Meet Recaps

Jon Jolley YMCA State Championship

Over the weekend of March 6-8, 317 YOTA swimmers made their way to the Greensboro Aquatic Center for the Jon Jolley YMCA State Championship Meet (GYSSA). As the kickoff to the YMCA championship season, this meet was a great opportunity for our swimmers of all ages and levels to race against YMCA swimmers from across the state. For many of our younger swimmers this meet was their final short course meet of the season, and it was certainly a celebration of all of their hard work this season. Big shoutout to Ada Whitley (10) and Daniel Zarzar (12) who earned the high point awards for their age groups and helped lead YOTA to a successful weekend. By the end of the weekend, YOTA swimmers scored a total of 6,891.5 points and placed first overall!

Upper Southeast Regional YMCA Championship

163 YOTA athletes made the trip across the state border to Lynchburg, Virginia to compete in the Upper Southeast Regional YMCA (USRY) Championships over the weekend of March 19-22. Almost half of the athletes that attended the meet scored points for the team, with 71 athletes placing in the top 9 individually and 20 YOTA relays placing in the top 3. Other highlights include Andrew Fulmer and Emma Tadd achieving their first ever short course YMCA national time standards and punching their ticket to the next level of racing. For the 4th year in a row, YOTA was victorious in the combined team standings! Congrats to all of our Regional athletes!

YMCA National Championship

34 YOTA athletes took the bus to Greensboro for a week of racing on YMCA swimming’s biggest stage. Over the week of March 30-April 3, more than 1200 athletes and over 180 teams from across the country came together to compete and celebrate YMCA swimming. Throughout the week, YOTA had 6 individual swimmers and 7 YOTA relays place in the top 16. The men’s team finished in 15th place, the women’s team finished in 12th place and combined, YOTA finished in 12th place overall. Congrats to all of our National athletes!

Swimmer Spotlight

As part of its commitment to youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), the national resource office for the 2,600+ YMCAs across the country, partners with the Adolph Kiefer family each year to present the Adolph Kiefer YMCA Youth Character Award. This prestigious recognition is awarded to two exceptional individuals who exemplify strong character, academic excellence, and a dedication to their communities through YMCA competitive swimming. We are thrilled to announce that YOTA's Aubrey Mitchell was selected to receive this award at YMCA Nationals this year! Aubrey is a member of our West Senior 1 training group and has been a YOTA swimmer for over 12 years. Her impact on our team and our local and national YMCA communities is truly remarkable. Aubrey, thank you for representing the Purple People so well! More information on this award can be found HERE.

2025-2026 Short Course IMX Scores

Congratulations to all of our swimmers who earned an IMX score during the 2025-2065 short course season! Big shoutout to the swimmers below whose scores placed in the YOTA Top 10 this year. A full list of this season’s IMX scores can be found HERE.

Fitter & Faster

We’re excited to share a fantastic development opportunity for our swimmers! YOTA will be hosting a Fitter & Faster Starts & Turns Swim Camp on May 2nd & 3rd at the YMCA at Meadowmont (301 Old Barn Rd, Chapel Hill, NC).

This camp will be led by NCAA Champion and 2x Olympic Trials Qualifier Ross Dant (former Hickory YMCA Swimmer), bringing elite-level experience and instruction directly to our swimmers. This weekend is designed to focus on the most impactful and often overlooked parts of every race—starts, turns, underwaters, and finishes. These are the skills that frequently determine the outcome of close races and can create meaningful drops in time across all events.

Swimmers will be grouped by age and ability, ensuring quality instruction and appropriate progression:

Swimmers 9-11: Register HERE
Swimmers 12&U: Register HERE

Throughout the camp, swimmers can expect:

Detailed, high-level instruction on techniqu
Immediate feedback from elite clinician
Drills and skills they can take back into daily practic
Increased confidence and race-day awareness
This is a great opportunity for swimmers to gain a fresh perspective, refine key technical skills, and build momentum heading into the long course season.

Important Notes:

Spots are limited and tend to fill quickly
Registration prices will increase after April 11th
Early registration is strongly encouraged to secure your swimmer’s spot

We are excited to bring this level of instruction to our team and hope many of our swimmers can take advantage of it!

Swimmers in STEM

YOTA’s Ansley Mason conducted a research study that focused on stress, well-being, and performance in high school swimmers in an effort to further understand how stress and mental health are impacted by the demands of training, academics and personal expectations. After surveying 68 high school swimmers, she found that academics and time management were the most common stressors and these athletes benefited the most from simple support systems like communication, rest and encouragement. Ansley highlighted that YOTA is very good at recognizing these stressors and implementing the necessary support systems. She hopes this research will serve as a reminder of how important athlete wellness is, especially in a sport as demanding as swimming. Keep taking care of yourselves and each other, YOTA!

Becoming a Junior Official

Hello, my name is Cael Lychak, and I am a member of YOTA Senior 1 and a senior at Cary High School. I recently completed my training to become a certified USA Swimming Official through the North Carolina LC Junior Official Program, and I want to share my journey.

I chose to become an official because I want to stay connected to swimming even after my competitive career ends. I found the process straightforward, requiring completion of online courses and four mentoring sessions.

I encourage anyone who wants to give back to the swimming community to become an official, because the work feels incredibly rewarding. Only four junior officials currently serve in the state, and you could become the fifth. If you have any questions about the process, I would be happy to help.

Looking Ahead

April 12: Carolina Crown Swim Challenge in Charleston, SC (Qualified 15&O Athletes)
April 24-26: RSA Warm Up at the Pullen Aquatic Center (All YOTA Athletes)
May 14-17: Martha McKee Charlotte Open at Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center (Qualified Senior Athletes)
May 15-17: EAC Memorial Invitational at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (All YOTA Athletes not at Martha McKee)
May 30: NCS Open Water Championships at Seven Lakes, NC (Coaches Discretion)

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