Media Guide: MCD Aquatics

M IAMI C OUNTRY DAY AQUATICS

MEDIA GUIDE

MEDIA GUIDE

spartan swimming

FALL 2013 Country Day Aquatics

contents

School Mission & History................................................................................................ 1 Program History............................................................................................................... 2 Program Records............................................................................................................. 4 Coaching Staff.................................................................................................................. 5 Season Schedule............................................................................................................... 8 Season Outlook................................................................................................................ 9 Captain Profiles.............................................................................................................

10

Swimmer Profiles............................................................................................................. 12

contacts Miami Country Day School 601 NE 107 St. Miami, FL 33161

MCDS Aquatics Center 305.779.6778

SwimOffice@miamicountryday.org

Head Coach Megan Pittman

PittmanM@miamicountryday.org

www.aquatics.miamicountryday.org For media inquiries and press releases, please contact Kimberly Arredondo, Development Associate for Marketing and Communications, at ArredondoK@miamicountryday.org or at 305.779.7204

from summer fun to competitive swimming

MIAMI COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

mission

Miami Country Day School is a college preparatory learning community committed to educating the whole child. Through the core values of honor, respect, wisdom and compassion, we prepare students to be lifelong learners.

We inspire our children to develop their intellectual, physical, aesthetic, social, emotional and spiritual potentials by valuing every student every day.

history

1952

The Hibiscus Hedge, first history of the school, claims the pool was the center hub for activity on campus in those first summer months.

After years of running a popular summer camp, Luther B. “L.B” Sommers and C.W. “Doc” Abele founded Miami Country Day School as an elementary boarding school for boys in 1938. It opened with only seven boys, but quickly grew to have a reputation as one of the finest independent institutions in the Southeast.

From the beginning, the school emphasized the development of young boys into multi-faceted civic leaders, including a healthy dose of athletic activities and cultural experiences.

Through the 1950’s and 1960’s, day students were added to the school’s resident population. In the 1970’s, Miami Country Day became co-educational and the boarding program was phased out. Originally a K-8 program, the school expanded to include an Upper School and graduated its first class in 1981.

Over the years, political leaders, professional athletes, celebrities from film and music, and foreign dignitaries have chosen Miami Country Day School for their children. Miami Country Day alumni have gone on to successful careers in politics, business, entertainment, and a host of other promising fields.

2001

The original pool by the canal was moved to its current location to make way for new Lower and Middle School classrooms.

2011

The opening of the Katherine E. Franco Center for Learning Resources solidified the pool’s location as the heart of the campus.

What will the coming years bring? “A 50 meter pool of course,” says Director of Aquatics Megan Pittman.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 1

program history varsity swimming

year

head coaches

boys

girls

special notes

1978-1979 1979-1980 1980-1981 1981-1982 1982-1983 1983-1984 1984-1985 1985-1986

Pat O’Kelly Pat O’Kelly N/A N/A

Eric Kulz Joe Dewitt Bob Karl Bob Karl Liz Dann/Bob Karl Liz Dann Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Denyse Pichardo Michael Fallik Megan Pittman Megan Pittman

----3-4* 2-9 3-7* 3-4 3-6 1-7 2-3 2-4 2-6* 0-11 2-6 1-6 5-3* 10-6* 5-3* 3-5* 0-7 0-4 5-6 1-3 5-5 2-7 3-6 2-6 7-6 8-6 8-9 6-7* 5-6 4-8 8-8* TBD

Jr High Level-1 Meet / Spring Sport Co-Coaches-Bredhal/Davis

1986-1987 1987-1988 1988-1989 1989-1990 1990-1991 1991-1992 1992-1993 1993-1994 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

--* --* --2-5 2-9 5-6* 5-6 0-9 0-9 1-4 1-6 1-5* 1-9 3-4 3-3 1-7 2-3 0-8 1-6 1-7 1-1 6-2 1-3 8-1* 2-7 5-2 7-1* 12-1 9-5* 13-4 10-2 8-4 10-1* 9-7* TBD

Shirley Davis/Eric Kulz

Eric Kulz/Jill Sprague

Eric Kulz Eric Kulz

PAGE 2 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

200 Med Relay to State Finals (Kim Denton, Sloan Satenstein, Juliet Goldman, Laurie Troost) Robert Denton (200 free) & Kim Denton (50 Free) to States

Swim meets first held at MCDS

District Runner-Up/17th at States Jen Weir State Champ100 Breastroke/District Champs/7th at States

Jen Weir to UM/Dara Rose to Iowa/8th at State Scarlet Ray to UMASS

9th at State; Michael Rice, 2nd at State 100 fly; 5th 200 free; Michael Rice to FSU 13th at State/David Harari to Penn State 23rd at State Ashley Hatcher (100 Breastroke) to State 4 ind & 2 relays to Regionals 2 relays to Regionals / 2 ind & 1 relay to Regionals * denotes group and year of adjacent special note

program history 1st team all-conference swimming year 1986-1987 1992-1993 1994-1995 1995-1996

1996-1997

2002-2003

district championships

spartan event Kim Denton 400 Frestyle Relay Alex Jelinek All-Conference Swimming Jennifer Weir 100 Breastroke Shannon Barkley 400 Freestyle Relay Scarlet Ray All-Conference Swimming Dara Rose 100 Butterfly, 100 Freestyle Jennifer Weir 200 IM, 100 Breastroke Olympia Decastro 200 Freestyle Relay Scarlet Ray 100 Backstroke Dara Rose 50 Freestyle Jennifer Weir 200 IM, 100 Breastroke David Harari 200 IM Michael Rice 100 Butterfly

1995-1996 district 8 - 4A girls swimming champions

miami herald player of the year

year 1995-1996 1996-1997

name Jen Weir Jen Weir

1st team all-dade swimming year 1986-1987 1988-1989 1992-1993 1993-1994

1994-1995

1995-1996

1996-1997

1997-1998

1998-1999 1999-2000 2002-2003

2003-2004 2004-2005

spartan grade Kim Denton 12 Robert Denton 12 Alex Jelinek 11 Alex Jelinek 12 Dara Rose 9 Dara Rose 10 Jennifer Weir 10 Scarlett Ray 10 Dara Rose 11 Jennifer Weir 11 Olympia Decastro 10 Scarlett Ray 11 Dara Rose 12 Jennifer Weir 12 Olympia Decastro 11 Scarlett Ray 12 Olympia Decastro 12 Albert Bedenbaugh Cortes 12 David Harari 10 Michael Rice 12 David Harari 11 David Harari 12

quick program facts location

Miami, Florida 33161 head of school Dr. John Davies

athletic director Chuck Sennett head coach & aquatics director Megan Pittman founded 1938

enrollment 1100

mascot

The Fighting Spartan colors Red & Blue

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 3

program records spartan girls event

200 MR 200 Free 200 IM 50 Free 100 Fly 100 Free 500 Free 200 FR 100 Back 100 Breast 400 FR

time 01:55.29 02:06.40 02:04.17 00:25.43 01:00.46 00:52.36 05:09.78 01:43.38 01:05.04 01:04.47 03:48.32

year 1994 1994 1995 1995 2013 1995 2013 1996 1996 1996 1995

spartan

Rose, Ray, Weir, DeCastro Scarlett Ray Jen Weir Dara Rose Olivia Katcher Jen Weir Olivia Katcher Rose, Ray, Weir, DeCastro Scarlett Ray Jen Weir Rose, Barkley, Ray, Weir

spartan boys

event

time year spartan 01:52.00 2013 Watson, Marchesani, Goya, Spiliotis 01:42.47 2004 David Harari 01:59.76 2002 David Harari 00:22.26 2004 John Mastin 00:50.53 2002 Michael Rice 00:47.91 2004 David Harari 04:42.42 2003 David Harari 01:32.42 2002 Harari, Cannon, Mastin, Rice

200 MR 200 Free 200 IM 50 Free 100 Fly 100 Free 500 Free 200 FR 100 Back 100 Breast 01:03.99 03:21.47 400 FR

2000 Albert Bedenbaugh Cortes 2002 Harari, Cannon, Mastin, Rice

PAGE 4 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

megan pittman

HEAD COACH Megan Pittman has over a decade of experience in directing, coaching and operating aquatics programs. She is quite suited to her new role as Aquatics Director/Head Coach at Miami Country Day, with an extensive record of success both on the wet side (coaching) and dry side (administration) of aquatics generally.

Prior to joining the MCDS staff, she served as the Director of Marketing and Advertising for the American Swimming Coaches Association. During that time, she also oversaw growth and development of high school and club programs in the Davie, Florida area.

Before coming to South Florida, Pittman served as Head Coach/ Aquatics Director in Yuma County, Arizona, and Head Age Group Coach for the Kansas City Blazers. Her role with the Blazers involved administrative oversight of the team’s five age group program sites and end-level management of 600 youth athletes. Before joining the Blazers, Pittman coordinated the elite age-group development program with Columbia Swim Club in Columbia, Missouri. Under her direction, the CSC age group program grew into a well-known and respected contender on local, regional and national levels. Additionally, during her time in Columbia, Pittman was the Assistant Compliance Director for the University of Missouri Athletics Department.

In 2008 and again in 2009, Pittman was honored by her coaching peers as the Missouri Valley’s Age Group Coach of the Year. She has also served with USA Swimming sport governance as a regional Age Group Chair, responsible for all 18 and under aquatics programming, organization of training camps and technical clinics, and coordination of the All-Star Teams and Zone Teams for annual competition.

In 2010, Pittman completed a year-long fellowship with the American Swimming Coaches Association. The prestigious ASCA Fellows Program involves mentorship, understanding and initiating change, and is designed to identify and develop the future leaders of our sport.

In college, Pittman was a dual-sport athlete, competing for the University of Massachusetts as a member of the swim program and crew team. In swimming, she was an Atlantic-10 Conference finalist and served as co-captain her senior year; she helped lead UMass Women’s Rowing to consecutive conference championships in 2003 and 2004. Pittman graduated Summa Cum Laude from UMass with a degree in political science in 2004 and subsequently earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri School of Law in 2007.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 5

assistant coaches Kate Sullivan joins the MCDA staff with seven years of coaching experience and 15 years of experience in swim lesson instruction. As the new Developmental Director, she will be overseeing Swim School lessons in addition to working primarily with the 10 & under swimmers.

Before making the move to Miami Country Day, Kate worked as both an assistant age group coach and an assistant high school coach in Davie, FL. Prior to her time in Davie, Kate spent five years at the Down East Family YMCA in Ellsworth, Maine. While in Ellsworth, Kate worked as the YMCA Aquatics Director, supervising all aquatic programming.

Additionally, she was an age group coach with the YMCA’s swim team, and a coach with Ellsworth High Varsity Swimming. Previous to her time in Ellsworth, Kate taught elementary school in Steuben, Maine.

While in college, Kate swam for the University of Maine. She was an Atlantic-10 scholar athlete all four years, and upon graduation she became a graduate assistant coach for her former team. Kate earned her B.S. in kinesiology & physical education from UMaine in 2004. In 2007, she earned an M.S. in exercise science, also from UMaine.

Stephanie Fung is an outstanding young coach with a life-long passion for everything aquatics related. She has a multifaceted job description at Miami Country Day Aquatics, where she is a lead Swim School coach, assists with the club developmental program, and also serves as the middle school water polo coach for the Spartans interscholastic team.

After gaining her B.A. in English from Duke University, Coach Stephanie returned home to Miami and immersed herself once again in the local aquatics scene. She honed her skills while helping to build an area age group swimming program, putting a special emphasis on long term development and continual technical improvement. Her passion for teaching extends past the pool and into the classroom, where she serves as the Academic Skills teacher for all the eighth graders at Miami Country Day School.

At a young age, Stephanie excelled as a member of a local age group swim club. She took this potential through to high school, where she was a dedicated swimmer for four years, distinguishing herself at the district and regional levels. As a freshman, she was introduced to the sport of water polo and went on to lead her team as captain as an upperclassman. She wishes to instill this same passion for swimming and water polo in today’s youth.

Stephanie Ragheb has worked in and around the pool as a program assistant, coach and swim instructor for the past seven years. Prior to joining Miami Country Day Aquatics she worked as a swim instructor/coach for North Miami Swim Team, and an Aquatics Program Assistant for the University of Maryland’s Aquatics Department.

During her years at Miami Country Day School she participated in swimming, soccer and water polo from grades 7-12. She received several awards including MVP and Coaches awards for both swimming and water polo. After leaving MCDS she attended the University of Maryland in College Park and earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology while playing for the women’s water polo team. While at Maryland she was on the Scholar Athlete Honor Roll for all four years and received the university’s Presidents Cup Community Service Award for work she has done with her father in Haiti.

PAGE 6 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

assistant coaches Colton Kleynhans brings experience working with kids of all ages from previously coaching and giving swimming lessons. He is a Level 3 ASCA certified coach. Florida Gold Coast is his home and he is excited to be a part of the swimming world in South Florida once again.

During his days as a swimmer, Coach Colton achieved high levels of competitive success, to include Florida High School state finalist ranks in the 200 free, 400 free and multiple relays. He led his team to an overall state championship at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and broke the Broward County 200 Free record as a senior, also winning the state championship that year in the 200 free. He is a three-time Scholastic Academic All-American. In college, Coach Colton was a scholarship student-athlete at Southern Illinois University. He also swam for South Africa’s National Team and was a premier open water swimmer.

Anthony Nalepa has honed his coaching skills on the baseball field, and this year, joined the swim coaching staff as a great asset. Anthony brings tremendous experience as a high level athlete, having played professional baseball in minor leagues across the Southwest.

He also serves as the pitching coach for the Spartan’s varsity and middle school baseball program.

Anthony is excited to be part of the swimming staff, because he brings a new perspective on functional movement, strength and conditioning expertise, and great skills in teaching and coaching mental focus and preparation for our athletes. Anthony attended University of Miami as a scholarship student-athlete and graduated from Nova Southeastern with a degree in sports management in 2011.

James Simpson joins the swimming coaching staff this season as a highly experienced coach and professional baseball player. Although his own swimming peaked as a 12th grader in Coral Gables, when he left the pool to spend all his time on the baseball field, he’s excited to return and share his love for the water with all the Spartan swimmers.

James also coaches with Spartan baseball, serving as the infield and hitting coach for both the varsity and middle school programs. Daily, James brings a positive attitude, encouragement and a unique ability to motivate the youngest and less experienced swimmers in the program, sharing his own challenges and trials with them to let them know their own struggles are only a way to grow as athletes and individuals. James attended Felician College in New Jersey, where he studied Criminal Justice and Business Administration.

program advisors gary & peggy butts

National and International competitive swimming programs

christian martell

summer marketing and media guide design

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 7

season schedule

date 5-Aug 19-Aug 23-Aug

day Monday Monday Friday

24-Aug* 3-Sep 7-Sep 12-Sep* 18-Sep* 21-Sep 24-Sep 27-Sep 28-Sep 2-Oct 8-Oct* 11-Oct 12-Oct 18-Oct* 21-Oct 28-Oct 8-Nov

Saturday Tuesday Saturday Thursday Wed Saturday Tuesday Friday Saturday Wed Tuesday Friday Saturday Friday Monday Monday Friday

event First day of interscholastic swim practice Coaches/Parents meeting Spartan Athletics Fall Mixer for parents, hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Katcher Red vs. Blue Intrasquad Dual Meet JV/V vs. Gulliver & Carrollton @ Gulliver Relay Invite @ Gulliver JV/V vs. Doral Academy JV/V vs. Westminster Christian & South Florida HEAT Woodson Invite @ Pinecrest JV/V vs Ransom & LaSalle @ Ransom FSPA Developmental Invite - Stuart, FL (JV) FSPA Invite - Stuart, FL (V) JV/V vs Riviera & Marathon @ Riviera JV/V vs Keys Gate Ransom Invite (V) Ransom Developmental Invite (JV) JV/V vs Belen & Lords Week of District 12 Championships - Time/Location TBA Week of Region 4 Championships - Time/Location TBA Class 1A State Championships

time 9:00am-11:00am 6:00pm 6:00pm-9:00pm 10:00am 3:00pm warmup/4:00pm start 8:00am warmup/9:00am start 4:30pm warmup/5:30pm start 4:30pm warmup/5:30pm start 7:30am warmup/9am start 3:30pm warmup/4:30pm start

2:30pm warmup/3:30pm start 4:30pm warmup/5:30pm start

3:30pm warmup/4:30pm start

*denotes home meets PAGE 8 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

season outlook the fall 2013 season is shaping up to be a fast one! spartan girls

spartan boys On the boys’ varsity, a couple of new freshman boys, Alexis Goya and Alessandro Marchesani, along with the combined help of Wiley Watson, who returns to MCDS after spending his freshman year at Kent, are sure to send our boys’ squad into highly competitive matches. Rounding out our top boys, this year, are returners Demetri Spiliotis (sophomore), Isaac Kassab (senior) and Lucas Henry (sophomore).

On the girls varsity side, we welcome newcomers Olivia Katcher (senior) and Andrea Santander (sixth grade) to a solid core of returners, including Amelia Gregorio, Madisyn Jones, Emma Rodriguez, and Eva Sher. The girls’ team is also quite thankful for the wisdom and experience of our two juniors, Jackie Lash (backstroke, breastroke, freestyle events) and Dani Saad (breastroke, freestyle events). Both Jackie and Dani were pivotal members of last season’s Regional qualifying relay teams. Come championship time, look for all of these ladies to be vying for a spot on our A relay teams.

Beth Lilly, Luna Garcia and Elmira Moskvina are three additional Upper School ladies who are sure to shine this season. All bring club swimming experience to the team, significant grace and leadership, and represent our team’s solid work ethic day in and day out. When it comes time to race, Lilly, Garcia and Moskvina represent a solid threat from our second and third seeds, in both individual and relay events. Returners from our middle school contingent include Isabella Pedraza and Arushi Beohar, both who look to be Spartan sprinters and individual medley experts.

Even more exciting this season is the welcome addition of multiple newcomers from sixth through ninth grade, more than tripling our girls’ team numbers from last year to now!

Three other Spartan veteran boys are: Marco Cartolano (junior), who looks to score for the team on a regular basis in freestyle races and will provide quality support for our 200 and 400 free relays, Chris Thixton (senior), our number two breastroker and go-to relay guy, and David Franco (junior) with aims for standout performances in sprint freestyle and medley and relay events.

Last year’s young team is blossoming into a rock solid Spartan contingent and the balance of our returning Upper School boys include freshmen Jonah Kane, a true distance powerhouse, and Sam Smith, an all-around versatile guy and ever-ready sprinter.

The Spartan boys will be strong for years to come because of some of our youngest swimmers like eighth grade returners Juan Martin Caro, Sebastian Rodriguez and Zach Smith, who are leading the way for our younger seventh graders and newly anointed sixth grade recruits.

The seventh grade class is again rock solid as last year’s sixth graders have returned in full force, with the likes of Liam Borchers, Zach Charalambides, Dylan Gostfrand, Theo Levacher, and Flynn Watson. Joining them this season are newcomers Igor Zelenko and Maximo Eriksson. Rounding out our seventh grade class, we’ll have Ricky Stamatis-Becker and Sebastian Olivera, and while newcomers to Spartan Swimming, this duo brings plenty of high level club experience to help them field the waters of interscholastic swimming.

Our sixth grade boys, a dozen in all, will be led by sixth grade standout, Jack Rodriguez. This group has plenty of club swimming experience, and as they look across the pool to their varsity teammates, the intensity in their eyes yields a plan for Spartan success in the years to come.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 9

captain

PROFILES the captains

Issac Kassab Grade 12 Isaac Kassab has been on the pool deck since the age of three. He has been part of the Miami Country Day school swim team and water-polo team since the 6th grade. Isaac has had many years of training as a swimmer and as a leader winning MVP trophies and Coaches’ Award trophies on multiple occasions.

Isaac has had a leading role in many high school clubs and as of the start of the 2013-2014 school year has been elected as Vice President of the upper school.

Isaac has had the opportunity to take many leadership roles in camps as a counselor and has a very easy time communicating and understanding the younger groups, which is why he is also a coach to the Pathways group.

Isaac loves working with the young swimmers and is very excited for the upcoming swim season where he will lead the team as a Captain. Next year, Isaac will be swimming at Babson College. He will be looking forward to coming back and congratulating his team on a state championship win.

Isaac is the son of Yair and Susan Kassab. He has two younger siblings, Phillip and Steven.

Olivia Katcher

Grade 12

Olivia Katcher joins Spartan Swimming as a senior this season. Katcher has been swimming for over eleven years, beginning when she was six years old, and competing on competitive club teams in Connecticut, New York and Florida. Despite her years in the club swimming realm, this season is her first as an interscholastic swimming competitor. She’s immersed herself into the Spartan Swimming program, showing true leadership for her teammates and unparalleled enthusiasm in all that she does, from dryland to in-water training to organizing social events and more. Undoubtedly, Katcher is excited to take part in the MCDS swim season, and Spartan Swimming is thrilled to welcome someone of her experience and caliber.

Both in and out of the pool, one will always find Katcher smiling, laughing, singing, dancing, and just having a good time with her friends. As Captain of Spartan Swimming, Olivia strives to help everyone be the best swimmer and person they can be. She takes swimming very seriously but also believes that one must have fun and love what they are doing in order to be successful.

Olivia’s favorite strokes are butterfly and freestyle. Her favorite events to swim are the 200 freestyle, the 500 freestyle, and the 100 butterfly, but she says the most exciting parts of a meet are the relays, because they bring everyone together and help unify the team.

Currently, Olivia has USA Summer Long Course Junior National times in the 200 freestyle, the 400 freestyle, the 800 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. She has a USA Winter Short Course National cut in the 200 freestyle as well. She has won multiple State Championships in Connecticut, New York, and Florida, and is looking to bring positivity and encouragement to the MCDS aquatics team. She is confident that this scholastic season will be a great one and is looking forward to the team’s success.

She is the daughter of Gary and Joann Katcher, and older sibling to Colten, a 9th grader this year at MCDS.

PAGE 10 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

the co-captains Emma Rodriguez Grade 10 Emma Rodriguez, a sophomore and Co-Captain, enters her fifth season with Spartan Swimming. A Miami Country Day School student since 6th grade, she joined the Spartan Swim team in 2010 to swim competitively after four years of recreational swimming with the Miami Shores Predators. Under the direction of Coach Megan Pittman in 2012, she became a member of the Miami Country Day Aquatics club team and began to see rapid improvement. She has a passion for the sport and excels in breastroke especially.

In March 2013, Emma became the first MCDS student to qualify for Speedo Champions Series Sectional Championships with her 100 breastroke time, which she bested that day and has since improved upon. Although she has only been swimming competitively for three years, her goals are to qualify for Nationals before she graduates, and eventually move on to the Olympics. As a Headmaster’s List student-athlete, she hopes to be afforded the opportunity to swim in college as well. She loves the sport of swimming and hopes for it to be a large part of her life for many years to come.

Emma is the daughter of Wally and Terri Rodriguez. She is the older sibling of Jack, who will join MCDS and Spartan Swimming as a 6th grader this year.

Demetri Spiliotis Grade 10 Demetri G. Spiliotis, sophomore, has been attending MCDS for 10 years. He began swimming with the Spartans in Middle School, and received the MVP award in 8th grade and the Coaches Award in 9th grade. He was also awarded the Physical Education Certificate of Excellence award at MCDS last year.

In the summer of 2012, Coach Megan Pittman encouraged Demetri to swim year round. He made that commitment and is training hard to accomplish his goals with her methods and guidance. He looks forward to the 2013 Spartan swim season to apply all his training and encourages his fellow teammates to do the same. As a Co-Captain this season, Demetri’s energy and incredible work ethic will serve his teammates well.

Demetri is also very active in his church youth group GOYA, where he volunteers and is hard at work in community service. He performs in his Greek Dance Group Kamaria as well. In January 2013, the Kamaria competed in an Hellenic Dance Festival competition where the group won a silver medal for their performance in the Southeast division.

Demetri is a true competitor at everything he does and balances this passion with true grace and sportsmanship. He brings unmatched intensity to each practice and competition, each day helping to bring out the best in himself and those around him.

Demetri is the son of Suzanne Spiliotis.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 11

swimmer

PROFILES girls varsity Jaclyn Lash

Grade 11

Jaclyn Lash enters her sixth year at MCDS and fifth season on the team. Last season, Jackie was a member of the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays, both qualified for Region 4 Championships. She also co-directed and produced the Girls Swim Team Music Video, a new tradition in the program.

Her favorite events are the 50 free, 100 backstroke, and 200 free relay. This year, she is focused on perfecting her racing start and flip turns, and in doing so, aims to break 27 seconds in the 50 free.

She is also excited to welcome new members to the team and, of course, spearheading a great music video!

Jackie makes the most out of her Country Day experience by striving for excellence in the classroom, pool, field, and community.

She is a three-sport student-athlete and regular member of the Headmaster’s List. She plays soccer in the winter, softball in the spring, and works with our Day Camp in the summer. She has received the Coaches’ Award and Spartan Awards for both swimming and softball.

Jackie is the daughter of Peter and Nancy Lash. Her older brother, Jeremy, is a proud MCDS alum.

PAGE 12 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

Danielle Saad

Grade 11

Danielle Saad, eleventh grade, is entering her eighth year at Miami Country Day School and her fifth season as a Spartan swimmer.

Dani is an excellent student having been on both the Director’s and Headmaster’s list on numerous occasions. She is actively involved in numerous school clubs and received the honor of having over 100 hours of community service. Dani is a tri-athlete competing for the Spartans in soccer and softball as well.

Dani’s best swimming events are freestyle and breastroke. Last year, she was thrilled to go to Regionals as part of the girls medley relay. This year, she is working hard every day at practice hoping to continue to drop her times and make it to Regionals in her individual events. Her goals for this season include becoming more adept at butterfly, meeting new friends and making an awesome new swim team music video.

Dani is the daughter of Sol and Julie Saad. She has two siblings, Jamie and Oliver Bowling.

Madisyn Jones

Grade 10

Madisyn Jones joined the swim team with no friends and little experience. She went from zero to many hours of exercise daily. She would go home every day feeling sore, tired, and heavy. These feelings soon changed, and she felt strong, energized, and healthy. The change was huge, but she overcame it. Looking back on her first year at Country Day as a freshman, she knows joining the swim team was one of the best decisions she has ever made.

Madisyn has bundles of energy. All this energy brings much happiness and a constant smile to her face. With the many great things Spartan swimming brings, being happy and having fun is effortless. She can be stubborn at times, but Coach Pittman always finds ways to get through to her. Her favorite stroke is freestyle, and she loves to do sprints. She is least talented at butterfly, but is in the process of improving.

Overall, Madisyn’s participation on the swim team has broadened her horizons and opened her up to new experiences. She’s also gained unforgettable friendships that can be found nowhere else.

She is the daughter of Tamika Jones.

Elmira Moskvina

Grade 10

Elmira Moskvina, sophomore, enters her second year at Miami Country Day School and first season as a Spartan Swimmer. Elmira also participates as a club swimmer with Miami Country Day Aquatics.

Originally from Latvia, Elmira finds life in the US to be quite different, and at the same time, very similar. Last year, she worked very hard to improve her English language skills and now is quite fluent in both Russian and English. Elmira has placed in the top three at national level language and mathematics competitions, and in fact, is an excellent student in all subjects, with special acumen as a linguist.

This year, Elmira is very excited to be part of Spartan swimming.

Although she is nervous about competitions, she is nonetheless excited to race and earn points for the team. Her best events are freestyle and backstroke, and she’s working to improve both her butterfly and breastroke to help out with individual medley events.

Her sisters are Anastasija, sixth grader at MCDS, and Jekaterina, junior kindergartener at MCDS. Elmira is the daughter of Mark and Oksana Moskvina.

Beth Lilly

Grade 10

Beth Lilly enters her second year at MCDS and first season with Spartan Swimming.

After recovering from hip surgery this past year, Beth joined MCDA and is now a valuable member of the team. Known for supporting her teammates, embracing hard sets, and possessing a quiet inner strength that propels her forward in all she does, she lives the Nemo motto of “just keep swimming” daily.

Her best events are the 100 and 200 backstrokes. She has made huge strides with those events, dropping nearly 40 seconds in the 200 backstroke by the end of short course season last year. Beth enjoys learning new competitive swimming skills, being with her teammates, and is looking forward to a great season. Her major goals include ongoing time drops in backstroke and improvements and endurance in breastroke and butterfly.

Beth is an excellent student, frequently making the Director’s List, and is actively involved in her youth group at Miami Shores Presbyterian Church.

She is the daughter of Janet and Stuart Lilly. Beth is the younger sister of Jenna Lilly, who graduated from MCDS in 2013 and now attends Colgate University.

Luna Garcia

Grade 9

Luna Sofia Pereyra Garcia enters her second year at MCDS and first season with Spartan Swimming.

Luna moved to Miami from Mexico last year and after settling in, she gathered the courage to join MCDA in the spring. While she enjoyed swimming recreationally in Mexico, she was ready to take her skills to the next level as a club swimmer. She has wholly embraced this challenge, exhibiting true commitment and an impressive work ethic.

Luna demonstrates this same dedication in her academics. She was on the Headmaster’s List all of 8th grade. She also received the Core Values Award, the Foreign Language Award in French, and the Tommy Pierce Citizenship Award.

This season, Luna is looking forward to developing greater bonds with her teammates and improving all of her strokes. She is also excited for the many interscholastic season meets, as she knows regular competitions will help her overcome pre-race anxiety and grow more confident as a swimmer and a person.

Luna is the daughter of Cristina Pereyra and Genaro Garcia. She is the sibling of Genaro Garcia Pereyra, a junior at MCDS.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 13

Amelia Gregorio

Grade 9

Amelia Gregorio enters her sixth year at MCDS and fourth season with Spartan Swimming. She also has nine years of USA Swimming club team experience, and currently competes as a member of Miami Country Day Aquatics.

Amelia’s best swimming events are the 200 IM, 400 IM and 100 free. As a club swimmer this past season, she made significant time drops in both the 200 IM and 400 IM, qualifying for Florida Gold Coast’s 14 and Under Junior Olympics. Her goals for this season include bonding with teammates and racing events that she has not swam in a while.

Amelia is a stellar student. She has had the highest GPA in her class during her 6th, 7th, and 8th grade years at MCDS. She has also been named to the Headmaster’s List for the last 12 consecutive quarters, and participates in Early Bird Orchestra, Key Club, Junior National Honor Society, and Operation Smile. As a member of Operation Smile, she received the Outstanding Service Award this past year.

Antonella Marcacci

Grade 8

Antonella Marcacci, eighth grade, is entering her second year at Miami Country Day School and her first season as a Spartan swimmer.

Antonella is actively involved in dancing competitions and also plays tennis. This season, she is looking forward to representing her school team and making new friends. She is excited about team trips and looks forward to improving her racing times throughout the season.

Antonella is the daughter of Lissette Marsicobetre de Marcacci.

Her sister, Valentina, also joined the team this year.

Amelia is the daughter of Henry and Marie Gregorio.

Valentina Marcacci

Grade 8

Valentina Marcacci, eighth grade, is entering her second year at Miami Country Day School and her first season as a Spartan swimmer.

Valentina is actively involved in competitive dance and also plays tennis. This season, she is looking forward to learning how to swim all four competitive strokes and mastering racing dives. She considers her greatest swimming achievement to be mastery of the flip turn.

Valentina is excited to be a Spartan swimmer and member of the team, representing her school and making new friends.

Valentina is the daughter of Lissette Marsicobetre de Marcacci.Her sister, Antonella, also joined the team this year.

PAGE 14 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

Eva Sher

Grade 8

Eva Sher has swam for the past three years for both the North Miami Swim Team and Miami Country Day. She currently swims for MCDA where she plans to swim under Coach Pittman for years to come.

Eva has found that her favorite stroke is freestyle and her favorite events are the 100 and 200 yard/ meter freestyle.

One of her favorite memories on the swim team was when they traveled to the Florida Keys to compete. Not only did she qualify for JO’s in several races and get best times in all her events, but she had fun and bonded with her teammates for three days straight!

Whenever her alarm goes off in the morning, the first thing that comes to her mind is a quote from Coach Pittman, “every time you sleep in, there is someone else out there working harder than you.”

For that reason, Eva gives her all to swimming and hopes that her hard work and dedication will eventually pay off.

Eva is the daughter of Mike and Heather Sher. She has two siblings: Lila, an MCDS 5th grader, and Robbie, age 3.

Arushi Beohar

Grade 7

Arushi Beohar, seventh grade, is entering her third year at Miami Country Day School and her second year as a Spartan swimmer. She is also a club swimmer for Miami Country Day Aquatics.

Arushi is an excellent student, having made the Director’s list and the Headmaster’s List for two quarters each. She is an avid musician. She participates in the MCDS Orchestra and plays both the violin and piano.

Her best events are freestyle and breastroke. She will be a great contributor this year in the 100 breastroke. As a club swimmer, Arushi has achieved several B time standards and qualified for Florida Gold Coast Developmental Championships during short course and long course seasons.

Brianna Buchler

Grade 7

Brianna Buchler, seventh grade, enters her eight year at Miami Country Day School and her first season as a Spartan swimmer.

Her favorite event is breastroke, and she’s excited to learn new skills this season and improve her overall swimming versatility.

Her goals for this year are to enjoy being part of the team, to have a lot of fun, and to get faster at swimming!

Brianna is the daughter of Elena Barberis and Aaron Buchler.

She is looking forward to welcoming new members to the team, expanding both her circle of friends and competitive horizons. Her season goals include achieving greater time drops in breastroke events and developing better technique in backstroke and butterfly to improve her individual medley races.

Arushi is the daughter of Abha and Nirat Beohar. Her sister, Ameya, also attends MCDS.

Stella Nixdorf

Grade 7

Stella Nixdorf, seventh grade, enters her ninth year at Miami Country Day School and first season as a Spartan swimmer.

She is also a member of the Spartan tennis team.

This season, she is looking forward to winning races and doing her very best as a member of the team. Her season goals include having fun, gaining new competitive experiences and challenging herself in a variety of new events and races. Stella looks to be a great contributor for the team in backstroke races.

Stella is the daughter of Cornelia and Matthias Nixdorf. Her brother, Luke, is a fourth grader at MCDS.

Isabella Pedraza

Grade 7

Isabella Pedraza, seventh grade, enters her third year at MCDS and her second season as a Spartan swimmer. Isabella is also a member of the Spartan water polo team and a club swimmer with MCDA. Isabella is an excellent student, having earned Headmaster’s List status for four semesters. She has also received the Core Values Award, the Perfect Conduct Award, the Creative Writer’s Award, and the Overall Excellence Award. Furthermore, she is highly involved in her community, and has earned accolades for her dedication and service.

Her best events are distance freestyle and individual medley races.

Her greatest swimming achievement came at the end of her fifth grade year, when, in a matter of a few short weeks, she learned the basics of all four competitive swimming strokes and was encouraged to go out for the Spartan Swimming Team as a sixth grader.

This season, she is looking forward to improving all of her times, developing her endurance for distance freestyle races, and being a key component of Spartan relays.

Isabella is the daughter of Jenny and Fernando Pedraza.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 15

Shaina Bassan

Day School.

Grade 6

Shaina Bassan, sixth grade, enters her first year at Miami Country Day School and first season as a Spartan swimmer.

Prior to coming to MCDS, she attended Lehrman Community

Shaina may be new to the sport of competitive swimming, but she understands competition well -- she is an excellent tennis player.

This season, she’s looking forward to improving her endurance, technical skills, and understanding of what it means to be part of Spartan swimming. Her favorite events are freestyle and breastroke.

Shaina is excited to represent her school and make new friends.

She plans to be part of Spartan swimming throughout her MCDS career.

Shaina is the daughter of Tania and Robert Bassan. She has one sister, Maya.

Anastasija Moskvina

Tyler Knohl

Grade 6

Tyler Rose Knohl, sixth grade, is starting her first year at Miami Country Day School and this will also be her first year as a member of the Spartan swim team.

Tyler spends her free time swimming, dancing, or doing gymnastics.

Tyler is excited to be part of the Spartan swim team and is looking forward to meeting new friends this season. She is excited to compete against other schools in South Florida.

Tyler’s best swim events are freestyle and breaststroke. She has been working extremely hard in practice to improve her stroke.

Her goals this season are to become a faster swimmer and to perfect her racing start.

Tyler is the daughter of Drew and Amy Tarras Knohl. She thinks of her dog Cooper as her sibling.

Grade 6

Anastasija Moskvina, sixth grader, enters her second year at Miami Country Day School and first season as a Spartan Swimmer. Anastasija also participates as a club swimmer with Miami Country Day Aquatics.

Anastasija recently returned to swimming after suffering a complex leg fracture that required her to be in a cast for several months.

The determination she has demonstrated in getting back to high level training and her daily dedication to push her limits serves as an inspirational force for her teammates.

Anastasija’s best events are freestyle and breastroke. She is looking forward to being a key contributor for JV girls medley relays on the breastroke leg, and also rising up to be a very solid 200 freestyler.

Her sisters are Elmira and Jekaterina, MCDS tenth grader and junior kindergartener, respectively.

PAGE 16 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

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Andrea Santander

Grade 6

Andrea Santander enters her first year at MCDS and first season with Spartan Swimming. Andrea also participates as a club swimmer for Fort Lauderdale Aquatics.

Andrea is an excellent student and is very active in her church community.

Her best events are the sprint freestyle, breastroke and individual medleys. She is currently the number one ranked 11 year old, nationally, in the 50 free and 100 free. Nationally, she is also ranked in the top ten in the 50 fly, 100 fly, 50 breast, 400 IM and 1650 free.

Her greatest swimming honor, to date, is to have qualified this past summer for the Florida Gold Coast Central Zone Team out of more than 800 other girls her age. She will represent our local swimming conference in an elite age group competition.

This season, she is looking forward to making new friends, competing for her school, and helping her team to the state championships as part of a the relay team. Her goals include racing her hardest in every competition and motivating her teammates through hard practices.

Tara Sarli

Grade 6

Tara Sarli, sixth grade, enters her first year at Miami Country Day School and her first season with Spartan Swimming.

Although small in stature, Tara packs a powerful punch when she races. A true competitor, Tara is committed to ongoing improvement, particularly in the competitive racing skills of flip turns and starts. Her best stroke is freestyle. She will race often this season in the 200 free, with plans to eventually help her evolve into a distance freestyler with a great 500 free.

This season, Tara is looking forward to the dual meet against Ransom, and wants to do everything she can to help Spartan Swimming pull out a victory against this team rival.

Tara is the daughter of Faith and Cicek Sarli. She has one sibling, Lila Selen.

Andrea is the daughter of Marjorie and Luis Jose Santander.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 17

boys varsity Christopher Thixton

Grade 12

Chris Thixton, twelfth grade, is entering his fifth year at Miami Country Day School and fifth season as a Spartan swimmer.

In addition to swimming, Chris is a member of the Spartan basketball team. He is also an excellent artist, and was recognized for his talents previously at MCDS with the Artist Award.

His best events are freestyle and breastroke. Last year, he dropped over 11 seconds in his 100 breastroke by the end of the season. His season goals include achieving even faster times in breastroke and freestyle sprint races.

This season is his last year as part of the program, and he’s looking forward to doing all he can to make his experience a great one.

Chris will be an important part of varsity relays this season, bringing his experience and wisdom to help the younger generation understand what Spartan swimming is all about.

Chris is the son of Renata DeWeert and Gerald Thixton. He is the sibling of Brandon Thixton.

PAGE 18 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

Marco Cartolano

Grade 11

Marco Cartolano enters his twelfth year at MCDS and sixth season with Spartan Swimming. Marco also participates with interscholastic and club water polo and club swimming with Miami Country Day Aquatics.

Marco always gives 110% in training and competitions. He possesses an ability to push himself far beyond what is comfortable and, through quiet leadership, motivates those around him to do the same.

This season, Marco is focusing on his backstroke and freestyle events. He is committed to improving his flip turns and backstroke start to become the most effective racer possible. He also wants to break 28 seconds in his 50 free, and looks to be a pivotal part of varsity freestyle relays.

Marco is actively involved in the Country Day community, participating as a member of the Thespians, Model UN and Operation Smile. He is also a committed student --- named to the Director’s List throughout his 9th and 10th grade years.

Marco is the son of Angela Alvero and Joe Cartolano, and older brother to Sophia and Lucia, MCDS students in the Middle and Lower Schools, respectively.

David Franco

Grade 11

Lucas Henry

Grade 10

David Franco, junior, enters his sixth year at Miami Country Day School and fifth season as a Spartan Swimmer.

Lucas Henry, sophomore, enters his sixth year at MCDS and fifth season as a Spartan swimmer. He is also a club swimmer with MCDA.

School is a high priority for David having been named to the Director’s List on multiple occasions. He thrives in the MCDS environment that offers hands-on learning opportunities. Last winter, he took advantage of one such experience by traveling with his classmates to Washington, D.C. as part of a minimester trip.

Lucas spends quite a lot of time at the MCDS Aquatics Center, where, when he is not training, he has served as a coach with the MCDA Red and Pathways groups since Summer 2012. Lucas exhibited standout skills and leadership during a recent summer lifeguarding camp on campus. He is currently American Red Cross Lifeguard Certified.

David’s best events are sprint freestyle races. Last year, he was a high quality relay performer for the Spartans, always rising to the occasion and putting out lifetime best performances whenever he was needed for his team. Currently, his best 50 free time is 29.15 seconds, and this year, David plans to obliterate that time and move solidly into the 27 second range.

David is looking forward to being an active team leader this year, and knows that with our young team, his experience will help provide new swimmers with a visible role model and empathetic leader they can turn to with questions.

David is the son of Kim Feinberg.

Wiley Watson

Grade 10

Wiley Watson enters his eighth year at MCDS and fourth season as a Spartan swimmer. After attending the Kent School in Connecticut last year, he’s thrilled to be back and ready to do his part for Spartan Swimming!

Wiley began swimming at age two and was competing by age eight. In 2011, he was one of eight 13-14 year old boys named to the Florida Gold Coast All Star Team. Looking forward, Wiley plans to attend the Naval Academy, gain commission as an officer, and represent the USA in swimmig at the Olympics.

Wiley’s best events are the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly. After spending a year training by himself, he is looking forward to everything this season – teammates, coaches, a supportive family, but most of all, the opportunity to race outdoors again! His goals this season include breaking 50 seconds in the 100 free and qualifying for the state championship meet in both individual events and relays.

Wiley is the son of Olive and Joanna. He has one brother, Flynn, also a Spartan swimmer.

His best events are distance freestyle, primarily the 200 and 500 free. This year, the Varsity team is counting on Lucas to be part of the distance powerhouse program. He is excited about the coming season, where he will combine a new level of understanding of competitive swimming with an intense personal motivation to be the best he can be. Lucas is very committed to swimming. He truly believes that swimming brings out the best in people, and he works to exhibit this personally, as well as teaching it daily to his young charges.

Lucas is the son of Nery and Frank Henry. He has one older brother, P.J.

Alexis Goya

Grade 9 Alexis Goya, freshman, enters his first year at MCDS and first season with Spartan Swimming. Alexis has been a competitive club swimming participant for seven years, first with North Miami Neptunes and then with MCDA. Alexis is a stellar student, receiving 1st honors for the last four years at St. Rose of Lima School. He was also recognized as the top student in his class. When he’s not at the pool or studying hard, Alexis practices Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

His best events this season look to be the 500 free and 100 fly, and he will be a key contributor on several relays. This season, he is looking forward to representing his school in the best way he can. He is excited for his first interscholastic season and looks forward to the several regular season dual meets, where he can bring his best racing up against some of the county’s finest athletes in head to head matches. His goals for this season include helping his teammates and qualifying for the Class 1A State Championships Final in individual events and relays.

Alexis is the son of Freddy Goya and Maria de Lourdes Franco.

His older brother, Alan, is a senior at Monsignor Pace.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 19

Jonah Kane

Grade 9

Jonah Kane, ninth grade, enters his sixth year at Miami Country Day School and second season as a Spartan swimmer. Jonah also participates as a member of the Spartan water polo and basketball teams.

Jonah is a high level student and has achieved honor roll status several times during his time at MCDS. He also received the Presidential Academic Fitness Award, which recognizes individual students who have high academic expectations, display hard work in the classroom, and exhibit strong self-discipline with study habits.

This season, Jonah is looking forward to swimming with greater speed and intensity during training, in efforts to get himself faster and stronger. He is still waiting for his greatest swimming achievement, and maybe this season will bring it to light!

Jonah is the son of Julie and Jeffrey Kane. He has two sisters, Annie and Sophie, who both attend MCDS.

Alessandro Marchesani

Grade 9

Alessandro Marchesani has swam since the age of seven, and has competed in Brazil, Chile, and the Dominican Republic.

He first competed with the Miami Beach Seahawks for two years, before moving to FLA Aquatics in 2009, where he swam for three years in the Advanced Age Group with Head Coach Jesse Vassallo. In 2012, he moved to Davie Nadadores and swam for the Gold Group with Coach Grady.

Currently, he holds the Chilean record for 11-12 boys in 200 breastroke LCM with a time of 2:48.81 set last year in May. He has participated in multiple Junior Olympic Championships placing several times, including ranking in the top five in his age group and winning gold in the 50 breastroke LCM. He has also placed in the top three in the Chilean Junior Age Group Nationals (14 & under).

A year-around swimmer, currently with MCDA’s Gold Group, Alessandro will start his Upper School career on the Spartan Swim Team.

Alessandro is the son of Ricardo and Ana Belezia Marchesani, and older brother to Gabriella, a 6th grader at MCDS.

Sam Smith

Grade 9

Sam Smith is entering his third year at MCDS and third season with Spartan Swimming.

Sam also participates in interscholastic and club water polo.

In seventh grade, Sam was honored with the Most Improved Award in swimming, and his dedication to constantly refining his technique continues to play a pivotal role in his success.

His favorite strokes are freestyle, butterfly and breastroke. This season, Sam is looking forward to swimming with friends, pushing each other every day in practice and working hard to improve.

Sam is passionate about swimming as it provides him a forum to test his strengths and weaknesses and grow as an athlete and a person. His major goal this season is to go under 27.00 in the 50 free.

Sam embodies the whole child ethos of MCDS, demonstrated by awards he has received for Core Values. His name also appears frequently on the Director’s List for academic achievement.

Sam is the son of David and Wendy Smith. His brother Zach is an 8th grader at MCDS and a fellow Spartan Swimmer.

PAGE 20 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

Juan Martin Caro

Grade 8

Juan Martin Caro enters his fifth year at MCDS and third year as a Spartan Swimmer.

He is also an MCDA club swimmer and Spartan water polo team member.

In 2012, Juan Martin was the JV M.V.P. His success is highlighted by the obstacles he has overcome. As a child, he received a cochlear implant, a non-waterproof, surgically implanted hearing device, that leaves him swimming in a soundless world. One can only assume how challenging the sport can be without the ability to hear. Yet, Juan Martin has worked hard to use nonverbal communication to follow the meet official’s commands and get off the starting blocks just as fast as anyone else.

This year, Juan Martin is excited to use his new waterproof implant casing at swim meets. He is looking forward to racing well and dropping his swim times. His best events are backstroke and mid-distance freestyle, and he looks to be a solid contributor in the 100 back and 200 free. His top goal this season is to qualify for Regionals in an individual event and go under 1 minute in the 100 back.

Juan is the son of Felipe and Audrea Caro. His brother, Juan Andres Caro, is a junior at MCDS.

Zach Charalambides

Grade 7

Zach Charalambides, seventh grade, enters his sixth year at MCDS and second season as a Spartan swimmer. He also participates as a member of the Spartan water polo team.

This season, as a member of the varsity squad, he looks to be a solid contributor in freestyle, individual medley, and butterfly races. He brings a great attitude and focused determination to practice every day, and does a great job of motivating and leading our contingent of middle school boys.

Zach is looking forward to being part of a great and successful team this season. His number one goal is to be the very best he can be by giving 110% every day.

One of Zach’s greatest swimming accomplishments involved training with and racing his father this summer as the family traveled abroad. After working hard all summer, Zach finally raced his dad and won!

Zach is the son of Heidi and Pierre Charalambides. He is the older brother to Kalel and Eloise, who both attend MCDS, and Alina, age 2.

Theo Levacher

Grade 7

Theo Levacher, seventh grade, is in his fifth year at Miami Country Day School. This is his second year as a member of the Spartan swim team.

Theo is a hard working student. Last year, he made the Headmaster’s list every quarter, and received the National Spanish Society Award. He also participates in lacrosse with the Miami Beach Squids and plays tennis.

Sebastian Rodriguez

Grade 8

Sebastian Rodriguez, eighth grade, is entering his third year at Miami Country Day School and his third season as a Spartan swimmer.

In addition to swimming, Sebastian is a member of the Spartan soccer and tennis teams. He is also a musician and has been playing guitar for several years.

Sebastian’s best events are freestyle and backstroke. At the South Florida Middle School Championships last year, he placed first in the 50 backstroke.

This season, he is looking forward to improving his times in all events. Excited to have made the Varsity team, he is ready to step up and help the team in any capacity.

Sebastian is the son of Domingo and Ingrid Rodriguez. He has two siblings, Jose and Alejandra.

Sebastian Olivera

Grade 7

Sebastian Jose Olivera, seventh grade, is in his second year at Miami Country Day School. This is his second year as a member of the Spartan swim team.

Sebastian enjoys being a member of the swim team and is looking forward to making new friends.

Theo is proud to have made the Middle School swim team last year. He knows he will have fun as a member of the swim team.

He is also looking forward to improving his strokes. His best strokes are the freestyle and the individual medley.

His best events are breastroke and backstroke and he is excited to compete as a member of the boys Varsity squad.

His goals are to swim hard, and to beat his times in all strokes and events during the course of the season.

Sebastian is the son of Jose Antonio and Maria Fernanda Olivera.

He has one sibling Juan Rafael.

He has the goal of working to improve his times during the season.

Theo is the son of Frederic and Kareen Lafon Levacher. He has one sibling, Noe.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 21

Ricky Stamatis-Becker

Grade 7

Ricardo Stamatis-Becker, seventh grade, enters his first year at MCDS and first season as a Spartan swimmer. He is also a club swimmer with MCDA. Ricky is a well-rounded young man and earned accolades in Science, Spanish and Leadership, while attending The Cushman School. Last year, Ricky won the Pin Ying Medal for placing second in a Chinese writing national contest.

Ricky’s best events are backstroke and individual medleys. During a team trip last spring to Islamorada for a club swimming invite, Ricky was a standout in the 50 backstroke. This past summer, at the Fort Collins Summer Challenge Invite, Ricky placed third overall, out of all 11-12 boys, for the highest number of points scored in the meet.

This season, he is looking forward to the daily training atmosphere where he will have an opportunity to improve each and every day.

His primary goals for the season include improving upon all his current times and continuing to develop his versatility as an IM swimmer.

Ricky is the son of Alicia and James Stamatis-Becker.

PAGE 22 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

Igor Zelenko

Grade 7

Igor Zelenko, seventh grade, is starting his first year at Miami Country Day School and this will be his first season as a member of the Spartan swim team.

Igor recently moved here from Russia and is working very hard to improve his knowledge of both written and spoken English. He enjoys theatre during his free time.

Igor is excited to be part of the Spartan swim team and is looking forward to making new friends with his teammates. He considers his best stroke to be freestyle and backstroke.

Igor is the son of Igor and Natalia Zelenko.

boys junior varsity Zachary Smith

Grade 8

Zach Smith, eighth grade, enters his fifth year at MCDS and third season with Spartan Swimming. He also participates with interscholastic and club water polo. Last season, he was recognized amongst his teammates as a supportive and empathetic member of the squad, who leads by both word and example, and resultantly received the Coaches Award for JV Swimming.

Zach is a National Junior Honor Society member and has been named to the Headmaster’s and Director’s lists multiple times.

He is a terrific relay swimmer, always gearing himself and his teammates up to swim their fastest for the team. His best event is the 50 free. Zach also excels in breastroke and wants to improve his endurance this season to achieve faster times in the 100 breast.

Liam Borchers

Grade 7

Liam Borchers, seventh grade, enters his ninth year at MCDS and second season as a Spartan swimmer.

Liam is quite the Renaissance man, making the Headmasters List all four quarters last year, playing goalie for the middle school lacrosse team, serving as Class Secretary, and starring in the middle school musical.

Liam’s best strokes are butterfly and breastroke. He considers his greatest achievement to be working hard through his first season in Spartan Swimming, learning all strokes, competitive racing rules, and improving all of his times. He is excited about the new swimmers joining the program, and plans to help them get through their first season with the same empathy and support shown to him as a sixth grader.

This season, Zach is looking forward to being a leader amongst the middle school boys and working hard to achieve significant time drops in the 50 and 100 free.

This year, Liam’s number one goal is SPEED! He is dedicated to improving his strength and speed to help his team in any capacity.

He is proud to be part of Spartan Swimming and believes that, although we are a young team, we are resilient and will push forward to win!

Zach is the son of David and Wendy Smith. His brother, Sam, is a 9th grader at MCDS and also participates with Spartan swimming.

Liam is the son of Laylah Borchers, an Upper School faculty member at MCDS. His sister, Olivia, also attends MCDS.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 23

Maximo Eriksson

Grade 7

Dylan Gostfrand

Grade 7

Maximo Eriksson, seventh grade, enters his seventh year at Miami Country Day School and first season with Spartan swimming.

Dylan Gostfrand, seventh grade, is entering his fifth year at Miami Country Day School and his second season as a Spartan swimmer.

He is a great student, having been named to the Directors and Headmasters Lists many times. He also participates as a member of the Spartan soccer and lacrosse teams.

Dylan enjoys participating in many sports including baseball, basketball, lacrosse and football.

Maximo is looking forward to the sprint freestyle races, like the 50 and 100. He is also excited to play a major role in Junior Varsity relays and wants to improve his 50 free time to under 30 seconds.

He is the son of Nakary and Magnus Eriksson. He has one sibling, Shovan.

Flynn Watson

Miami Neptunes.

Grade 7

Flynn Watson, sixth grade, enters his ninth year at Miami Country Day School and his second season as a Spartan swimmer. Flynn is also a club swimmer with Miami Country Day Aquatics and has participated in the past with North

This season, Flynn is very excited to swim this year with his brother Wiley, who returns to MCDS after spending last year at boarding school. He is also looking forward to getting faster, being with his friends at practice, and working to increase his daily intensity in training.

Flynn’s best events are the 50 breast and the 50 fly. This season, Flynn hopes to improve his times, but he is also looking to win some races and score points for his team.

Flynn is the son of Joanna and Olive. His older brother, Wiley, also attends MCDS.

PAGE 24 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

He is very proud of winning first place in the 50 freestyle and feels this is his best stroke. He is excited to go to swim meets and looks forward to working hard at practice to accomplish his goal of swimming faster.

Dylan is the son of Howard and Stella Gostfrand. He has one sister, Sophia Gostfrand.

Joseph Aming

Grade 6

Joseph Aming, sixth grade, enters his first year at MCDS and first season with Spartan Swimming.

This past summer, Joseph was enrolled with the Breakthrough Miami program at MCDS. After his daily classes, he came to the pool to swim with Miami Country Day Aquatic’s Summer Swim Team. When Joseph started competitive swimming in June, he had a steep learning curve. Although a master of land sports, Joseph’s water skills were a bit lower and he had to work very hard at first just to keep up with the group. Within a few weeks, all had changed. Joseph’s dedication, daily practice, attendance and intensity helped propel him to the front of the lane.

Since then, Joseph’s improvement has continued and his racing skills look to make him very competitive during the JV season.

Joseph’s best events are butterfly and backstroke. He is also a great freestyler. With some breastroke skill mastery, he will be a solid contributor in medley races and anywhere else the Spartans need him.

Joseph is the son of Gerard Aming and Elizabeth Flocker-Aming.

Zachary Babil

Grade 6

Zachary Babil, sixth grade, is starting his first year at Miami Country Day School and this will be his first year as a member of the Spartan swim team.

Zachary enjoys many athletic activities and particularly likes to participate in basketball and lacrosse.

Zachary is looking forward to a great season, working hard to improve his freestyle and backstroke times. His best swimming events are freestyle and backstroke.

This season, his goals are to work hard, improve as a swimmer, and to win.

Zachary is the son of Tommy and Melissa Babil. He has one brother, Ethan.

Camryn Davis

Grade 6

Camryn Davis, sixth grade, is entering his second year at MCDS and first year as a member of the Spartan Swimming. He is starting his second year as a club swimmer with MCDA. Camryn is an outstanding student having received numerous academic awards, including being the first in his class for three consecutive years. He has also received Honors awards in music and drama. He also enjoys playing water polo and tennis.

Nikolay Bespalenko

Grade 6

Nikolay Bespalenko, sixth grade, enters his fifth year at Miami Country Day School and first season as a Spartan swimmer. Nikolay is also a club swimmer for Miami Country Day Aquatics.

Nikolay’s favorite events are breastroke and freestyle. He loves being a part of the strong sixth grade contingent, and everything it entails from wearing his team shirt on race day to Tuesday Team lunches. He is looking forward to the many interscholastic dual meets and invites this season, because he loves to race and truly shines when the competition heats up.

His biggest goal this season is to improve his butterfly, so he can become a more versatile swimmer and a potential IM superstar.

Nikolay is the son of Olga and Roman Bespalenko.

Franco Ferreira de Melo

Grade 6

Franco Ferreira de Melo, sixth grade, is entering his first year at Miami Country Day School and first season as a member of the Spartan swim team.

Franco is an excellent student who enjoys school very much, and has even been Student of the Month in the past. He also enjoys participating in extracurricular activities such as tennis.

Camryn is looking forward to a great season spent getting to know his teammates and continuing to improve his times.

His best swimming events are freestyle and breastroke. He is especially proud of his 50 freestyle time of 42.83. Camryn’s goals this season are to improve all his strokes, especially his butterfly stroke, and to get faster.

Franco is happy that he joined the Spartan swim team and is looking forward to meeting fellow swimmers and going to competitions. His top goal is simply to become a great swimmer.

Camryn is the son of Karin Stark-Davis. He has one sister, Shaelyn Davis.

Franco is the son of Carlos and Lara Ferreira de Melo. He has one sibling, Matias.

Miami Country Day Aquatics | PAGE 25

Jackson Jimenez

Grade 6

Andrew Lips

Grade 6

Jackson Jimenez, sixth grade, is entering his third year at Miami Country Day School and first season as a Spartan Swimmer. He is also a club swimmer with Miami Country Day Aquatics.

Andrew Lips, sixth grade, is in his seventh year at Miami Country Day School.

This is his first year as a member of Spartan swimming.

Jackson is an avid chess player and great musician. He has competed in many chess tournaments, such as the Epicure Grand Prix series and is ranked quite high in his age group. Musically, Jackson is very talented on the viola, which he has played for many years.

Andrew is excited to be a member of the Junior Varsity swim team and feels his best strokes are freestyle and breastroke.

Jackson’s best events are butterfly and mid-distance freestyle. He looks to place high for the Spartans in 50 fly races, the 200 free and JV relays.

Jackson is the son of Herbert and Carolyn Jimenez. His twin sister, Madison Jimenez, is a sixth grader at Miami Country Day School.

Jack Rodriguez

Grade 6

Jack Rodriguez, sixth grade, enters his first year at MCDS and first season as a Spartan Swimmer.

Jack also participates as a club swimmer with Miami Country Day Aquatics.

Other extracurricular activities of Jack include playing the piano and aviation. He has flown a Cessna 172 and a Cirrus so far in his training.

Jack has been swimming with the Miami Shores Swim Team for 2 years prior to joining MCDA, and the 50 free and 50 back are his favorite events. He considers competing in a long course pool to be his greatest swimming achievement.

This season, he is looking forward to improving his times and having a lot of fun with his teammates, especially at away meets. He hopes to win his favorite events at a school season meet.

Jack is the son of Terry and Wally Rodriguez. His sister, Emma Rodriguez, is the Co-Captain for the girls varsity team.

PAGE 26 | Miami Country Day Aquatics

He is looking forward to meeting new friends on the team and going to swim meets.

His goals this season are to work on and improve his backstroke.

Andrew is the son of Lisa and Alan Lips. He has two siblings, Jordan and Katie.

Dan Schecter

Grade 6

Daniel Schechter, sixth grade, is entering his eighth year at MCDS. This will be Daniel’s first year as a member of Spartan swimming. Daniel has two years of USA Swimming club team experience and he currently competes as a member of MCDA. Daniel not only enjoys competitive swimming, he also participates in many extracurricular activities including golf, hiking and canoeing.

Daniel’s best swimming events are freestyle and breastroke.

He has made steady progress in dropping his times in these events. Daniel is looking forward to meeting new members of the swim team and renewing friendships from his previous year as a member of the club team.

Daniel’s goals for this year are to improve his freestyle times, make a contribution to the team and to improve his overall fitness.

Daniel is the son of Beth and Jim Schechter.

Ramon Villamayor

Joseph Weider

Grade 6

Ramon Villamayor, sixth grade, enters his eighth year at Miami Country Day School and first year as a Spartan swimmer. He has one year of USA Swimming club team experience as a member of MCDA. Ramon spends many hours at the pool working hard to become a better competitive swimmer, and relaxes by playing electric guitar.

He looks forward to being part of a relay team and representing Miami Country Day School. Ramon is excited to be going to many meets during the school swim season. His best event is freestyle.

Ramon’s goals for the season are to improve all his times by at least two seconds. He is also excited to meet new friends.

Ramon is the son of Ramon and Diana Villamayor. He has one sister, Sara Michelle Villamayor.

Grade 6

Joseph Weider, sixth grade, enters his first year at Miami Country Day School and first season as a Spartan swimmer.

Joseph is a great addition to the Junior Varsity team. His best event is the sprint freestyle. The coaching staff has big plans for Joseph as he continues through his years at MCDS and looks to be a great member of Spartan boys 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays. His kicking skills are quite impressive, and with improved racing starts and flip turns, he will be highly competitive in dual meets this season.

Joseph is looking forward to the camaraderie of the JV boys squad. He knows wherever he turns on campus, he is sure to catch a smile from one of his teammates. Joseph has a great attitude and is always ready and willing to help pick up the deck or the attitude of a struggling teammate.

Joseph is the son of Mark and Natalie Weider.

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