South YMCA swimmers soak up national honors
KEY individuals, teams place at four-day meet in Fort Lauderdale

By Debbie Juniewicz
Dayton Daily News

With more than 200 teams and 1,500 swimmers in the mix, top finishes didn't come easy at the YMCA National Short Course Championships.

But, the KEY swimmers were up to the challenge.

Despite the competitive field, several of the South Community Family YMCA KEY swimmers earned positions on the award podium at the national meet.

The 13 Kingfish swimmers helped the KEY squad secure an 11th-place finish overall in the four-day national meet in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"To be honest, going into it, I thought we could have placed even higher," KEY swim team coach Gary Galbreath said. "But the competition was much better this year than it has been."

The top 16 placers in each event earned points toward their team total in the 12-and-older national senior meet.

While a total team effort was required, strong individual performances were also key to the Kingfish success.

Kettering Fairmont High School graduate Carly Mathes tallied the most individual team points for the KEY team as she placed second in the 200-yard individual medley, third in the 100-yard freestyle, fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke events.

Chaminade-Julienne High School graduate Patrick Mansfield placed in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events with eighth- and ninth-place swims, respectively.

"Carly and Pat are two of the most talented kids we have ever had on the team," Galbreath said. "They will definitely be missed."

Ridgeville Christian High School graduate Kelly Gueltig also earned team points with a 16th-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle event.

While the graduating seniors boosted the KEY point total, the Kingfish talent pool has not run dry.

Distance swimmer Justin Galbreath, who will be a Fairmont senior in the fall, placed third in the 1,000-yard freestyle, fifth in the 500-yard freestyle, seventh in the 1,650-yard freestyle and eighth in the 400-yard individual medley.

Galbreath's time of 9:19.23 in the 1,000-yard freestyle qualified him for the U.S. Senior Nationals in California.

Claire Fogarty, a Firebirds senior, also climbed onto the podium with a time of 1:06.66 and a 16th-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke.

The veteran leadership of the older swimmers helped the younger KEY swimmers succeed.

"The kids who have been there before don't get as nervous, they know what to expect," Galbreath said. "For newer swimmers, a meet this size can be scary or exciting; it all depends."

Younger swimmers such as Galbreath's daughter, Abby, however, also had a solid showing at the national meet.

The Van Buren Middle School eighth-grader swam on the 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays, which placed 11th, 19th and seventh, respectively.

Contact Debbie Juniewicz at djunie@aol.com