Eastern Express is currently on a late summer break after a busy championship season starting with USA Olympic Trials in Omaha, Speedo Sectionals at Penn State, New Jersey Junior Olympics at Rutgers, Eastern Zone Championships in Maryland and two trips to Minneapolis for the US Open and Junior Nationals.  At trials Meghan Leddy finished 20th overall in the 200 back and had great swims in the 100 back and 400 IM.  Congrats Meghan and good luck at Harvard!

Ten Express swimmers traveled to Penn State University to compete in the Speedo Super Sectional swim meet.  Some of the highlights of the meet included a 2nd place finish in the women's 800 free relay (Brittany Iacouzze, Julia Anderson, Victoria Cassidy and Meghan Leddy) and a 3rd place finish in the 400 free relay (Julia Anderson, Samantha Kietlinski, Brittany Iacouzze and Meghan Leddy).

Express had some great swims at JOs with the following swimmers finishing in the top 8 and earning medals: Julia Anderson - 1st in the 800 and 400 free and the 200 back; 2nd in the 100 and 200 free and 100 back; and 3rd in the 50 free; Alex Field - 8th in the 100 breast; Peter Kalibat - 3rd in the 200 fly and 50 free; 4th in the 100 fly; 5th in the 200 IM; 6th in the 200 and 400 free; and 7th in the 100 free and 100 back; Hannah Matheson - 7th in the 100 back.

At the US Open, Meghan Leddy had a strong 200 back earning a night time swim in the C final.  At Juniors, Victoria Cassidy posted good times in the 200 back and 400 IM and gained valuable experience at her first national level competition.  And congratulations to Paige Anderson, Hannah Matheson and Marissa Kirkendoll who traveled to Maryland after JOs to represent NJ in the Eastern Zone Age Group Championships.

The New Jersey Swimming 13 & Over Bronze Championship will be held July 26-27th at the Bayone Municipal LC Pool. For mapqust directions to the this facility, please click here. This meet will be hosted by Bayone Mermaid Starfish Swim Club. For more information, please click on the appropriate link in the table below.

Good Luck to all Eastern Express swimmers who will be competing in the 2008 New Jersey Long Course Junior Olympics, July 24-27th.  The meet, hosted by Scarlet Aquatic Club, will be held at Rutgers University.  Please find the appropriate link below for meet information.

The New Jersey Swimming 13 & Over Silver Championship will be held July 19-20th at the Sonny Werblin Aquatic Center, at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. This meet will be hosted by the Bergen Barracuda Swim Club. For more information, please click on the appropriate link in the table below.

The New Jersey Swimming 12 & Under Silver/Bronze Championship will be held July 12-13th at the Sonny Werblin Aquatic Center, at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. This meet will be hosted by Pirate Swim Club. For more information, please click on the appropriate link in the table below.

Express Swimmer Meghan Leddy will be competing at the US Olympic Trials, June 29th to July 06th.  She will be swimming the 100 and 200 BK, as well as the 400 IM.  Follow the links below for more information.  GOOD LUCK MEGHAN!

Good luck to all swimmers competing in the 2008 Summer Sizzle hosted by Eastern Express Swimming.  The meet will take place in the Sonny Werblin Aquatic Center at Rutgers University.  Follow the appropriate links below for meet information.  Express families can also find work assignments for the weekend below.

Practice Changes
In order to give everyone some additional rest before Sizzle there will be no 2nd practice at TCNJ the night of June 25th.  Also, all practices are canceled for Fri 6/17 and Sat 6/18 due to the meet

Sat 5/17 & Sun 5/18 - TCNJ is conducting an electrical and steam shutdown this weekend so we cannot train at TCNJ this weekend.  Many swimmers are in the Tiger Challenge meet at Princeton this weekend so they will be swimming in the meet.  Brent will talk with seniors who are not in the meet this weekend about other training options Saturday and Sunday.  In light of this, seniors should be prepared to swim Thurs am at DeNunzio and in the water from 4:15pm to 7:00 pm on Friday. 

Congratulations!
Congratulations to Express for again achieving Silver Medal Status in USA Swimming's 2008 Club Excellence Program.  "The focus of this voluntary program is to identify and reward up to 200 USA Swimming clubs that have attained a high level of athlete performance as well as organizational success."  Thanks to all the Express families for making this award possible.  We would not be a Silver Medal Club without your support - hosting USA swim meets and your financial and time commitments to the athletes.
 
Reminders
Applications for USA Swimming's 2007-2008 Scholastic All-American Team are due August 1, 2008.  The form is available online at usswim.org (under the "applications and forms" link).  The eligibility criteria are you must have completed 10, 11 or 12th grade with a 3.5 GPA or better and have a qualifying time (times are listed on the form).  If you have questions or need help, talk to Brent.

Mark your calendars!  EEX will be holding a Swim-a-thon on June 17th from 4-7 at the TCNJ pool.  The Swim-a-thon will take the place of all practices that evening.  Each swimmer will have two hours to swim up to 200 laps.  Following the Swim-a-thon, we will have a pot luck dinner for all participants.  Prizes will be awarded to the three swimmers who raise the most money.  In addition, USA Swimming will award prizes based on participation and fund raising totals.  Volunteer help from parents will be requested to help count laps on the pool deck and to help with the dinner afterward.  Each swimmer is expected to raise at least $100 for the team.  All donations are 100% tax deductible.  Please see the attached USA Swimming Swim-a-thon handbook for general details regarding Swim-a-thons.  Swim-a-thon forms may be obtained from Meredith Lavery.

The last meeting for the Swim-A-Thon is Friday May 23rd at 7:00pm after practice.  This is a mandatory fundraising event.  Please get your forms and info from Meredith Lavery and she can help with any questions.  This should be a fun event for the athletes (prizes for the top money earners and food following the swim) and help us pay the rent (both pools have increased their rental rates substantially) and allow us to get new training equipment (both in the water and dryland).  Express Sports is a non-profit company so all donations are tax deductible.

Berkley Aquatic Club will be hosing the 2008 Memorial Day Invitational meet at the Sonny Werblin Aquatic Center of Rutgers University.  Find more information in the links below.

We had some great early season Long Course Swims at the Memorial Day Invitational meet.  Congratulations to Victoria Cassidy for achieving her first USA Swimming Junior National qualifying time in the 400 IM (5:01.87 - 3rd place All Time Eastern Express).  Other notable top 3 finishers were: Meghan Leddy (200 IM - 3rd); Paige Anderson (200 Back - 1st/Zone Time); Lauren Cruz (50 Free - 2nd/Zone Time); Peter Kalibat (50 Fly - 1st/Zone Time; 200 Free - 2nd/Zone Time; 100 Back - 2nd; 100 Free - 3rd/Zone Time; 100 Fly - 3rd/Zone Time); Hannah Matheson (100 Free - 1st/Zone Time)

Our first Long Course meet of the summer season will be held May 17-18th at Princeton University’s DeNunzio Pool.  Good Luck to all Express swimmers competing! For more information follow the appropriate link below.

Registrations are now being accepted for the spring sessions of the Express SwimAmerica swim lessons program. Express SwimAmerica, LLC is a progressive 10 station "learn-to-swim" program for children ages 3 and over. As each station's skills are mastered, the developing swimmer is rewarded then moved to the next station within the progression. This effective step by step method allows even the youngest swimmers to learn to swim SAFELY, while offering stronger swimmers the opportunity to develop all of the competitive strokes.

For more information or to obtain a registration form, please click on the appropriate link in the table below.

All completed forms should be submitted to Eastern Express Swimming. For Eastern Express contact information, click here.

This season’s team banquet will be held Sunday April 27th at Angeloni’s Cedar Gardens from 4-8pm.  The Address is 661 Route 33, Hamilton, NJ 08619 (mapquest)

We will be having a Buffet style dinner, DJ, slide show, and gifts for swimmers.

The cost is $20.00 per person.  Please email Brent (bmatheson@aol.com) to RSVP.  Please do so as soon as possible.

One last note - if you have pictures from the 2007 - 2008 season that you think would be good for the slide show, please e-mail them to Brent (bmatheson@aol.com) and they will forward them to the swimmers who are putting the slide show together.

Good Luck to all Eastern Express swimmers who will be competing in the 2008 New Jersey Short Course Junior Olympics, March 14-16.  The meet, hosted by Berkley Aquatic Club, will be held at Rutgers University.  Please find the appropriate link below for meet information.

Eastern Express will be competing in the 11-12 Silver Championships the weekend of March 8-9.  The meet is hosted by Bergen Barracudas and will be held at Raritan Valley Community College.  Please find the appropriate link below for meet information.

Swimmers from Eastern Express will be traveling to the Nassau County Aquatic Center to compete in the 2008 Eastern Zone Speedo Sectionals. Hosted by the Long Island Aquatic Club, the meet will take place March 6-9.  Please find the appropriate link below for meet information.

Eastern Express will be competing in the 8 and Under Mini Championships on Saturday March 1.  The meet, hosted by Pirate Swim Club, will be held at Seaton Hall University.  Please find the appropriate link below for meet information.

Good Luck to all swimmers competing!

Eastern Express will be competing in the 13 and Over Silver/Bronze Championships the weekend of March 1-2.  Hosted by MCSC and ESC, the meet will be held at the Sonny Werblin Aquaic Center at Rutgers University.  Note that odd and even heets will be divided between the two main courses of the Pool. (For more information on this subject read "Odd/Even Heet Format") Please find the appropriate link below for meet information.

Due to a TCNJ College meet this Friday 2/8, we will be adjusting our training that day.  We will be starting early on Friday the 8th as follows:
Senior groups: 2:30 (or as soon as you can get to the pool) until 4:30pm
 Pre-Seniors: 3:00 to 4:30pm
 AG2: 3:00 to 4:30pm

Due to all day meets at both Princeton and TCNJ, all practices are canceled for Saturday 2/9.  Brent will talk with Seniors about training options with HS teams or on their own.

Thurs 2/21: all pm practices are cancelled - Seniors to train in the am at Princeton (regular am time)
Sat 2/23: Seniors and Pre-Seniors 6:30 to 8:30am
Sun 2/24: Seniors and Pre-Seniors 7:00 to 8:30am on SUNDAY
***All Age Groups (1 and 2) not in the 9-10 meet this weekend will train from 7:15 to 8:30 am***

Who: All Eastern Express swimmers and coaches
What: pasta party
When: MONDAY February 15 after practice, 7:00 P.M. until 8 P.M.
Where: TCNJ pool balcony
Why: to get psyched to swim FAST for the upcoming championship meets
Cost: $8 per swimmer (to be billed in March billing)

Eastern Express will be competing in the 9-10 Silver/Bronze Championships the weekend of February 16-17.  The meet, hosted by Elite Swim Club, will be held at the Newark Academy in Livingston NJ.  Please find the appropriate link below for meet information.

Please note while navigating the BeSmart Event Webpage: EEX will be swimming in the "south"

Eastern Express will be competing in the 14 and under Championships the weekend of February 16-17.  The meet, hosted by Sea Dragons Swim Club, will be held at the Raritan Valley Community College.  Please find the appropriate link below for meet information.

Good luck to all athletes competing this weekend in the 2007 February Splash hosted by Eastern Express.  The meet will be held at the TCNJ Aquatic Center in Ewing NJ.  Please follow the appropriate links below for meet information

The Weekend of January 11-13, Eastern Express will be competing in the Burgdorff Invitational. This long course meet attracts many high caliber athletes, and will be held at the Rutgers Aquatic Center. For more information follow the appropriate link below.

EEX had several great swims over the Burgdorff weekend.  First, congratulations to Meghan Leddy on picking up her 3rd Olympic Trial qualifying time!  Meghan dropped over a second and a half from her best time in the 100m backstroke to gain another OT cut.  There were several new sectional times achieved: Chris Anderson (50 free); Julia Anderson (100 free); and, Michelle Stefandl (200 free).   Also, congratulations to Samantha Kietlinski in breaking the elusive 1:00 barrier in the Women's 100 meter freestyle, putting her 2nd on the EEX All Time list and within 2 tenths of the team record!

Eastern Express Top 8 Finishers
Julia Anderson (1st, 100 and 200 free; 3rd, 200 back; 4th, 400 free; 7th, 100 back)
Lauren Cruz (2nd, 50 free - Zone time)
Peter Kalibat (8th, 50 fly; 6th, 200 IM - both Zone times)
Meghan Leddy (4th, 100 back; 6th, 800 free)
Sean Mackenzie (7th, 400 IM)
Hannah Matheson (4th, 50 free - Zone time)
Michelle Stefandl (4th, 200 free; 5th, 100 and 400 free). 

Eastern Express will also be competing in the Princeton Invite, on the January 19-20 weekend. Hosted by Tiger Aquatics, the meet will be held at Princeton University's DeNunzio Pool. For more information follow the appropriate link below.

Good luck to all swimmers competing in the 2007 Holiday Classic hosted by Eastern Express Swimming.  The meet will take place in the Sonny Werblin Aquatic Center at Rutgers University.  Follow the appropriate links below for meet information.  Express families can also find work assignments for the weekend below.

The “Classic” was a fast meet this year with top caliber athletes from New Jersey and several other states.  As a team, we received many compliments on a well run meet – so, once again, thank you for your efforts and great job! 

Eastern Express Top 8 Finishers
Julia Anderson – 1st in the 200 and 500 free; 3rd in the 400 IM; 4th in the 100 fr; 7th in the 100 back; and, 6th in the 200 back.  Julia’s times in the 200 and 500 are new Sectional cuts!
Victoria Cassidy – 8th in the 400 IM.
Peter Kalibat – 6th in the 200 free and 400 IM; 7th in the 500 free and 100 fly.
Matt Kietlinski – 6th in the 1000 free.
Samantha Kietlinski – 6th in the 200 free; 8th in the 500 free.
Meghan Leddy – 1st in the 200 free, 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 back; 2nd in the 500 free; 4th in the 200 fly.
Sean Mackenzie – 2nd in the 1000 free and the 1650 free; 3rd in the 500 free; 7th in the 400 IM.  Sean’s time in the 1000 free is a new Short Course Yards National Cut and qualifies as a National Age Group Top 10 time in the country!
Hannah Matheson – 1st in the 100 IM; 2nd in the 200 IM and 200 free; 3rd in the 100 free; 4th in the 100 fly; 5th in the 400 IM; and, 6th in the 50 back.
Michelle Stefandl – 2nd in the 500 free; 3rd in the 200 free.  Michelle’s time in the 500 free is a new Secional cut!

Congratulations to Meghan Leddy who competed in the 2007 Conoco Philips Short Course National Championships held at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.  Meghan swam best times in the 100 Back (56.03, 45th place) and the 200 Back (1:58.55, 14th place).  Both of Meghan’s swims rank fastest all time for Express. For more information follow the appropriate link below.

Hi everyone, we will have the following practice schedule over the Thanksgiving break:

Wednesday 11/21 - Normal Practice Schedue
Thusday 11/22 - No Practice Happy Thanksgiving!!
Friday 11/23 - Seniors from 10:00-1:00; Pre-Seniors from 10:00-12:00; AG2 from 10:00-11:30; AG1 from 11:30-1:00
Saturday 11/24 - Seniors 9:00-11:00; Pre-Seniors 9:00-11:00; AG2 9:00 to 10:15; AG1 10:00-11:00
Sunday 11/25 - Normal Practice Schedule
All Practices will be at TCNJ

Congratulations to EEX Scholastic All-Americans!!!
The following swimmers were named to USA Swimming's 2006-2007 Scholastic All-American list - Josh Chen, Samantha Kietlinski, Meghan Leddy and Kathleen Morrison.

Congratulations to EEX National Top-16 Finishers!!!
Julia Anderson (11-12) - 14th (200 fr - SCY)
Meghan Leddy (15-16) - 8th (200 Back - LCM); 13th (400 IM - LCM); 12th (1000 fr - SCY); 15th (1650 fr - SCY); 15th (400 IM - SCY)

The Weekend of November 17-18, Eastern Express swimmers ages 11 and older will be competing in the New Jersey Wahoos "Thanksgiving Celebration" A/BB/C Meet.   The meet will be held at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Sewell, NJ. For more information follow the appropriate link below and be sure to check for updates.

Eastern Express 10 and unders will compete in the Peddie Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday, November 18. The meet will be held will be held at the Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ.  For more information follow the appropriate link below and be sure to check for updates.