Overall winners in the male and female Andy Rooney Swim Meet Saturday were both 14 year old athletes in Sea Bright Saturday. Watch the video HERE
Santiago Masson of Wall took the men’s award and Ava Addotta of Atlantic Highlands won for the women in the one mile swim.
With 104 participants in the one and two mile ocean swims in the Andy Rooney Ocean Swim Meet, Massone’s time was 21:50, 36 seconds in front of second place finisher in that competition Daren Chen of Belmar.
Addotta’s time of 23.14 was one minute and two seconds faster than second place finisher Kylie Newton, a 16 year old swimmer from Spring Lake.
Liam Gallagher was first place finisher in the two mile ocean swim, finishing the course in 22.38, with Andrew Robinson of Neptune City placing second with a time of 23.55.
Nancy Steadman Martin, a 70 year old athlete from Oceanport, finished first for women in the two mile ocean swim with a time of 25.26, besting New York swimmer Emma Hansen whose time was 27.40.
Swimming in wetsuits, John Palmer took first place in the one mile swim in 30:35, followed by Howard Ross in 25:09. In the two mile swim in wetsuits, Max Betz placed first in 1:06.45 and John Crowley second in 1:07.40. Christian In Cremona was third in 1:23.47.
Many of the swimmers compete regularly in a series of swim meets throughout the tri-state area. The next swim in New Jersey is in Manasquan on July 20, with other swims also in Sea Isle City and Avon. On July 27, there are meets in Spring Lake, Ocean City and Barnegat Light, and another one in Avon on July 28. Locally, there is a swim meet in Long Branch on August 4. All of the swims are one mile distance, with the Andy Rooney Swim the only one offering both one and two mile distances.
Charlie Rooney, who also swam in the two mile meet, presented awards with Hayden Gill following the Andy Rooney meet, named for two former mayors, Andrew Manning and Rooney’s father, who first started the competitions in the 1980s.
