Swim Across America - Long Island Sound Raises an Incredible $2+ Million for Cancer Research

More than 600 swimmers and 250+ land and water volunteers dove in to make waves and fight cancer at the 33rd annual Swim Across America – Long Island Sound open water swim, held in Larchmont, New York, on Saturday, July 26. The swim, which is a point-to-point swim, began at the Larchmont Yacht Club and finished at the Larchmont Shore Club. In addition to the 615 swimmers who swam the 2k and 5k courses, an elite group of 11 swimmers swam a 10k from Glen Cove, Long Island, across Long Island Sound to the Larchmont Shore Club. There was also a same-day ½-mile pool swim at the Larchmont Shore Club.
The swim raised an incredible record-breaking and all-time high of $2,095,500.25 to support cancer research, prevention and treatment for the swim’s local New York beneficiaries, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Cancer Support Team.
“What an incredible, record-breaking morning we had at our 33rd annual Swim Across America - Long Island Sound open water swim,” said Jean Fufidio, event director of the swim. “We had a record number of swimmers, a record number of volunteers, more than 2,000 spectators, and reached an incredible milestone of raising more than $2 million for critical cancer research, clinical trials and patient care. We are incredibly proud to have reached this milestone and to lead the nation with the biggest, highest raising swim in the country!”
Swim Across America holds 26 open water swims and hundreds of pool swims across the nation — from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge. With a shared mission to make waves to fight cancer, the organization has raised more than $31 million locally with the Swim Across America - Long Island Sound swim, and more than $100 million nationally – all through swimming.
“Money raised locally stays local,” noted Fufidio. “We all know someone who has sadly been touched by cancer and swimming is our small way of being able to do something – while also really making a difference. Raising funds to support clinical trials and patient care has never been more important than it is today. We are incredibly proud that our swim has been instrumental in helping fund FDA approved cancer immunotherapy treatments that are saving lives.”
Swim Across America has supported the funding of numerous clinical trials, and nationally funds 60 grants a year. The organization’s critical funding has helped move four cancer immunotherapy treatments, Keytruda, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Yervoy, through FDA approvals — and are saving lives. Swim Across America is literally changing the way cancer is treated.
At Saturday’s Swim Across America - Long Island Sound open water swim, the top teams and individual fundraisers were:
Team Kelly: Swimming for its 25th year, Team Kelly raised an incredible $134,362, and was led by top individual fundraiser and team captain, Deborah Kelly. The team was started in 1999 in honor of Deborah's father Matt Kelly, who taught swimming at the Westchester Country Club, while attending Princeton. Matt taught his daughter to swim at the Larchmont Shore Club (where Swim Across America - Long Island Sound finishes). Matt sadly passed away from melanoma and then pancreatic cancer took Deborah's mother. The team swims for numerous friends and family members touched by cancer.
Team John: In honor of friend, teammate and longtime Swim Across America swimmer (including 10k finisher) John Needham, who lost his battle with cancer in 2023 just shy of his 70th birthday, Team John is captained by Joseph Kaufman and Josh Glantz, with Joseph also being a top individual fundraiser. The team raised an amazing $129,457 for this year’s swim, which brings the team’s 20 year total to raising more than $2 million for cancer research! John was loved by many in the broader Westchester County swimming community, most notably by his teammates and friends on the Westchester Masters swim team and the early morning swim group at the Scarsdale town pool. Team John teammates have been swimming in honor and memory of friends for 33 years, under the team names John, Hannah, Leslie, Cantor Merkel, Max, Sandie, Walt, Strong as Steele, Swimming for Susan, Paulie Strong, Cheryl, Valerie, Bruce, Dase, Stanley and John.
Team Next Level Private: Team captain Barry Mitchell has been a supporter of Swim Across America since 2006, when he first swam in memory of Kathy Webers and supported Kathy’s husband Frank Webers, who is one of the co-founders of Swim Across America - Long Island Sound. Team Next Level Private was formed in 2022. This year, the team swam in memory of Pat Moore, Paul Halas, who lost his battle with leukemia, and Tiffany O'Toole, who lost her fight with ovarian cancer. The team raised an impressive $121,600.
Team Gina: Long-time swimmers and supporters of Swim Across America - Long Island Sound, Team Gina was formed last year after the tragic loss of 32-year-old Gina Mannix Wente, who passed away from breast cancer a month after giving birth to her second child. Gina, along with her siblings, spent their summers at the Larchmont Shore Club swimming. Gina later became the assistant coach for the New York Athletic Club and her swimming career continued at Ursuline, leading her team to seven years of undefeated seasons. She continued to swim competitively at the College of the Holy Cross, setting a record and being named the team's Rookie of the Year. For Swim Across America - Long Island Sound, the Mannix family swam for many years together in memory of their grandfathers, Charles Roeckell and Richard E. Mannix, Sr., and uncle James Lynch. Now the team continues their swimming tradition in honor and memory of Gina and her legacy, as she lost her brief, but hard-fought battle with breast cancer. The team, led by Gina's sister Christine Mannix and raised an incredible $101,878.
Team IRWIN: Participating for its 12th year, Team IRWIN is proud to have raised an impressive $69,543 for Swim Across America - Long Island Sound. Captained by Timothy Irwin, the team was originally founded to swim in memory of his sister Suzie Irwin, who sadly lost her brave battle with Glioblastoma in 2022. This year the team continued to swim in Suzie's honor and added other family and friends impacted by cancer, including their dear friend Thomas McFarland, who lost his fight to aggressive gastric cancer in April, and for Barbara Boyle, Brian Davidson, Heather Paltz Ughetta, Mary Ellen Peterson and David Walsh.
Top individual fundraisers were:
Deborah Kelly (Team Kelly): $61,559
Joseph Kaufman (Team John): $39,466
Chris Kitch (Team Captain Craig): Chris swam for his sister Cindy, currently fighting breast cancer for the second time, and in memory of "Captain Craig," who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2017. Chris raised an impressive $33,774.
Douglas Rachlin (Team John): Doug is also a member of Team John, raising an incredible $31,722.
Tony Caserta (Team Alice): Tony swims in memory of Tony's beloved uncle Pat Caserta, who passed away in March 2025 at age 70, and his mother Alice Caserta, who was the devoted mother of five children, 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren and who spent almost 50 years of her life caring for patients as a registered nurse, who passed away after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Alice's support of Swim Across America began 35 years ago when Tony became part of the Swim Across America - Nantucket 26-mile relay swim, swam the 22-mile Boston Harbor Swim Across America relay, then in 1992, when Swim Across America came to Long Island Sound and at the Orienta Beach Club pool swim. Alice's grandchildren, Allison, Margaret, John, Max, Jack, Luke and Ryan, have all participated with Swim Across America as well for many years. Tony raised $27,029.
For those who would like to participate or learn more, there is a Swim Across America - Long Island Sound Pool Swim at the Lake Isle Club on Saturday, August 2, from 7:00 to 9:30 a.m. To register, donate or get involved, visit swimacrossamerica.org/longislandsound.