Central Bucks YMCA Barracudas Close Out Short Course Season with Highest Accomplishments in Team History

The future is bright for competitive swimmers of River Crossing YMCA’s Central Bucks Region (CBR) Barracudas, who sent seven athletes, ages 13 and under, to Webster, NY to compete in the USA Eastern Zones, and fifteen athletes to Greensboro, NC to compete at YMCA Short Course Nationals.

Youth swimmers Cami Martin, Olivia Worby, Ella Worby, Kinley Pellini, Daniel Gordon, Minna Gordon and Gunner Michaelson represented River Crossing YMCA at the USA Eastern Zones meet, where the east coast’s best young swimmers compete from many different teams and swim schools. The girls team finished 20th overall out of nearly 110 teams competing from throughout east coast states.

The successful season began in February, when the Barracudas boys team took first place and the girls team placed second at the YMCA Eastern District Silver Championship Meet at Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) in Sewell, NJ. The team then moved on to the YMCA Eastern District Championships in West Chester, PA, where the Barracudas finished second overall as a team, their highest placement ever at the YMCA Eastern District event. Olivia Worby, age 10, finished as the highest points earner for all girls who competed at the three-day meet.

Worby’s achievements continued at the PA YMCA States meet at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, where she again earned the highest points total among all girls, leading the girls team to its first second place finish in YMCA States competition. The athletes also set a new high bar for themselves achieving qualifying 8 Relay qualifying performances for National YMCA competition. Four boys and four girls from the relay team qualified for Y nationals, while seven additional Barracudas qualified for individual national events. The team's performance at YMCA Nationals in Greensboro, NC was highlighted by Blaise Hoffman finishing in the top 16 for three out of his four individual events, placing fifth in the 200m backstroke.

“It was such an exciting year for these kids,” said John Foff, director of competitive aquatics for the central region of River Crossing YMCA. “They worked so hard to compete with fellow Y swimmers from all over the country and we couldn’t be prouder. Not just for their success, but for demonstrating what a swim team can do when we come together as one. We have a strong community of coaches and supportive parents who set the stage for our young athletes to perform their best, exemplifying what it means to truly be a team.”

The YMCA CBR Barracudas Swim Team has started its Long Course, where it will be competing at meets held at GCIT, Penn State University, Franklin & Marshall College and the City of Allentown. The team also plans to travel to Virginia for USA Zones and Ocala, Florida for YMCA Long Course Nationals.

River Crossing YMCA (formerly YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon Counties and Greater Valley YMCA) is a charitable, nonprofit organization committed to strengthening communities through membership and programs that foster youth development, healthy living and social responsibility for all. Annually, the Y serves over 142,000 members and participants at its 12 member branches, 13 early childhood centers, 20 summer camp locations and 37 school age child care programs. River Crossing YMCA provides over $12 million of community impact annually in the form of financial assistance to individuals and families in need and free programming for veterans, cancer survivors, older adults and more. To learn more visit ymcarivercrossing.org.