The winners from local pools in the GazetteLeader’s coverage areas of Fairfax County began in the younger age groups and continued into the oldest 15-18 category at the Northern Virginia Swimming League’s season-ending individual all-star meet.
The annual competition was held July 27 at Pinecrest Swim and Tennis Club in Herndon.
The first local winner was Kent Garden’s Sloane Nguyen in the girls 10-under individual medley in 1:20.79. As the meet continued, there were 10 other local winners, including Hamlet’s Kennedy Masten, Dunn Loring’s Hazel Gramlich and Shouse Village’s Maxwell Thompson, who each won two races.
Masten won the girls 11-12 freestyle in 28.31 and backstroke in 30.04. Gramlich won the girls 13-14 free (28.09) and butterfly (29.89). Thompson was first in the boys 13-14 boys free (24.12) and IM (1:00.14).
Also, Tuckahoe’s Daniel Klett won the boys 9-10 free (30.74), Hamlet’s Bennett Steele won the boys 13-14 breaststroke (32.43), Kent Garden’s Hadley Nguyen won the girls 8-under fly (17.38), McLean’s Emily Lipsey won the girls 9-1 fly (16.36), Kent Garden’s Caroline King won the girls 11-12 fly (31.71) and Hunter Mill’s Connor O’Neil won the boys 13-14 fly (27:01).
Klett also was second in the boys 9-10 breast, Steele fifth in the 13-14 IM, King was second in the 11-12 back and Nguyen in the 9-10 back.
Also in the meet, Langley’s Celina Feng was second in the girls 8-under back and third in the free at that age group, Oakton’s Anna Roth was third in the 13-14 breast and 13-14 free, Hadley Nguyen of Kent Gardens was second in the girls 8-under free, Oakton’s Brady Schneider was second in the boys 8-under back, Vienna Aquatic Club’s Beckett Cummins was second in the boys 13-14 breast, Chesterbrook’s Cameron Parkhomenko was second in the boys 13-14 fly and Tuckahoe’s Andrew Pelaez was third in the boys 9-10 back and IM.
Also, Edward Coleman of Shouse Village was third in the boys 11-12 breast and fly.
Oakton High School standout swimmer Matthew Bowman was second in the boys 15-18 IM and fourth in the fly swimming for the Fair Oaks team of the NVSL.
In another note, Beau Souders of the Oakton Otters team of the NVSL finished sixth in the boys 15-18 breast and ninth in the free at the all-star meet. The next day, Souders was the starting right fielder for the Vienna Post 180 American Legion baseball team playing in a state-tournament baseball game in Chesapeake.
Souders was a swimmer during the winter and baseball player during the spring for Oakton High School this past school year.
The all-star meet ended the 2024 NVSL season.
