LONGPORT — The women of the Longport Beach Patrol took first and third in the swim and scored points in each rowing race to win the 27th Longport Women’s Lifeguard Invitational on July 8.
The surf was rough and a storm was threatening, but despite some clouds to the west it was a great night for an ocean race on Absecon Island.
The LPBP scored 20 points — 11 from the swim, 5 from the singles row and 4 from the doubles row — topping Sea Isle City with 14 and Avalon with 12. The scoring is 7 for first place, 5 for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth and 2 for fifth.
“We’ve been working really hard as a full team and I think our points across the board really helped us. We performed well in practically every event and I think that says a lot about our patrol,” Longport’s Maddie Fox said.
She was thrilled that the women won their own event.
“I think the girls are really on our way up and I think it just get’s better from here,”
The Margate City Beach Patrol was fourth and the Ocean City Beach Patrol fifth.
Longport’s Jordyn Ricciotti was first out of the water in the swim, running solo to the finish line in 11:11. She was followed by Becca Cubbler of the Avalon Beach Patrol (11:20). It was a race to the rope for third place, with Alivia Wainwright diving and grabbing the spot in 11.26. That dropped the OCBP’s Rhylee Cornell to fourth (11:26.3). Ryann Lowry of the Ventnor City Beach Patrol completed the scoring in 11:27.
Ricciotti said she had been second in the event the past three years.
“It feels really good, I’m excited,” she said, noting the conditions were very choppy and current strong.
“The conditions are rough,” Cubbler said, noting she had taken part the previous evening in the Cape May County Championship and faced an angry ocean then, too. “It might have been a little worse on this one since it’s out and back, so you’re just going into those swells the whole way out and then coming back I was praying for a wave to push me but I didn’t get any.”
Wainwright was pleased to place third for the team.
“I’m proud of everyone who did it. It’s really rough in the ocean today,” she said. “I know it was hard for everyone.”
Wainwright was a newbie in the ocean swim, noting she usually competes in much calmer conditions in a swimming pool.
In the singles row, Maura Quinn of the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol was charging toward shore ahead of the pack when she got sideways on a wave crest. She managed to right the ship in time to beat her competitors in 5:31.
“Going out was good; coming in could have been a little bit better. I rowed too soft and turned all the way back around,” Quinn said, noting it was her second win at Longport.
She was followed closely by Longport’s Fox in 5:32. Sam Keough of the VCBP took third in 5:39, followed by Juliana Granese of the Atlantic City Beach Patrol and Regan McDonnell of the Avalon Beach Patrol.
Maura and Molly Quinn used their strength to take first place in the doubles row (13:46) that opened the competition.
“It was a little close for us at the start and we worked to get going, going and then when we turned the flag it was empty the tank,” Maura Quinn said.
“Waves were a little rough. They basically pushed you around the whole race,” Molly Quinn added.
The twins were followed by Granese and Michelle Burwell of the ACBP (14:07) and the LPBP’s Fox and Emma Barnhart (14:32). Keough and Charlotte Thomas of the VCBP placed fourth and Molly Hoffman and Allie Lee of the Brigantine City Beach Patrol were fifth.
Some were speculating that the OCBP’s Brynn Gallagher, a championship surfer, would challenge Brigantine’s Grace Emig in the paddle, and they weren’t wrong. But Emig tossed down her board and ran out of the water alone, racing to the finish line in 4:12.
She said she has been training four days a week since March and was ready to go.
“It’s the ocean — today it’s crazy. It makes for a fun paddle race for sure,” Emig said. “I was lucky, once I turned the buoy a got a wave right away and it brought me all the way in.”
She said she saw Gallagher on her heels.
“She’s so fast and I know she’s been working hard too,” Emig said.
Gallagher was second in 4:16 and Marina Zappone of the MCBP was third in 5:03.
“I was super pumped up. It’s always fun to battle against Grace because she’s so fast and I look up to her so much,” Gallagher said.
Lauren Sweet of Wildwood Crest was fourth and Kaitlyn Nordberg of the North Wildwood Beach Patrol was fifth.
Margate’s Kami Smallwood, Callie Duff, Ali Wawner and Ava McDole raced to victory in the surf dash, finishing the relay ahead of the North Wildwood Beach Patrol’s Dorothy O’Brien, Abigal Melle, Brian McFerran and Scarlet Henry. Caroline Gallagher, Regan McDonnell, Addison Worton and Molly Bryan were third for the ABP.
“We just go and have fun — we body surf, we swim — and it worked out,” said Smallwood, who led off the team.
The OCBP’s Peyton Rautzhan, Claudia Booth, Chase Guidi and Grace Cullen were fourth and the ACBP’s Tess Roman, Madison Lisitsin, Sabrine Ghazaz and Emma Crozier were fifth.
– STORY by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
