The Bethlehem Stingrays summer swim team opened their season with a 372-209 victory over the Whitehall Waves on June 15 at Memorial Pool, Bethlehem.

“First meet of the year, good stuff. I’m pleased with where we’re at,” said Stingrays head coach Evan Kocon. “As far as the balance of our age groups, we have a lot of kids who shuffled groups. Some moved up and now some of their friends went with them and some are still in the younger groups. Things worked out, but I also told them, there’s a lot of little stuff, which comes with summer. We’ve only had four practices, so it’ll come, technique things, starts and finishes.”

In the 8 & Under races, first place finishers for Bethlehem were Amelia DeBalko, Raya Brandes, Abigail Yerk, and Finley Ogara in the 100 freestyle relay (1:37.12), Yerk in the 25 butterfly (26.54), Brandes in the 25 backstroke (29.15), James Krakowski in the 25 back (23.97), and Landon Black in the 25 free (19.91).

In the 9-10 races, first place finishers for Bethlehem were Liana Brandes, Alexandra Yerk, Camila Wilson, and Marguerite Guerin in the 100 medley relay (1:27.29), Logan Lech, Theo Collins, Greyson Geiger, and Bradley Bobsein in the 100 medley relay (1:25.67), Yerk in the 25 breaststroke (20.00), Collins in the 25 breast (22.97), Wilson in the 25 fly (20.21), and Yerk in the 25 back (19.38) and the 25 free (15.51).

“Our youngest age groups are massive,” said Kocon. “I’ll let a four-year-old on if they can make the length of the pool. Most of them are five or six when they start.”

Bethlehem’s winners in the 11-12 age group were Elena Bays, Liliana Fink, Emma Pellegrino, and Lena Blazure in the 100 medley relay (1:20.69), Desmond Murray, Charles Wilson, Jack Amato, and Darren Nguyen in the 100 medley relay (1:14.15), Diana Genao in the 50 breast (48.65), Murray in the 50 breast (45.78), Amato in the 100 IM (1:32.03), Nguyen in the 50 fly (36.50), Blazure in the 50 back (37.90), Amato in the 50 back (38.40), Blazure in the 50 free (35.28), and Nguyen in the 50 free (32.00).

“Going from 25 to 50, one thing you see is that they breathe way too much in strokes they don’t need to,” Kocon said. “In butterfly and freestyle, they’re breathing on almost every stroke. You just have to have a plan going into it.”

Bethlehem’s 13-14 winners were Kimura Dixon in the 50 free (35.25), Matthew Gould in the 50 free (32.75), Leah Onia in the 50 breast (39.89), Everett Collins in the 50 breast (44.13), Onia in the 100 IM (1:23.28), Andrew Bays in the 100 IM (1:19.85), Leo Negron in the 50 fly (36.93), Andrew Bays in the 50 back (36.26), and Onia in the 100 free (1:15.01).

Lilah McClarin, Natalie Brezinsky, Amelia Paxton, and Onia combined to win the 13 & Over 200 medley relay (2:23.45), and Bays, Malcolm Collins, Wade Wu, and Gould won the same event for the boys (2:10.32).

Paxton and Angelina Dechert tied for first in the 15 & Over 50 free (31.03), and Wu won the 50 free (27.31).

Brezinsky was first in 50 breast (37.93) along with Collins (32.00). Brezinsky also won the 100 IM (1:16.35) and the 50 fly (32.59) along with Collins (30.03).

Wu was first in 50 back (31.19), and Dechert placed first in 100 free (1:09.86).

The boys crescendo relay was won by Bethlehem’s James Krakowski, Desmond Murray, Ben Raineri, Andrew Bays, and Nathaniel Krakowski (2:15.27).