By Mike Zummo
Angelo Reade became the first member of the Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks to qualify for the New York State boys’ swimming championships.
Reade finished in second place in the 50-yard freestyle, hitting the state qualifying time by finishing in 22.12, leading the Goldbacks to their second straight Division I championship on Saturday at the Newburgh Free Academy Natatorium.
Reade dropped 0.24 seconds off his previous best time.
“It’s been a goal of mine since sixth grade when I started swimming,” said Reade, a senior. “As it’s the last time in the NFA pool, our last meet here, I feel like it came full circle, which is very nice.”
Reade also finished second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 49.57 seconds.
Newburgh coach Zach Williams said Reade is one of the hardest working swimmers on the team.
“Nobody wants it as much as Angelo,” he said. “He’s constantly tweaking. The 50 is a different kind of animal. Any little change can throw you off. He studies that. He studies his swims. He’s very coachable.”
His qualification time and high finishes helped lift the Goldbacks to their second straight championship with 400 points.
“I think it’s more sentimental as a senior,” Reade said. “This is my last meet in this pool so it’s really nice to win with my team.”
The Goldbacks highlighted their depth among the other Division I teams as they didn’t win a single swimming event. Reade’s second-place finish was their highest on Saturday. Their only victory came on Thursday at Washingtonville when Akhiir McNeil won the diving event with an 11-dive score of 279.70.
“I’m proud of them,” Williams said. “That’s the goal in high school and that’s what NFA is all about. If we’re swimming, we want to win. To go back-to-back is cool, and this division, while the school sizes might be smaller, I think we have every bit of the talent as the other division at some events.”
Reade swam the freestyle leg of the 200-yard medley relay, teaming with Peyton Tuttle, Jackson Cooper and Aidan Domanico to finish fourth. The team of Sebi Burgarelli, Jax Pagano, Jackson Vegliando and Miles Davis finished ninth.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Pagano, Burgarelli, Lukas Townsend and Conor Mummery were in third place. The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Vinny Velasquez, Davis, Tuttle and Jack Mummery finished third. The team of Vegliando, Lukas Townsend, Aidan Domanico and Conor Mummery was sixth.
Jack Mummery finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and Vinny Velasquez was sixth. Connor Mummery took seventh and Lukas Townsend was right behind him in eighth place. Jackson Cooper was 11th.
Mummery also took fourth in the 500-yard freestyle with Tuttle coming in behind him for fifth. Velasquez was eighth. Drake Burns, Ryder Tuttle and Liam Baxter took 14th through 16th.
Davis was sixth in the 50-yard freestyle and Jackson Vegliando took 10th.
Behind Reid, Mummery was seventh in the 100-yard freestyle and Lukas Townsend was 10th. Vegliando took 15th.
Domanico was seventh in the 100-yard butterfly and Burgarelli was 10th.
Domanico was 10th in the 200-yard individual medley and Pagano was 12th.
Burgarelli was ninth in the 100-yard backstroke and Cooper was 10th in the 100-yard breaststroke. Jax Pagano was 13th.
The Goldbacks hope their performances at the county meet are just preamble for the Section 9 championship meet, scheduled for Feb. 15-17 at Valley Central High School. Reade hopes several of his teammates can join him at the state meet.
“We’re definitely going to send more guys at sections, so I’m definitely excited to go as a team this year,” Reade said. “We’ve got a few guys that could represent Newburgh.”
OCIAA Division I Championships
Team results: 1. Newburgh - 400; 2. Red Hook, 372; 3. New Paltz - 317; 4. Kingston - 264; 5. Cornwall - 239; 6. Marlboro - 165.5; 7. Beacon High School - 141.5; 8. Franklin D. Roosevelt - 135; 9. Our Lady of Lourdes - 73; 10. Onteora - 57; 11. Rhinebeck - 22; 12. Rondout Valley - 7.
200-yard medley relay: 1. Red Hook (Owen Daniels, Sam Button, Keizo Chen-Suzuki, Edmund Wilson) - 140.31; 4. Newburgh (Peyton Tuttle, Jackson Cooper, Aidan Domanico, Angelo Reade) - 1:46.50; 9. Newburgh (Sebi Burgarelli, Jax Pagano, Jackson Vegliando, Miles Davis) - 1:53.22.
200-yard freestyle: 1. Zachary Rothman (Corn.) - 1:44.16; 4. Jack Mummery (NFA) - 1:51.86; 6. Vinny Velasquez (NFA) - 1:57.87; 7. Conor Mummery (NFA) - 2:00.28; 8. Lukas Townsend (NFA) - 2:02.02; 11. Jackson Cooper (NFA) - 2:03.52; 17. Ryder Tuttle (NFA) - 2:12.95; 18. Daniel Martin (NFA) - 2:13.78; 20. Sean Walsh (NFA) - 2:16.41; 22. Camryn Kavanagh (NFA) - 2:18.19.
200-yard individual medley: 1. Owen Daniels (RH) - 1:58.99; 10. Aidan Domanico (NFA) - 2:20.75; 12. Jax Pagano (NFA) - 2:24.90.
50-yard freestyle: 1. Tony Speare (FDR) - 21.65; 2. Angelo Reade (NFA) - 22.12; 6. Miles Davis (NFA) - 24.02; 10. Jackson Vegliando (NFA) - 24.40.
Diving: 1. Akhiir McNeil (NFA) - 279.70.
100-yard butterfly: 1. Josh Johnson (Marl.) - 50.23; 7. Aidan Domanico (NFA) - 1:00.08; 10. Sebi Burgarelli (NFA) - 1:01.04.
500-yard freestyle: 1. Zachary Rothman (Corn.) - 4:43.55; 4. Jack Mummery (NFA) - 5:06.13; 5. Peyton Tuttle (NFA) - 5:06.80; 8. Vinny Velasquez (NFA) - 5:23.38; 14. Drake Burns (NFA) - 6:05.41; 15. Ryder Tuttle (NFA) - 6:06.96; 16. Liam Baxter (NFA) - 6:12.64.
200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Marlboro (Ayden Baxter, Finn Wakely, Chris Felker, Josh Johnson) - 1:39.17; 3. Newburgh (Jax Pagano, Sebi Burgarelli, Lukas Townsend, Conor Mummery) - 1:40.62.
100-yard backstroke: 1. Owen Daniels (RH) - 53.07; 9. Sebi Burgarelli (NFA) - 1:03.80; 19. Jacob Lazarski (NFA) - 1:08.22.
100-yard breaststroke: 1. Troy Speare (FDR) - 1:00.10; 10. Jackson Cooper (NFA) - 1:10.86; 13. Jax Pagano (NFA) - 1:11.95; 22. Tyler Rausenberger (NFA) - 1:18.96; 26. Jesse Pagano (NFA) - 1:23.86.
400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Red Hook (Martin Heidebrecht, Sam Button, Owen Daniels, Edmund Wilson) - 2:24.45; 3. Newburgh (Vinny Velasquez, Miles Davis, Peyton Tuttle, Jack Mummery) - 3:25.56; 6. Newburgh (Jackson Vegliando, Lukas Townsend, Aidan Domanico, Conor Mummery) - 3:44.34.