Niskayuna Girls Swimming and Diving Sectionals 2025

The Girls Varsity Swimming and Diving Team concluded their season earning second place at the Section 2 Championship Meet on November 8. Nisky swimmers qualified to compete in two relay events and five individual events at the NYSPHSAA Meet in Rochester. The team succeeded because it had both strong swimmers and a deep roster made up of young swimmers.

The 200 Medley Relay team set the tone for the meet with a first place finish and a NYS qualifying time of 1:48.09. Composed of senior Helen Hao, junior Maddie Wolfort, senior Fayth Goodspeed, and freshman Annie Harper; the girls finished almost three seconds in front of the second place team from Saratoga. Maddie Wolfort quickly returned to the starting blocks winning the 200 Free with a NYS qualifying time of 1:54.64. Hao completed a clean sweep of the first three meet events by winning the 200 IM, also with a state qualifying time (2:08.57). In the 50 Free, Harper placed sixth in a strong field of competitors. Junior Daniela Panetta placed 7th and sophomore Luann Goldner placed 9th in the 1 Meter Diving competition held on Thursday. Maddie Wolfort added another NYS qualifying time (52.28) with a 2nd place finish in the 100 Free. Sophomore Anna Cho swam a strong 500 Free, placing 5th with a time of 5:27.39. In the 200 Free Relay, Harper was joined by  freshman Carolyn Strickler, junior Addison Elsbree, and Cho to finish a close third (1:44.64) behind Saratoga. 

The meet concluded the way it began with Niskayuna winning the final three events. Hao earned another NYS qualifying time (58.06) in the 100 Backstroke. Fayth Goodspeed defended her Section 2 title with a victory in the 100 Breaststroke (1:03.57) earning not only a NYS qualifying time but also All-American consideration. She finished nearly 5 seconds before the second place swimmer. Completing the meet, the 400 Free Relay team of Hao, Cho, Strickler, and Maddie Wolfort finished first easily earning their final NYS qualifying time of 3:37.59.

Additional swimmers from Nisky finished in the top sixteen in their events allowing the team to finish second overall. Strong swims, all personal bests, came from Anna Cho (7th), junior Emma Villaume (11th) and freshman Lily Holst (16th) in the 200 Free. In the 200 IM Carolyn Strickler (7th) and sophomore Maddie Adams (14th) added to the point total. Sophomore Vi Danko just missed the top 8 with a 13th place finish in the 50 Free. A strong group of swimmers will return next year to claim their spots in the top eight of the 100 Fly. Addison Elsbree (9th), Maddie Adams (11th), and freshman Laila Attia (15th) will be ready to swim in the A final. Vi Danko (10th) and Annie Harper (11th) had great swims in the 100 Free. Emma Villaume finished 12th in the 500 Free. In the 100 Backstroke Addison Elsbree finished 8th while senior Anna Guilmette finished 11th. Carolyn Strickler (8th) and sophomore Olivia Lee (15th) rounded out the team scoring in the 100 Breaststroke. During the meet, seniors Anna Guilmette and Helen Hao were recognized for their academic achievement.

The Girls Varsity team finished their regular season with an 9-1 record losing only their first meet to Section 2 Champion Saratoga. The depth of the team shows the potential for a Section 2 title in the near future. It won’t be long before this team is the one jumping in the pool at the end of the Championship Meet.