Mahwah August 19, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 17 The 95-member Mahwah Marlins Swim Team, representing the Mahwah Municipal Pool, recently completed its dual meet season and the league championship meet. The team placed second in a very close and competitive meet to Saddle River Valley. The Marlins found themselves missing some of their strongest swimmers due to national competition. However, it was still a successful season for the team, which also placed second in the dual meet season with wins over Stonybrook and Paramus. This is the first year the Marlins were coached by Samantha Creadick, James and Mike Gippetti, Stephanie Mercogliano, and Matt Weiner. Many individual swimmers excelled at the league championships, including nine-year-old Walter Kress in the 25 meter freestyle, eight-year-old Mikey Kearney in the 25 meter freestyle and the 25 meter breaststroke, and 15-yearold Kori Heisler in the 50 meter backstroke and butterfly. Other outstanding races were swum by 17-year-old Louis Gabriele, 15-year-old Michaela Chapman, 12-year-old Jenna Braun, 13-year-old Brooke Krajewski, and sevenyear-old Aden Shatouhy. Mitchell Epperly, Justin Schwartz, and Nicole Pantano, all 17, had very strong races in what was their final league championship meet after each having been on the team for over a decade. “I was extremely impressed with the huge improvement made by every single swimmer in the very large group of seven- and eight-year-olds,” remarked Coach Stephanie Mercogliano. Strong performances were turned in by several relay teams, including the 7-8 boys team of Mikey Kearney, Holden Shatouhy, Tommy Kayal, and Carson Tidwell; and as the 9-10 boys team of Amir Ansari, Chris Rovito, John Blaustein, and Walter Kress. “The kids all swam incredibly well and we saw some amazing races,” said Coach Samantha Creadick. Perhaps the most exciting meet in the history of the team occurred this year at Saddle River Valley where the two teams remained almost at a complete tie until the final relay. Unfortunately the team lost the meet, but all the Marlins swimmers posted their best times of the year. Marlins Swim & Dive teams race to a strong finish “It was one of the most entertaining and exciting meets I have ever seen,” said Coach Mike Gippetti. The Mahwah Marlins Dive Team has once again completed a successful summer league season and has continued the tradition of excellence shown throughout the years. The team consists of 32 divers ranging in age from six to 17 and is led by Head Coach Jenny Ullman and Assistant Coach Kate Kearney. The season opened with an away meet against the Paramus Pacers. Even though the boards were foreign to the Marlins, the divers had no problem conquering the new boards and finished with a 22-point victory over the Pacers. The momentum from that strong opening of the season car- ried the divers through the other four meets, resulting in a dual meet record of 5-0. The team won the league championship title on July 30 at the Saddle River Valley pool. First place wins in the league championships came from Mya Yorke, Michael Kearney, Jillian Fox, Amir Ansari, and Danielle Ullman. Other strong finishes came from Alexis Castro, youngest competitor in the league, finishing second in the eight and under age group; Liam Granquist, Marissa Entrup, Julia Entrup, Jenna Braun, Patrick Granquist, Samantha Ullman, and Aidan Granquist. For more information on the Marlins Swim or Dive teams, call (201) 529-4949. For the week of August 6 through August 12 the following police activity occurred in Mahwah. On Aug. 8, a 38-year-old Hackensack woman was arrested on Malcolm Road for driving while intoxicated after the officer stopped the woman for failing to dim her high beam headlamps while passing him. The officer interviewed the woman and conducted field tests that resulted in her arrest for DWI. She was released to a friend with a pending court appearance required in Mahwah. On Aug. 1, a 58-year-old Asheboro, North Carolina man was arrested on Ramapo Valley Road for driving while intoxicated after the officer saw the man driving his vehicle under the speed limit and over the double yellow lines. The officer stopped the car and interviewed the man. After conducting field tests, the officer arrested the driver for DWI. He was processed and held overnight in the lockup until he was released with a future court appearance required in Mahwah. Mahwah Police Department Report