Athol YMCA swimmers place at New England championships

ATHOL – Seven swimmers from the Athol Area YMCA Amphibians competed at the New England YMCA Championships, held March 21-22 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, with one swimmer taking first place and several others finishing in the top eight.

The Amphibians are coached by Erin Kimball, senior program director at the Athol Area YMCA, and typically compete against other teams in the Worcester County area.

“We’re a smaller team, but we have about 25 kids at the moment. We go all the way from age 4 or 5 up to 18, so it’s a pretty big range,” Kimball said.

She said swimmers must meet specific time standards in each event to qualify for the New England YMCA Championships.

“There are some years where it’s just one or two kids that qualify, so this was a good year for us,” Kimball said.

Ella Reeves, 17, led the team, placing first in the 100-yard breaststroke after qualifying in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke. Whitney Reeves, 14, swam the 200, 50 and 100-yard freestyle events, earning sixth place in the 200-yard freestyle.

Liam Bliss, 17, competed in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke, placing sixth and eighth, respectively. Dax Dickhaut, 8, swam the 25-yard backstroke, 50-yard freestyle and 25-yard freestyle, placing eighth in both freestyle races.

Clayton Larson, 8, competed in the 25-yard backstroke, 25-yard breaststroke and 25-yard freestyle, while Noah LeBlanc, 12, swam the 50-yard backstroke and 50-yard freestyle. Evan Piscitello, 16, also competed in the 50-yard freestyle.

Kimball said several swimmers improved on their personal bests during the meet.

Among those, LeBlanc improved his time by 1.29 seconds in the 50-yard backstroke, while Bliss shaved more than two seconds off his time in the 100-yard breaststroke. Dickhaut cut more than two seconds in the 25-yard backstroke and 1.5 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, and Reeves improved her time by 2.32 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle.

Kimball said the cooler water in the championship pool likely played a role in the swimmers’ improved times. Colder water can sometimes cause the body to swim faster by producing more adrenaline.

“Our pool is usually kept around 84 degrees, and that pool was around 72 degrees, so it definitely helped speed them up a little,” she said.

The team has been part of the community for decades, dating back to the 1970s when the pool was built. Kimball said older swimmers in the program often go on to become captains, lifeguards or instructors at the YMCA.