CCA Marlins Make Big Splash Local Swimmers Shine in Prestigious Holiday Swim Meet
While the rest of the school was dismissed for the Holiday break, the CCA Marlins, a year round competitive swim club owned and operated by North Cross School, travelled to compete in one of the oldest and most prestigious holiday swim competitions in the country. The event was the 39th Annual North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) Christmas Meet. NBAC is the home club of 2012 Olympians Michael Phelps and Allison Schmidt.
The CCA Marlins brought a team of 55 swimmers ranging in ages from eight to 18 to compete against some of the best swimmers in the country. The Marlins and North Cross were well represented by North Cross students Graydon Bartlett (‘22), Daniel Byrnes (‘21), Katherine Lake (‘18), Andrew Lorens (‘19), Natalie Lorens (‘21), Mac McNally (‘13), and Maddie Robinson (‘16).
Highlights of the meet:
• Graydon Bartlett swam in nine events and had eight time improvements.
• Daniel Byrnes scored in all nine of the events he swam, finishing as high as second in the 100yd Freestyle. Daniel’s 50 Free, 100 Free & 200 Free currently rank him as the fastest 9 and under in the state of Virginia.
• Katherine Lake had time improvements in all nine of the events she competed in, highlighted by an age group state qualifying swim in the 200yd Breaststroke.
• Andrew Lorens had time improvements in six events.
• Natalie Lorens improved times in three events earning a ‘BB’ time in the 100yd Butterfly.
• Mac McNally, in training to improve upon his two 2nd place finishes at the 2012 High School State meet, scored in four events highlighted by an almost ten second time drop in the 400yd Individual Medley.
• Maddie Robinson, though battling illness, competed in finals in seven out of nine events, finishing as high as fourth in both the 50yd Freestyle and 100yd
Backstroke.
Not all Marlins are North Cross students. Eleven year-old Shelby Stanley won three individual events and made finals in all nine events. Stanley is ranked in the top 10 in the United States for her age group. Stanley’s older sister, Olivia , along with Claire Adkins and Ben Kennedy had Junior National qualifying swims at the NBAC meet.
Coach Greg Lake was very pleased and said, “It was great to see all their hard work paying off. Every day, each of these swimmers puts in a lot of time and effort. Swimming is a real commitment of time and energy on the part of the athletes, and a real commitment from their parents and families, too. Our team performed well and I’m proud of them. To see this kind of progress from every swimmer speaks well of them and our program.”
About North Cross School
North Cross School is a college-preparatory day school grounded in a strong liberal arts and science curriculum combined with exceptional co-curricular programs. The academic program, from junior kindergarten through twelfth grade, prepares students to become responsible, successful citizens by encouraging them to explore their interests and develop their talents. The School is located at 4254 Colonial Avenue, Roanoke, VA, 24018. For more information, visit www.northcross.org
Submitted by Whitney Campbell
January 18, 2013 - 6:19 PM
Editor; What a joy to read about young people doing great things with their time and talent. we are besieged with news of errant kids,so it is good to hear about these swimmers. I am a snowbird wintering in Florida and it was a thrill to read of my grandsons( Daniel Byrnes) accomplishments. Thank you Robert Byrnes