Meet Recaps

SwimRVA Summer Invitational

Over the weekend of June 12-14, 198 YOTA athletes traveled to Richmond, Virginia for the 2026 SwimRVA Summer Invitational. This meet is always a great opportunity for our athletes to race swimmers from outside of our LSC and to race some of their best events before heading into championship season. Throughout the weekend, YOTA swimmers threw down best times, achieved new Age Group Champs and YMCA National qualifying times, and cheered their hearts out for their teammates. Big congratulations to Miles Ayres who earned the Boy’s 13-14 High Point title, and to Juliet Christopherson (13-14) and Ellise Leudke (11-12) who earned High Point Runner-Up for their respective age groups. As the weekend closed out, YOTA finished in second place overall and fell short of bringing the cup back home to the Triangle Area. We look forward to the opportunity to bring the cup back next year!

YOTA 1500

52 YOTA swimmers took over the Willis R Casey Aquatic Center at NC State to race the 1500 together on Saturday, June 20. The 1500 is the longest event in our sport and it is not always available for our swimmers to race during their typical meet weekends. Congratulations to all of our swimmers who took advantage of the opportunity to get outside of their comfort zones and gain more distance racing experience!

Long Course USRY

26 senior-level YOTA swimmers made the trip to Goldsboro for the Long Course USRY Championships, and what a weekend it was! The meet was filled with fast swimming, team spirit, and unforgettable camaraderie. Time and again, YOTA swimmers stepped up with season-best and lifetime-best performances, all while receiving enthusiastic support from teammates on deck. A special congratulations goes to East Senior 1 swimmer Tina Trovero, who punched her ticket to Long Course YMCA National Championships. Additionally Kaitlyn Davis, Ryan Sutherland, Bennett White, Katie Wilson, and Paige Snyder added YMCA National events or improved upon their existing qualifying times. We are incredibly proud of the effort, attitude, and sportsmanship displayed by this group throughout the weekend. Great job, YOTA!

MOR Long Course Qualifier

Over the weekend of June 26-28, 158 YOTA swimmers attended the MOR Long Course Qualifier at the Pullen Aquatic Center. The energy was high all weekend long as this was the last opportunity for our swimmers to punch their ticket to Age Group Champs. From best times, to new Champs qualifiers, YOTA had a successful weekend and made it known they are ready for championship season!

SwimStrong Dryland Elite Camp

Senior 1 athletes Campbell Lange and Shane Keough, along with West Senior 2 and Age Group Select Coach George Vlahos, traveled to Fishers, Indiana, from June 21–26 to represent YOTA at the SwimStrong Dryland Elite Camp. The invitation-only camp brought together 80 of the nation's top swimmers from across the SwimStrong Dryland program for five days of high-performance training and education. Each day featured six hours of instruction, including three hours of pool training, two hours of dryland, and one hour of educational seminars covering topics designed to help athletes maximize their potential both in and out of the water. Now in its fifth year, the SwimStrong Dryland Elite Camp selected YOTA athletes and a YOTA coach for the first time. Congratulations to Campbell, Shane, and Coach George on earning the opportunity to represent YOTA on the national stage!

YOTA Team Survey Results

Thank you to the 156 families who participated in our annual YOTA survey. Like a relay team, success is built one swimmer, one coach, and one relationship at a time. The results remind us that while performance matters, the greatest victories are the confidence, resilience, friendships, and life lessons our swimmers gain along the way.

90% of families said YOTA is helping their swimmer become more resilient
83% said YOTA helps their swimmer feel more connected and less lonely
Families gave YOTA a Net Promoter Score of +48, indicating strong satisfaction and a high likelihood of recommending YOTA to other families
Families consistently highlighted our coaches, friendships, team culture, and sense of community as YOTA’s greatest strengths.

At the same time, your feedback highlighted opportunities to improve. Families identified opportunities for greater consistency across sites, enhanced communication, and continued investment in facilities and pool access.

We remain committed to learning from your feedback and ensuring every athlete and family enjoys a high-quality experience, regardless of location or level. Thank you for being part of the YOTA family and for helping us develop character—one lap at a time.

SafeSport Team Renewal

Thank you to everyone who participated and helped us earn our Safe Sport Recognition status two years ago. This status expires every two years so the time has come for us to work towards our renewal. To achieve our status again, swimmers and parents will need to complete a quick USA Swimming training. USA swimming will track our participation and will award our team points based on our completion rate. Once we reach the required number of points, we will reach our Safe Sport Recognition status once again. Thank you in advance for your participation!

Parent Training: Wednesday, July 22 @8:00 PM
Athlete Training: Thursday, July 23 @8:00 PM

Looking Ahead

July 16-19: NCS Long Course Age Group Champs at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (Qualified Athletes)
July 22-25: RAFC Last Splash at the Rosen Aquatic Center in Orlando, Florida (Qualified Athletes)
July 25-26: RSA Flip Flop Meet at the Pullen Aquatic Center (All athletes not attending Orlando or YNATS)
July 28-August 1: YMCA Long Course Nationals in Ocala, Florida (Qualified Athletes)

Quick Links

YOTA Swim Team | YMCA of the Triangle | USA Swimming | YMCA Red Flag Reporting | SafeSport

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