratulations go to these Brandywine swimmers who finished in first place: Timour Abduhalikov, Katie Burruss, Tae Chang, James Chung, Julie Chung, Abby Gill, Ella Rose Friedman, Nathan Haverstock, Caroline Hendrick, Jeremy King, Charlie Lertlumprasert, Alejandro Rodriguez, Bryce Shanahan, Matthew Summers, and Justina Whearty. 

In a show of solidarity and compassion for a 13-year-old Little Hunting Park swimmer who was stricken with brain cancer in December, the Barracudas lined the edge of the pool to cheer for her as she swam with assistance from her family in the lollipop race.  It reminded everyone in attendance that the best part of a meet isn't always winning. 

Next Saturday, July 24, Brandywine competes in their last dual A meet against Laurel Hill whose current record is 0 wins and 4 losses.

Unstoppable Brandywine Triumphant in Divisional Relays

In another stunning victory, the Brandywine Barracudas defeated five other teams to win the Division 13 Relay Carnival trophy.  Their new trophy takes a spot next to the one from last year's Division 15 Relay Carnival.  Unlike last Saturday's water-logged dual meet, swimmers and spectators were treated to a balmy, clear night this past Wed. July 14.  Hosting the event at Brandywine gave the Barracudas a home pool advantage with many neighbors and friends dropping by to cheer them on.     

After cheers from all the swimmers gathered in different team areas around the pool deck, Brandywine kicked off the competition with the first win of the evening.  The girls 18 & under mixed age team of Charlie Lertlumprasert (12), Katie Little (9), Justina Whearty (14), and Caroline Hendrick (17) finished first in 2:13.08.  It was followed by a very close race for the 18 & under mixed age boys which was won by Rolling Hills.  The Brandywine team of Andrew Noecker (11), Tae Chang (10), James Chung (14), Jeremy King (17) was out touched by Laurel Hill for a third place finish (Laurel Hill: 2:07.48; Brandywine: 2:07.55).

Those opening races set the tone for the rest of the evening which was marked by exhilaration and suspense.  In all, a total of 8 Brandywine relay teams swam off with first place blue ribbons: 

GIRLS:

• 8 & under 100 meter modified medley (Ella Rose Friedman, Audrey Bowden, Abby Gill, Katie Burruss)
• 8 & under 100 meter freestyle (Katie Burruss, Makayla Mastal, Abby Gill, Ella Rose Friedman)
• 11-12 100 meter medley (Julie Chung, Eliza Haverstock, Charlie Lertlumprasert, Margaret Plummer)
• 11-12 100 meter freestyle (Julie Chung, Samantha Harvey, Margaret Plummer, Charlie Lertlumprasert)
• 13-14 200 meter medley (Rachel C., Julia Hendrick, Julia Pursell, Justina Whearty)

BOYS:

• 9-10 100 meter medley (Riley Allison, Bryce Shanahan, Brett Bold, Tae Chang)
• 9-10 100 meter freestyle (Bryce Shanahan, Riley Allison, Alejandro Rodriguez, Tae Chang)

All of those teams, except for the 11-12 girls, are eligible to swim in Sunday's Championship meet for all first place finishers in Divisions 10-17 to be held at Lincolnia Park pool.  The 11-12 girls qualified for the NVSL All-Star cut and will be competing in the All-Star Relay meet instead on July 21. 

Capping off these victories, two of the relay teams broke Brandywine pool records.  The 9-10 boys 100 meter freestyle team named above crushed the record set in July 2001 (1:11.33) by Adam Sitts, Steven Doar, Kevin Pelstring, and Tyler Price with the new time of 1:09.37.  In a repeat from last year's Relay Carnival, the girls 13-14 200 meter medley relay team of Justina Whearty, Younga Chang, Julia Pursell, and Rachel C. turned in a time of 2:30.84 to break the record set in 2009 (2:30.95) by Justina Whearty, Laura Dunn, Robin King, and Maddie Herman.    

Except for the 13-14 boys who had to forfeit their races due to swimmer absences, all other Brandywine relay teams helped to earn the 204 points that captured the championship as follows:  

GIRLS:

• 2nd place=2 teams
• 4th place=1 team
• 5th place=2 teams

BOYS:

• 2nd place=2 teams
• 3rd place=4 teams
• 4th place=1 team

No Brandywine team finished in 6th place.  At the end of the night, good-natured team rivalry continued with a coaches relay and a parents relay among all six Division 13 teams.  Exhausted swimmers gathered by the microphone as the Division 13 coordinator Kelly Parry read off the results.  When Old Keene Mill was announced as the second place winner, the Brandywine Barracudas and supporters erupted into massive hysteria when they realized they had won.  The Brandywine head coaches, Mike Davis and Alex Miller, held the trophy high as cameras flashed and smiles grew wide.  

Unfazed by Downpour, Brandywine Rolls Over Rolling Hills

Who says the number 13 and rain are unlucky?  The Brandywine Barracudas maintained their undefeated record by pulling off another win with a score of 242 to 159 against the Rolling Hills Seahawks in Division 13 on July 10.  Swimmers raced in driving rain that didn’t let up until the meet ended.  Even though the downpour caused several swimmers to turn in slower times, the Barracudas stayed on top of many races with the girls turning in five sweeps of first, second, and third place finishes.  Two of those sweeps were thanks to Julia Wickard, age 11, who swam up two age groups to capture first in the 15-18 girls 50 meter back.  Julia also placed first in the 11-12 girls 50 meter butterfly.

The 1-2-3 place sweeps were:

• 8&U girls 25 meter free: Ella Rose Friedman (1), Abby Gill (2), and Audrey Bowden (3)
• 8&U girls 25 meter breast: Abby Gill (1), Audrey Bowden (2), and Makayla Mastal (3)
• 15-18 girls 50 meter back: Julia Wickard (1), Charlene Lertlumprasert (2), Madeline Herman (3)
• 11-12 girls 50 meter butterfly: Julia Wickard (1), Margaret Plummer (2), and Nora Surbey (3)
• 15-18 50 meter butterfly: Caroline Hendrick (1), Robin King (2), and Rachel Hawkins (3)

Congratulations go to these Brandywine swimmers who clinched first place in individual races: Younga Chang, James Chung, Julie Chung, Colin Dunn, Ella Rose Friedman, Abby Gill, Samantha Harvey, Eliza Haverstock, Nathan Haverstock, Caroline Hendrick, Madeline Herman, Jeremy King, Charlie Lertlumprasert, Katie Little, Alejandro Rodriguez, Matthew Summers, Julia Wickard, and Marie Wickard.

In relays, the Barracudas beat the Seahawks in 7 out of 12 races.  The 11-12 girls relay team of Julie Chung, Eliza Haverstock, Charlie Lertlumprasert, and Julia Wickard easily won the 100 meter medley relay but their time of 1:09.63 was just short of the Brandywine pool record they were aiming to break.  However, their time was good enough to surpass the Rolling Hills pool record and also positioned them in 12th place in the NVSL.  The meet ended in triumph by the Barracuda girls mixed age 200 freestyle relay team who finished in 2:17.57 with Marie Wickard (age 9), Charlie Lertlumprasert (age 12), Justina Whearty (age 14), and Caroline Hendrick (age 17), placing them in a three-way tie for first in the Division 13 ranking.

With a B meet Monday, Divisional Relay Carnival Wednesday, and another Dual A meet on Saturday, this week the Barracudas will be living by the motto inscribed on their personalized towels: EAT, SLEEP, SWIM

Next Saturday July 17, Brandywine travels to Little Hunting Park (1-2 record) in Alexandria in a quest to continue their winning streak in Division 13.

View videos of Co-Coaches Mike Davis and Alex Miller as well as the 11-12 girls relay team on the eve of the July 10 meet won by Brandywine here: http://swimninja.com/nvsl/updates/2-0-teams-prepare-to-face-off-tomorrow/

Charlie Lertlumprasert Ties Brandywine Pool Record in Fly  

New Brandywine Barracuda Charlie Lertlumprasert tied a nearly 30-year-old record set in 1983 by Sheri White for the 11-12 girls 50 fly.  Charlie’s time of 32.80 was set in the first 2010 dual meet on June 26.  In the 50 meter fly, Charlie is currently ranked number 3 in the NVSL for 11-12 girls.  Regarding her win, Charlie said, “I set a goal to beat it [the fly record] by the end of the summer.  My best time previously was 34 seconds so I didn’t expect to tie it.”

Charlie, age 12, started her swimming career in Thailand.  At age 5, she learned to swim and joined her first team by the end of kindergarten.  She set two records in Thailand that are still undefeated when she was 8-years-old in the 50 and 100 freestyle Long Course Meters.  

Charlie moved to the United States three years ago when she was 9 and currently swims with the Shark Tank Racing Squad year round, a Potomac Valley USA swim team.  She qualified for seven events in the 2010 Junior Olympics and has the same number of cuts for the Long Course Championship that will take place July 22-25th.  Her best accomplishment this year was her qualification for the 50 fly in the Eastern Zone Long Course Championships.  Charlie’s year-round coaches, Lance Page and Patty Friedman are also Stroke Coaches at Brandywine this summer.  

Last year was Charlie’s first year in the NVSL.  She previously swam with Springfield and went to the 2009 individual All-Stars for the 11-12 girls 50 freestyle, which is her favorite stroke.  She is a rising 7th grader at Lake Braddock in Burke, VA.  Besides swimming, she enjoys playing violin and will be a member of Lake Braddock’s school orchestra.  Charlie is also talented in solving the Rubik’s Cube in record time—less than 30 seconds with two hands, in two minutes with one hand.

Charlie’s sister, 15-year-old Charlene, is also a Barracuda and will be swimming with Lake Braddock High School.  Like Charlie, Charlene is a strong swimmer and has earned points for the Barracudas in both individual and relay races this season.  As far as the rest of the season, Charlie has her sights on breaking the 11-12 girls 50 meter fly record she tied as well as beating the 50 meter free record, set in 1983 by Sandra Yatsko.  “I like it here because Coach Patty and Coach Lance are here and I’ve made a couple of friends,” remarked Charlie.  Brandywine welcomes this dynamic sister duo to its roster of swimmers!

 

Brandywine Overpowers Old Keene Mill in Second Dual Meet

The Brandywine Barracudas are on a roll.  Despite being a holiday weekend and facing many swimmer absences, Brandywine defeated Old Keene Mill with a score of 219 to 175 on July 3.  Ranked in Division 15 last year, the Barracudas (B) moved up two divisions to race against the Old Keene Mill Ospreys (OKM), which moved down from Division 12 in 2009.  It was a battle to the finish for these two NVSL Division 13 teams last Saturday.

In the individual events, Brandywine had three 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place "sweeps."  The 9-10 boys shone in the 50 meter freestyle races with Bryce Shanahan in first, Riley Allison in second, and Brett Bold taking third.  In the 50 meter breaststroke, the Brandywine girls dominated with 1-2-3 sweeps for the 9-10 girls and the 11-12 girls.  For the 9-10 girls 50 meter breaststroke, Sarah Gill took first, Mackenzie Mastal finished second, and Sonya Lefors earned third place.  The 11-12 girls swept up the breaststroke points with Eliza Haverstock in first, Mary Ellen Gill in second, and Samantha Harvey in third.   

The audience was on edge for six individual races that were very close, producing Olympic-quality photo finishes.  Three 8-and-under events were nailbiters--the girls 25 meter freestyle, the girls 25 meter breaststroke, and the boys 25 meter breaststroke. Brandywine's Ella Rose Friedman triumphed in the 25 meter 8-and-under girls freestyle with a time of 20.03 over OKM's Marie Kernan who finished in second with a time of 20.23.  In the girls 8-and-under 25 meter breaststroke, Brandywine swimmers Audrey Bowden took first with a time of 28.06 and Abby Gill took third by finishing in a time of 28.34.  OKM's Marie Kernan was sandwiched in between for second with a time of 28.24.    In the boys 25 meter 8-and-under breaststroke race, OKM's Ryan MacMichael just inched out a first place finish with a time of 27.01 over Brandywine's Nathan Haverstock who earned second with a time of 27.05.

Other close races were:

• 15-18 boys 50 meter freestyle: Jack Tyburski (OKM), 29.33; Jeffrey Billingslea (B), 29.63; Ben Burruss (B), 29.74   
• 15-18 boys 50 meter breaststroke: Josh Weaver (OKM), 43.69; Christian Burruss (B), 43.85 
• 9-10 girls 25 meter butterfly: Anna Helms (OKM), 19.63; Marie Wickard (B), 19.68

After the individual events, the Barracudas widened their lead over the OKM Ospreys in the relay events.  They won 8 relays out of 12.  In most of the races, one team or another clearly prevailed.  However, in the girls 9-10 medley relay, the Brandywine team of Marie Wickard, Sarah Gill, Payton McDaniel, and Katie Little raised the excitement level with a winning time of 1:31.14 over OKM's relay team finish of 1:31.29.    In the last race of the day, the Ospreys edged out the Barracudas in the girls mixed age 200 freestyle relay but it wasn't enough for victory.  After each team gave an appreciative cheer for the opposing team, swimmers from each side shook hands in a show of good sportsmanship. 

Next Saturday July 10, Brandywine goes head to head with Rolling Hills, which holds the same 2-0 record. 

Brandywine Swimmer James Chung Kicks Off Season with New Team Records

Dusting off their trophies from an undefeated 2009 season, the Brandywine Barracudas soundly defeated Hiddenbrook by nearly 100 points in their first 2010 dual meet on June 26.  One of the swimmers contributing to that win was 14-year-old James Chung, who smashed a 1979 team record in the 50 meter backstroke with a time of 32.46.  The record of 33.30 was previously held by Billy Young.  In the Bren Mar/Edsall Park tri-B Meet on June 28, James broke his own record set last year in the 50 meter fly with a time of 31.60.    

James is a veteran Brandywine swimmer who joined the team when he was eight-years-old.  At age three, he learned to swim in Korea.  He moved to the United States when he was six.  Both James and his younger sister, Julie, are NVSL All-Star swimmers.  James has swum the 50 meter fly and the 100 meter IM in past individual NVSL All-Star meets.

Regarding his new record this season in backstroke, James was stunned upon hearing the announcement on the speaker. "I was trying to beat the record but I didn't expect to," commented James. "I was very surprised."  After going on to beat his own record in the 50 meter fly, James is setting his sights on the 50 meter freestyle pool record, which was set in 2005 by Adam Sitts with a time of 27.44. 

When the swim season ends, James will be entering W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA as a ninth grader.  He plans to play freshman football and also try out for the Woodson swim team.  Another sport he enjoys is basketball. 

James considers Brandywine Pool a second home and his teammates a group of friends.  "I like Brandywine because it's a friendly environment and everyone is nice.  I have a lot of friends here," James summed up. "It's an overall good pool."