The Pine Bush Bushmen have won six straight Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association and Section 9 championships and have won over 60 straight wins in Section 9 competition.

Now, they’re looking for 70 straight wins in the section, their seventh straight championship and to keep their long winning streak going.

It won’t be easy having lost section champion Mackenzie Gula, who won the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke events. The Bushmen also lost Ashley Martin, Katie Webster, and Nina Camacho.

“As always, I am very excited for this season,” Pine Bush coach John Barth said. “We lost great swimmers to graduation last year, but the team is ready to step up and work at continuing to be the best that we can be.”

They will return a section champion in Sadie DeGeorge, who won the 200-yard individual medley. Also returning are Maya Oakes, Paige Gandolfini, Ella Humphrey, Alanah Giannini and Norah Germano.

Oakes, Humprey, and Giannini are returning state qualifiers.

New swimmers include Anna Hajek, Della Hundley, Lyla Humprey and Liana Williams.

“We have a great group of young ladies, who would like to continue what we have been doing for the last six seasons,” Barth said. “They know with what we lost last year, it will be tough.”

Valley Central

The Valley Central Vikings also lost a lot of swimmers from a team that finished sixth at the Section 9 championship meet last year, but the Vikings are hopeful to place higher in the Orange County Scholastic Athletic Association Division 1.

The Vikings lost Olivia Messing, Kaidyn Thompson, Madison Roszkowski, Chelsea Degon, Kaylee Benson, Bailey Badendyck, Ariana Rischmoller Motta, Mia Ponzo and Peyton Messing.

Returning for the Vikings this year are Emmy White, Samantha Messing, Samantha Thompson, Molly Hoover, Rilee Kinsley, Eleanor O’Neill, and Julia Biagini.

“We are training hard in hopes to qualify a few divers and swimmers for the New York State championships,” Valley Central coach Tom Plitsch said.

New swimmers include, Kaedence Bresnick, Molly Boyce, Stella Forrest, Ella Freeman, Julia Freeman, Sage Rieber, Lucy Primavera, Teagan Weiner, Grace Vu, Shayn Richert, Cailyn Richner, Trintiy Melendez, Harlow Kelly, Anelia Kaiser, Sudance Johnson and Avery McEvoy.

The Vikings’ goal is to place as high as possible at the postseason meets and to qualify for the state meet. The Vikings may be young, but they are deep.

“We are a very young and talented team with only two returning seniors,” Plitsch said. “It will be very fun to watch this group of girls throughout the season, because if everyone buys into the training and the roles that need to be filled, this team could surprise many by season’s end.”

Wallkill
The Wallkill Panthers will be entering a rebuilding year after losing their top swimmer from last year’s team, Andie Psilopoulos, who signed with Duquesne University for Triathlon.

The Panthers also lost Ruth Weinmann and Julianna Lewis.

Returning are senior Kaitlyn Bonner, and juniors Samaya Drackett and Catherine Badu. New to the team are eighth-grader Chloe Flipkowski and seventh grader Elle Yeomans.

“This will be a rebuilding year for the program with many new swimmers,” Wallkill coach Doug Thompson said. “We have set the goal to get the key returning swimmers and newcomers to sections this year.”