The Bethlehem Stingrays summer swim team competed in its first home meet of the season on June 24 and defeated the Whitehall Waves, 457-135, at the newly renovated Memorial Pool on Illick’s Mill Rd.

“This facility the city built, it’s definitely state-of-the-art. It’s a really fast pool,” said Stingrays head coach Evan Kocon. “The kids love the blocks. Anytime the kids go to a pool with wedges on the blocks, they get all excited. So it’s cool, and I think the kids are very, very excited after two years ago, being at Stark (Pool) for training and not having any home meets, and then last year not having a season. It’s really cool for the kids to come back and have this opportunity, not only to swim together again, but in a brand new pool, so that’s huge.”

The Stingrays’ home used to be the pool on Jacksonville Rd. in Hanover Township, but costly damage shut the pool down two years ago. That’s when the Stingrays practiced at Stark and traveled for all of their meets within the Suburban Swim League of the Lehigh Valley.

Last year was COVID season, but now Coach Kocon has found himself with a huge roster of 130 swimmers between the ages of eight and 18 with the exception of college freshmen Samantha Taylor and Trevor Lenig.

“Thanks to our league agreeing to let seniors from last year compete again, Sammy’s swimming and coaching, so she came back, and Trevor Lenig came back, so it’s nice to have them here and let them wrap up all their time with us this year,” Kocon said.

Kocon is also assisted by Diana Kocon, Elyssa Kocon, Laurie Muller, and Chris Black.

“We only started last Tuesday (June 15) and fortunately we had a bye that Thursday, and our first meet was just this Monday (June 21) at Lower Macungie, which rained and then we made it up last night,” said Kocon. “In seven days of practice, the improvement’s huge. We swim 95 to 105 kids, just because people go on vacation and it’s summer swimming, and you can’t fault them for that. We’re fortunate that we’re deep in almost every age group.”

Bethlehem’s first place girls finishers against Whitehall were 100 free relay: Sophia Heiserman, Anna Stewart, Evelyn Gould, Aly Yerk (2:11.12); 50 free: Nat Brezinsky (29.47), Talia Lehr (31.26); 100 medley relay: Keira Darcy, Alina Scott, Bella Heiserman, Lydia Stewart (1:38.40), Elizabeth McClarin, Leah Onia, Audrey Bloss-Ferry, Laney Stewart (1:11.09); 200 medley relay: Sammy Taylor, Sarah Park, Lehr, Brezinsky (2:15.63); 25 breaststroke: Yerk (23.56); 50 breast: Laney Stewart (47.58), Katie Bruno (41.44), Morgan Muller (40.85); 100 IM: Bloss-Ferry (1:25.12), Amelia Paxton (1:29.39), Sammy Taylor (1:13.58); 50 butterfly: Bloss-Ferry (36.22), Brezinsky (33.79), Lehr (32.13); 25 backstroke: Heiserman (24.44); 50 Back: Onia (38.00), Brezinsky (35.70), Sammy Taylor (34.95); 25 freestyle: Yerk (17.08), Heiserman (18.21); 50 free: Bloss-Ferry (34.40); 100 free: Paxton (1:15.80), Park (1:08.32); crescendo relay: LeLe Waldman, Onia, Muller, Bruno, Alina Scott (2:21.36).

“It’s nice how I’m doing a sport and get to have fun at the same time,” said Katie Bruno, who will be a freshman at Liberty this August. “I’ve made a lot of really great friends, and we’re all a really tight group. Coach Diana was my coach since I was eight, so I’ve had her a lot, but they all give good advice and help us out. I’m always trying to improve my strokes, no matter which one. Even though I’m good at butterfly and breaststroke, I’m also trying to work on my backstroke.”

Bethlehem’s first place boys finishers against Whitehall were 50 free: Andre Negron (28.78), Patrick Gilhool (25.37); 100 medley relay: Paul Kowalick, Charlie Wilson, Pablo Dayan, Owen Story (1:48.59), Andrew Bays, Brogan Perreault, Everett Collins, Tobias Scott (1:15.11); 200 medley relay: Danny Lehr, Sean McGuire, Addison Collins, Malcolm Collins (1:58.35); 25 breast: Theo Collins (37.22), Pablo Dayan (27.44); 50 breast: Perreault (50.20), Negron (37.19), McGuire (33.22); 100 IM: Everrett Collins (1:31.61), Andre Negron (1:20.06), Gilhool (1:04.32); 50 fly: Mario Negron (42.13), David Gabrielle (32.55), Addison Collins (29.06); 25 back: Story (25.57); 50 back: Bays (43.85), Gabrielle (38.72), Addison Collins (30.45); 25 free: Tommy McClarin (19.86); 50 free: Leo Negron (37.96); 100 free: Gabrielle (1:12.26), McGuire (1:02.14); crescendo relay: McClarin, Everrett Collins, Lehr, Andre Negron, Story (2:16.18).

“The 50 butterfly was definitely my best stroke today,” said Gabrielle. “I really like it because I’m strongest in that and just do really good whenever I swim that event. I haven’t been all that into swimming, but my parents keep saying I’m really good at it, so I really like it a lot this year, and I’m definitely going to swim at Liberty. I think summer swimming helps you see the best in swimming. It’s a time to help you enjoy it.”

Enjoying the sport of swimming is exactly what Coach Kocon strives to instill in the Stingrays this summer.

“My biggest thing in summer swim is that I use it as an opportunity to develop strokes with the kids, make it fun, and that’s the time that you learn to love the sport. You develop that in summertime, carry it through to the winter through high school,” he said. “There’s so many other options of sports, you gotta’ keep them drawn in, you gotta’ keep them wanting more, you gotta’ keep the competitive edge there, and keep them interested. The kids love to compete. They ask me all the time, ‘Who are we swimming? What’s the score?’ and my biggest thing is I teach these kids to have fun, but to be sportsmanlike too.”