Brookfield Breakers

Still Breaking Records!

The Brookfield Breakers selected 60 swimmers to participate in the NVSL Division 9 Championship Meet at Arlington Forest on Saturday, July 30. Two swimmers for each stroke and age group were chosen to compete against other top swimmers in the division (Brookfield, Arlington Forest, Fairfax Club Estates, Great Falls, Hollin Meadows, and Kent Gardens). The athletes did not let the sweltering heat get the best of them, as a majority of the swimmers achieved personal best times throughout the entire meet.

With a total of 12 swimmers competing in each event, the following Brookfield swimmers placed within the top six of their individual races and received a plaque for their performance: Carl Baumann (fly), Brian Bippert (back), Grace Boland (back and breast), Ben Borneman (IM), Benjamn Condemi (breast and fly), Alexa Conti (back and fly), Cara Conti (breast and fly), Martina Conti (free), Michael Donatello (back and breast), Anne Ettare (free and breast), Kayla George (breast), Jordan Greenlee (back), Kelly Guerrero (breast and IM),  Anna Kenna (free and fly), Claire Kenna (breast), Monica Labine (back and fly), Christopher Laing (breast and IM), Daniel Mitchell (back and fly), Kieran Nelson (breast and IM), Daniel Richter (fly), Ava Saylor (breast), William Schulte (back and fly), Shannon Silsby (back and fly), Casey Trahan (fly), and Sebastian Whittle (back).

Congratulations to Anna Kenna and Claire Kenna, who broke team records for the Brookfield Breakers.  Anna Kenna broke the Girls 11-12 50M Fly record, last set in 1991, with a time of 33.92. Claire Kenna broke the Girls 13-14 50M Breast record, which she set just two weeks ago (the previous record had been held for 16 years), with a time of 38.78. The Breakers are also excited to announce that four of their swimmers have qualified to participate in the NVSL Individual All-Stars Meet, which will take place on August 6 at Waynewood:  Anna Kenna, Claire Kenna, Cara Conti, and Alexa Conti.

The Breakers are proud of the accomplishments of all their swimmers over this swim season and look forward to their return to the team in 2012.

The Breakers Keep Fighting

The Brookfield Breakers tried to keep their cool in record heat, as they hosted Great Falls Rapids on July 23. The Rapids brought another challenging meet for the Breakers, getting a strong start and leading in points in the individual freestyle and backstroke events. Brookfield fought back, gaining more points for their team through the breaststroke and butterfly events, but it wasn’t enough to earn a lead. After winning five of the 12 relays, the Breakers had to declare a loss to the Rapids with a score of 176-226.

The team came on top with sweeps in the following events:  13-14 Girls 50M Free (Claire Kenna, Ava Saylor and Paige Shervanick); 15-18 Boys 50M Breast  (Michael Donatello, Kieran Nelson, Christopher Donatello); 9-10 Boys 25M Fly (Benjamin Condemi, Franky Doyle, Ryan Brault); 15-18 Boys 50M Fly (William Schulte, Casey Trahan, Ben Borneman)

Brookfield also saw another long-standing pool record get broken this week with the Girls 13-14 100M Medley Relay.  The previous record of 1:06.47 had been held since 1995, until the team of Emily Harris, Claire Kenna, Monica Labine, and Ava Saylor crushed Great Falls with a lead of almost 15 seconds and a new record time of 1:06:14!

First place individual winners for the Breakers this week were:  Grace Boland (breast), Benjamin Condemi (breast), Alexa Conti (back), Cara Conti (breast), Andrew Denner (free), Kayla George (breast), Claire Kenna (breast), Joseph Kenna (free), and Monica Labine (back and fly). Second place was obtained by: Carl Bauman (breast and fly), Grace Boland, Anne Ettare, Kelly Guerrero, Anna Kenna (free and fly), Christopher Laing (breast and fly), David Laing, William Schulte, Paige Shervanick, Shannon Silsby, and Sebastian Whittle. Bringing in third place were: Ryan Brault, Alexa Conti, Cara Conti, Martina Conti, Michael Donatello, Sydney Greenlee, Kelly Guerrero, Sam Hilburger, RJ Kenna, James Laing, Amalia Mack, Cara McFerren, Brandon Morris (breast and fly), Caitlin Mowry, Piper Read, David Schulte, Shannon Silsby, and Jack Trahan.

This last NVSL meet of the season was one of bittersweet moments as the Breakers bid farewell to several swimmers marking their last year of swimming with the team: Patrick Kenna, David Laing, Shannon Silsby, Colleen McCarthy, Adam Thoburn, Alaina Whitaker, and James Wiltshire. Each of these swimmers have been part of the team for many years and will be missed by their fellow Breakers. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors! The team would like to thank their hard-working team reps (Kathy Richter, Patty Laing, Sue Proctor, and Paula Shervanick) as well as their devoted coaches (Austin Caslavka, Mary Kate Kenna , and Shannon Silsby) for their time and energy poured into the team this summer.

The Breakers end their 2011 season with a win-loss record of 2-3. Select swimmers will be participating in the Divisional Championship at Arlington Forest on Saturday, July 30.

Busiest Week So Far...

The Brookfield Breakers started a busy week by hosting the Division 9 Relay Carnival on Wednesday, July 13. With 48 swimmers selected to represent the Breakers in relays of freestyle, medley and mixed age, the team earned a respectable third place overall. There was a strong representation from the Breaker girls, who received first place in the 9-10 Girls Medley 100M Relay (Martina Conti, Anne Ettare, Cara Conti, Amalia Mack); 13-14 Girls Medley 200M Relay (Monica Labine, Claire Kenna, Claire Doyle, Ava Saylor); and the 11-12 Girls Free 100M Relay (Alexa Conti, Cara McFerren, Grace Boland, Anna Kenna).

The Breakers then traveled to Arlington Forest on Saturday, July 16, to face off against the Tigers. The competition was tough and the Breakers suffered their second loss, giving them a season record of 2-2. Swimmers fought hard throughout the entire meet, but were not able to move up from behind, ending with a 46 point deficit and a final score of 178-224. Though the defeat was disappointing, the meet was not without memorable moments for the team.

After much determination, Claire Kenna (13) was successful in dropping almost three seconds in her 50M breastroke to set a new pool record! Her time of 38.78 smashed the 16-year-old record for the Girls 13-14 50M Breaststroke and put her at the top of Division 9 for this year's times.

The meet was also the last for 15-18 swimmer, James Wiltshire, who was turning 19 two days later. James swam three events: 50M Back, 50M Fly and 200M Medley Relay and placed second in his backstroke event. With NVSL records dating back to 2004, James has been an integral part of the Brookfield team.

The Breaker girls were strong, once again, earning sweeps in the following events: 11-12 Girls Backstroke (Alexa Conti, Grace Boland, and Kiersten Hollis) and the 9-10 Girls Butterfly (Cara Conti, Martina Conti, and Jordan Greenlee).

The team had first place finishes from:  Grace Boland (breast), Benjamin Condemi (fly), Martina Conti (back), Michael Donatello (breast), Anne Ettare (breast), Sam Hilburger (free), Anna Kenna (free and fly), Monica Labine (back), Daniel Mitchell (back), and Shannon Silsby (back and fly). Second place was awarded to: Carl Baumann, Brian Bippert, Ryan Brault, Alexa Conti, Anne Ettare, Kelly Guerrero, Emilia Judd, Claire Kenna, Monica Labine, Christopher Laing (breast and fly), James Laing, Mikayla Lynn, Cara McFerren (free and breast), Daniel Mitchell, Jack Trahan, and Sebastian Whittle. Bringing in third place for the Breakers were: Samantha Avery, Cara Conti, Andrew Denner, Jordan Greenlee, Kelly Guerrero, Nathan Johnson, Joseph Kenna, Matt Ludden, Mikayla Lynn, Daniel Richter (back and fly), Ava Saylor, and Patrick Silsby.

The Brookfield Breakers are eager for a win as they host the Great Falls Rapids on Saturday, July 23, in the last NVSL meet of the season.

Breakers Put Up A Good Fight

On Saturday, July 2, the Breakers hosted the Hollin Meadows Barracudas in what proved to be a difficult meet. After freestyle events, the score was tied, but the Barracudas were soon able to gain a 10-20 point lead for the remainder of the meet and kept Brookfield fighting hard to the very end.  The relay events were especially competitive with many finishes ending neck and neck, but Hollin Meadows secured a win with a final score of 180-222.

Double first place finishers for the Breakers were:  Daniel Mitchell (11-12) and Shannon Silsby (15-18), both swimming back and fly. Also retrieving first place in individual events were: Carl Baumann (11-12 breast), Alexa Conti (11-12 back), Andrew Denner (11-12 free), Claire Doyle (13-14 fly), Anne Ettare (9-10 breast), Anna Kenna (11-12 free), Mikayla Lynn (15-18 free), and William Shulte (15-18 back).  The 13-14 Girls (Claire Kenna, Ava Saylor, and Paige Shervanick), successfully obtained a sweep in their 50M freestyle event.

Winning relays came from: 11-12 Boys (James Laing, Brandon Morris,Daniel Mitchell, and Andrew Denner); 13-14 Boys (Jack Trahan, Nathan Johnson, Christopher Laing, and Daniel Richter); and 15-18 Girls (Stephanie Proctor, Kelly Guerrero, Shannon Silsby, and Mikayla Lynn), all swimming 100M Medley Relays.

Double second place finishers were:  Benjamin Condemi (9-10 breast and fly), Cara Conti (9-10 breast and fly), Kelly Guerrero (15-18 free and breast), Emilia Judd (8&U free and breast).  Also getting hold of second place were Grace Boland, Danielle Borneman, Alexa Conti, Martina Conti, Michael Donatello, Franky Doyle, Anne Ettare, Sam Hilburger, Anna Kenna, Joseph Kenna, Christopher Laing, James Laing, Mikayla Lynn, Rita Miller, Brandon Morris, William Shulte, and Jack Trahan.  Helping the team with third place finishes were:  Carl Baumann, Brian Bippert, Grace Boland, Simon Condemi, Martina Conti, Brady Harris, Nathan Johnson, Kieran Nelson, Sophia Nortz, and Piper Read.

The Brookfield Breakers will participate in the community relay event, Patsy Graham Splash About, on July 6 at the Greenbriar pool. The Breakers head into their third meet of the season with a record of 1-1, as they travel to Fairfax Club Estates on Saturday, July 9.

A SUPER Start!

The Brookfield Breakers started off their NSVL Division 9 swim season with an exciting win as they traveled to Kent Gardens in McLean on June 25.  Trailing in points for most of the meet, Brookfield was able to come up from behind with a two point lead after the butterfly events.  Winning seven out of 12 relays helped the Breakers secure their thrilling 207-195 victory over the Dolphins. 

Double first place wins for individual events were attained by six swimmers:  Anna Kenna (11-12 free and fly), Claire Kenna (12-14 free and breast), Monica Labine (13-14 back and fly), Christopher Laing (13-14 breast and fly), William Schulte (15-18 back and fly), and Shannon Silsby (15-18 back and fly).  Also getting hold of first place finishes were Brian Bippert, Grace Boland, Simon Condemi, Alexa Conti, Cara Conti, Martina Conti, Anne Ettare, and Michael Donatello.  Helping the Breakers in their success with second place were Brian Bippert, Grace Boland, Ryan Brault, Benjamin Condemi, Alexa Conti, Cara Conti, Claire Doyle, Anne Ettare, Sydney Greenlee, Kelly Guerrero, RJ Kenna, David Laing, Nicholas Labine, Mikayla Lynn, Paige Shervanick, Jack Trahan, and James Wiltshire.  Third place finishers were Ben Borneman, Simon Condemi, Jordan Greenlee, Sydney Greenlee, Kelly Guerrero, Sam Hilburger, Kiersten Hollis, Emilia Judd, John Laing, Daniel Mitchell, and Kieran Nelson.

Two sweeps were acquired by the Breakers for the 11-12 girls backstroke (Alexa Conti, Grace Boland, and Kiersten Hollis) and the 15-18 boys backstroke (William Schulte, James Wiltshire, and Kieran Nelson).

The Breakers are hopeful for another triumph as they host the Hollin Meadows Barracudas on July 2.

Ready for 2011

(Photo courtesy of M. Silsby)

The Brookfield Breakers look forward to another great swim season as they move up to compete in NVSL Division 9. The Breakers have a record number of swimmers this year and coaches Austin Caslavka, Mary Kate Kenna and assistant coach, Shannon Silsby, are working hard to help the team work to its maximum performance. Team Representatives this season are: Kathy Richter, Patty Laing, Sue Proctor and Paula Shervanick. Go BREAKERS!!!