Greenwich YMCA Marlins Diving Club athletes earn numerous medals at the YMCA National Championships in Florida

By David Fierro on April 12, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Contributed report

**Photo courtesy of Dylan Korn**: Members of the Greenwich YMCA Marlins Diving Club gather after competing in the 2023 YMCA National Championships in Florida. The Marlins’ divers earned exceptional performances at the national competition.

It’s an especially exciting time for the Greenwich YMCA Marlins Diving Club, which has a large group of divers for the championship season.

Members of the Greenwich YMCA Marlins Diving Club recently competed in the 2023 YMCA National Championships held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center and a number of its athletes excelled at the national event.

Alden Charette was the YMCA national champion on both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events in the girls 12-13 year-old age group. Representing the YMCA Marlins, Charette also won a silver medal on the Platform, her first time competing in the event at a championship event.

**Photo by Dylan Korn:** Alden Charette displays the gold medal she earned at the YMCA National Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., recently.

The Marlins’ other double YMCA national champion is Callum Hennigan, who competing in the 11-and-under age group. Callum captured the gold medal in both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events. This marks the first year of Marlins diving for Hennigan.

Grace Wu of the Marlins earned the gold medal in the girls 16-21 year-old age group YMCA National Championship in the 1-meter springboard. Wu placed second on the 3-meter board at the National Championships.

With their impressive first-place finishes Charette, Hennigan and Wu automatically qualified to test their skills in this year’s preliminary round at USA Diving Junior National Championships, which will be held in Mission Viejo, California in their respective events.

**Photo courtesy of Dylan Korn:** Callum Hennigan won two first-place medals for the Greenwich YMCA Marlins Diving Club at the YMCA National Diving Championships.

Other medal winners for the Greenwich YMCA Marlins at the YMCA National Championships included in the girls 11-and-under age group: Ava Silver, who placed fifth place in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards and Linley Charette, who finished sixth on the 1-meter springboard.

**Photo by Dylan Korn:** Grace Wu of the Marlins Diving Club, displays her gold medal in the 1-meter springboard at the National Championships, held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., recently.

For the Marlins in the boys 12-13 year-old age group at the YMCA National Championships, Niko Kassaris placed third on the 1-meter board and was fourth on the 3-meter. Dash Defelice was fourth (1-meter) and eighth (3-meter). Calder Kelly was sixth (1-meter) and sixth (3-meter). Anderson Vermette had fifth-place finishes in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards for the Marlins. Teammate Veer Dewan posted an eighth-place finish (1-meter) and seventh-place finish (3-meter).

In the girls 12-13 age group at the YMCA Nationals, Reilly Anderson was fifth on the 3-meter board and took eighth in the 1-meter event for the Marlins. The Marlins’ Olivia Silver was eighth (1-meter) and seventh (3-meter).

**Photo by Dylan Korn:** From left to right: Sisters Linley Charette and Alden Charette earned medals at the YMCA Diving Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, helping the Greenwich YMCA Marlins Diving Club flourish at the competition.

In the Girls 14-15 age group, Grayson Ford took 3rd (1-meter) and was eighth on the 3-meter board for the Marlins.

The girls 16-21 year-old age group saw Veronica Fyfe earn a fourth-place finish on both the 1-meter and 3-meter board for the Marlins.

**Photo by Dylan Korn:** From left to right: Veronica Fyfe and Grace Wu of the Greenwich YMCA Marlins Diving Club at the YMCA National Championships.

Other competitors for the Greenwich YMCA Marlins at nationals were Clemmie Whittle, Ellie Jarvis, Julia Cabrera, Ava Vranos and Catherine O’Brien.

“I am very proud of all of the divers that competed at the YMCA Nationals,” Greenwich YMCA Marlins coach Dylan Korn said. “This is the first meet of our championship season and to see how well everyone competed is a good indicator of us having a successful season.”