The Delaware Aquatic Racing Team Stingrays always seem to be at or near the top of the Greater Columbus Swim League standings … and this season was no different.
The DARTS took top honors in the senior division with 1,884.50 points during the GCSL Championship earlier this week at the Plain Township Aquatic Center in New Albany. The juniors, meanwhile, finished third with 1,015 points.
Couple that with the combined 159 points they earned in the diving events a few days earlier — the juniors and seniors both finished fifth in their respective divisions — and the DARTS collected 3,058.50 points to earn overall team championship honors for the 11th season in a row.
The Stingrays had 11 different individual winners, including Ben Dunham, who set two different team records en route to winning the 14U boys 100 IM and 50 breaststroke.
Thomas Owen and Mia Saksa also posted record-breaking performances. Owen won the 12U boys 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle while Saksa took top honors in the 12U girls 50 free.
Other winners included Lincoln West (10U boys 100 IM, 50 free and 50 fly), Hayden White (8U girls 25 free and 25 fly), Lucas Kourie (8U boys 25 free and 25 breast), Olivia Oyster (8U girls 100 IM and 100 free), Charlotte Pelkey (6U girls 25 free), Natalie Fiant (12U girls 50 back), Kara Glesenkamp (12U girls 50 breaststroke) and Sam Sulek (18U boys diving).
The DARTS also padded their point total by winning seven relay events. Fiant, Gaby Oyster, Leah Nebraska and Saksa took top honors in the 12U girls 200 free relay, winning in a GCSL and DARTS record time. Saksa, Glesenkamp, Fiant and Nebraska also won the 200 medley relay in a GCSL and DARTS record time while Madalynn Thomas, Madison Bowman, Courtney Hanks and White teamed up to set a DARTS team record en route to winning the 8U girls 100 free relay.
The Stingrays also won the 8U girls 100 medley relay (Thomas, Hanks, White and Bowman), 10U boys 100 freestyle relay (Liam Stultz, Dylan Gasaway, Owen Wion and West), 14U girls 200 medley relay (Arianna Denney, Meg Wolf, Regan Kauderer and Anna Lance) and the 18U girls 200 free relay (Olivia Oyster, Maddie Richardson, Liz Abahazi and Rena Ouyang).