Mountain Club swimmers delivered an exceptional performance across two major competitions this spring, capturing a fourth consecutive team title at the New Mexico Swimming Spring Finale and following it with a strong showing at the New Mexico Short Course Championships.

Fourth Straight Title at the 2026 New Mexico Spring Finale

The Finale was held Feb. 28–March 1 at the Santa Fe Community Center and hosted by Charger Aquatics, featuring 328 swimmers from across New Mexico. Mountain Club dominated the field, scoring 1,599 points with a roster of 50 swimmers to secure first place once again for the fourth consecutive team title.

MAKO Aquatic Club placed second with 981 points, while Beast Aquatics finished third with 696.5 points. Mountain Club’s depth and consistency across all age groups proved decisive competition

Here are the places, teams, the numbers of swimmers, the points earned in the Finale each of the 12 teams.

The victory reflects not only athletic performance but also the strength of the club’s community. Coaches credited swimmers’ dedication and the continued support of families, volunteers, and officials.

Among those recognized were volunteer officials Laura Leitner, Yaping Huang, Isabel Cuesta, Michelle Certik, Jacob Robinson, Fan Guo, and Tim Waters.

Congratulations to William Dai who was certified for the N2 Referee, N2 Starter, and N3 Stroke /Turn judge as an USA Swimming official. Hopefully, this will benefit our swimmers, coaches and officials in the NM Swimming community.

Rising Talent Earns State Cuts

The meet also marked an important milestone for several athletes, as swimmers achieved their New Mexico State qualifying times — an indication of the club’s growing pipeline of talent. Well done!

• Kevin Zou (14) – 50 breaststroke, a son of Nan Zou and Ying Xiong.
• Elizabet Wang (9) – multiple events, a daughter of Min Wang and Jingchao Jiang.
• Nathan Gellis (10 )- 50 Breaststroke, a son of Ed Gellis.

Relay Teams Lead the Way

Mountain Club swimmers excelled in relay events, earning numerous top finishes in both freestyle and medley relays across age groups. Strong performances were especially notable among younger swimmers, whose teamwork and composure stood out.

• 8 & Under Girls age group
  • 1st @100 Free: Evie Travers, Iris Lin, Cora Zielie, and Alice Sun.
  • 1st @100 IM: Evie Travers, Iris Lin, Cora Zielie, and Alice Sun.
• 8 & Under Boys age group
  • 1st @100 Free: Graydon Waters, Torren Cerk, William Liu, and Oliver Snapp.
  • 3rd @100 Free: Archie Chen, Jame Neal, Evan Richeson, and Owen Richeson.
  • 2nd @100 IM: Graydon Waters, Torren Cerk, William Liu, and Archie Chen.
  • 3rd @100 IM: Thorwald Zielie, Jame Neal, Evan Richeson, and Owen Richeson.
• 10 & Under Girls age group
  • 3rd @200 Free: Alicia Chen, Magnolia Winchell, Elizabeth Wang, and Claire Robinson.
  • 1st @200 IM: Alicia Chen, Magnolia Winchell, Elizabeth Wang, and Claire Robinson.
• 10 & Under Boys age group
  • 1st @200 Free: Leandre Capolungo, Nathan Gellis, Jame Lei, and Jiadone Guo.
  • 1st @200 IM:Gabe Haroz, Miles Chen, Nathan Gellis, and Jiadone Guo.
• 12 & Under Girls age group
  • 4th @200 Free: Melia Arbuckle, Grace Lin, Emma Fuentes, and Avery Snapp.
  • 3rd @200 IM: Melia Arbuckl, Grace Lin, Emma Fuentes, and Sydney Chen.
• 12 & Under Boys age group
  • 3rd @200 Free: Owen Herring, Sean Ortiz, Logan Haigh, and Lialiang Guo.
  • 1st @200 IM: Owen Herring, Logan Haigh, Benjamin Tondreau, and Lialiang Guo.
• Boys
  • 1st @200 Free: Kevin Zou, Benjamin Minko, Magnus Leitner, and Justin Lei.
  • 1st @200 IM: Daniel Yampolsky, Kevin Zou, Magnus Leitner,Benjamin Minko, and Justin Lei.
  • 3rd @200 IM: Magnus Leitner, Javier Cuesta, Z Certik, and Simeon Capolungo.
• Mixed
  • 3rd @200 Free: Z Certik, Abby Gellis, Serenity Tao, and Simeon Capolungo.
  • 2nd @200 IM: Grace Waters, Abby Gellis, James Lei, and Leandre Capolungo.

The club also recognized siblings who contributed behind the scenes and on deck: Justin Lei, Preslee Robinson, Eleanora Minko, Abby Gellis, Alex Yampolsky, Simeon Capolungo, Jialiang Guo, Melia Arbuckle, and Avery Snapp—great teamwork!

Individual High Point Award Winners:

Numerous Mountain swimmers were recognized for their outstanding individual performances. Congratulations to all who made the podium!

Mountain Club swimmers won the most highpoint awards in the meet, as shown in the table below.

• Iris Lin (6): a daughter of Shizeng Lin and Xi Yang.
• Archie Chen (6): a son of Bailian Chen and Jiajia Wang.
• Evan Richeson (6): a son of Jeffery and Stephanie Richeson.
• Ray Wang (5): a son of Gaoxue Wang and Jinlin Zhang.
• Alice Sun (8): a daughter of Xiaoming Sun and Xiao Kan.
• Evie Travers (8): a daughter of Tim and Charmine Travers.
• Graydon Warters (8): a son of Tim and Jiajia Waters.
• Gabe Haroz (10): a son of Erik and Ellaine Haroz.
• Miles Chen (9): a son of Aiping Chen and Pei Huang.
• Emma Fuentes (11): a daughter of Jahaira and Gamaliel Fuentes.
• Benjamin Minko (13): a son of Yury Minko and Tatyana Elkin.

Strong Showing at State Championships:

Just days later, Mountain Club carried that momentum into the New Mexico Short Course State Championships, held March 5–8 at the West Mesa Aquatic Center in Albuquerque. Competing against larger programs, Mountain Club placed sixth overall out of 16 teams with 375 points. The team had 21 qualified swimmers, with 16 competing—an impressive result given its size. Charger Aquatics claimed the state title, followed by Beast Aquatics and Roadrunners of Albuquerque Aquatics.

Here are the places, teams, the numbers of swimmers, the points earned in the Championships each of the 16 teams:

Standout Individual Performances:

Eleanora Minko (10) led the way in the girls 10-and-under division, winning multiple events and earning second place in the individual high-point standings.

State Championship Relay Highlights:

• 10 & Under Girls age group
  • 2nd @200 IM: Alicia Chen, Eleanora Minko, Grace Waters, and Claire Robinson.
  • 3rd @200 Free: Claire Robinson, Alicia Chen, Grace Waters, and Eleanora Minko.
• 10 & Under Boys age group

• • 2nd @200 IM: Leandre Capolungo, Alex Yampolsky, Jame Lei, and Jiadone Guo.
  • 2nd @200 Free: Jiadone Guo, Leandre Capolungo, Jame Lei, and Alex Yampolsky.
• Mixed 10 & Under age group
  • 1st @200 IM: Jiadong Guo, Eleanora Minko, Alex Yampolsky, and .
  • 4th @200 IM: Leandre Capolungo, Jame Lei, Grace Waters and Magnolia Winchell.
• 14 & Under Boys age group
  • 5th @200 IM: Daniel Yampolsky, Justin Lei,Javier Cuesta, and Z Certik.
  • 5th @200 Free: Justin Lei, Z Certik, Daniel Yampolsky, and Javier Cuesta.
  • 4th @400 Free: Justin Lei, Daniel Yampolsky, Z Certik, and Javier Cuesta.

Outstanding Performances Include:

• Javier Chacon Cuesta (14) in the Boys 13-14 age group, a son of Luis Chacon and Isabel Cuesta.
  • 4th @100 Fly, 5th @50 Fly, and 11th @50 Free.
  • Qualified for 2026 Western Zone Short Course Senior Champ.
• Justin Lei (13) in the Boys 13-14 age group, a son of Zhou Lei and Yaping Huang,
  • 6th @50 /100 /200 Breast, and 7th @50 Back and 200 /400 IM, and 12th @50 Fly.
• Zdenek Certik (13) in the Boys 13-14 age group, a son of Ondrej and Michelle Certik,
  • 4th @1650 Free, 5th @200 Fly, 7th @400 IM, and 8th @500 Free.
• Daniel Yampolsky (13) in the Boys 13-14 age group, a son of Nikolai and Kathrine Yampolsky,
  • 5th @50 Breast, 7th @100 Back, 11th @50 Back, and 13th @50 Fly.
• Avery Snapp (11) in the Girls 10 & Under age group, a daughter of Steve and Kathleen Snapp,
  • 9th @100 Fly, 22nd @200 Free, 23th @100 back, and 25th @50 Back.
• JiaLiang (Jay) Guo (12) in the Boys 10 & Under age group, a son of a son of Fan Guo and Ting Chen,
  • 3rd @50 /100 Breast and 50 Fly, and 12th @50 Back.
• Benjamin Tondreau (12) in the Girls 10 & Under age group, a son of Aaron and Sarah Tondreau.
  • 4th @50 Breast, 5th @100 Breast, 9th @50 Free, and 14th @100 Free.
• Eleanora Minko (10) in the Girls 10 & Under age group, a daughter of Yury Minko and Tatyana Elkin,
  • 1st @50 /100 Fly and 100 IM, and 2nd @ 50/100 Breast, 200 IM, and 100 Back.
  • Took the Second place Individual High Point Award in the Girls 10 &; Under groups.
• Claire Robinson (10) in the Girls 10 & Under age group, a daughter of Jacob and Jessica Robinson,
  • 3rd @100 Fly, 4th @50 Fly, 5th @200 Free, 7th @100 IM, 8th @50 Back and 100 Free, and 11th @100 Back.
• Grace Waters (10) in the Girls 10 & Under age group, a daughter of Tim and Jiajia Waters,
  • 2nd @50 /100 Fly, 3rd @200 IM, 6th @100 IM, 13th @50 Breast, 18th @100 Back, and 19th @50 Back.
• Alicia Chen (10) in the Girls 10 & Under age group, a daughter of Bailian Chen and Jiajia Wang,
  • 6th @50 Breast, 7th @100 Breast, 13th @50 Fly, and 19th @100 IM.
• Magnolia Winchell (10) in the Girls 10 & Under age group, a daughter of David and Shannon Winchell,
  • 8th @50 Breast, 9th @100 Breast, 16 @100 free, and 19th @50 Free.
• Leandre Capolungo (10) in the Boys 10 & Under age group, a son of Lauert and Fanny Capolungo,
  • 10th @50 /100 Back, 50 Breast, 11th @100 IM, and 16th @50 Fly.
• Alexander Yampolsky (10) in the Boys 10 & Under age group, a son of Nikolai and Kathrine Yampolsky,
  • 2nd @50 /100 Breast, 50 Free, and 100 IM, 3rd @200 Free /IM, and 4th @50 Fly.
• Jiadong Guo (9) in the Boys 10 & Under age group, a son of a son of Fan Guo and Ting Chen,
  • 2nd @50 Back, 3rd @100 back, 4th @100 /200 IM, 5th @100 Fly, 6th @50 Fly, and 7th @50 Breast.
• James Lei (9) in the Boys 10 & Under age group, a son of Zhou Lei and Yaping Huang,
  • 3rd @100 Breast, 4th @50 Breast, 5th @200 IM, 6th @100 Fly, 8th @100 IM, and 10th @50 Fly.

Record-Breaking Performance:

The club also celebrated a recent state record (2:05.28) in the 10 & Under mixed 200-yard freestyle relay, set earlier this season, further underscoring its continued excellence.

The record-breaking team: Preslee

Robinson (10), Eleanora Minko (10), Daniel Certik (10), and Jiadong Guo (9) who surpassed the previous record of 2:14.63, which had stood since January 2018.

Looking Ahead to Regional Competition: Two swimmers, Eleanora Minko and Alexander Yampolsky, qualified for the 2026 Western Zone Championships, where they will represent both Mountain Club and New Mexico this summer.

Congratulations to all our swimmers and parents. With a combination of experienced swimmers and emerging young talent, Mountain Club continues to establish itself as one of New Mexico’s premier youth swimming programs.

About Mountain Club

Based in Los Alamos and coached by Anna Zhang, Mountain Club offers competitive swim training as well as developmental 1:1 swim lessons for younger or beginning swimmers. The program emphasizes skill development, teamwork, and a lifelong love of the sport.

• Join the club: mountainswimming@gmail.com
• Swim lessons: mountainclub.lessons@gmail.com
• Contact: Anna at 505.662.1900

Come swim with us—let’s make waves together!