Sussex County places second at Lifeguard Nationals

The Sussex County Chapter of the United States Lifesaving Association jetted off to South Padre Island, Texas, last week to compete in the USLA National Championships. 

The coed team of 43 athletes returned Sunday with a second-place trophy. LA County Surf Life-Saving Association placed first with 1,197 points. They were followed by Sussex County with 717, Hampton Lifeguard Association with 533, Monmouth with 465 and California State Lifeguard with 461.

The soft sands of Sussex produced the fleetest feet, winning both the open men’s and open women's 4-by-100 relays. 

The winning men’s team, all from Dewey Beach Patrol, was Eid Nouhra, C.J. Fritchman, Mikey Frederick and Reed Tanasovich. They were unbeaten in the summer, competing in the Mid-Atlantic Olympics and the Rehoboth Lifeguard Olympics and culminating with the USLA national events. Sussex County guards also took second and fourth place in the event. The second-place team was Joey Jones, Walker Chavatel, Gabe Tempert and Jack Callis, while the fourth-place team featured Brendan Regan, Maximus Kohr, Brendan Keane and Ryan Smith. 

The first-place women’s team from Bethany Beach Patrol was Melaney Heald, Judith Johnson, Nicole Willing and Nicolette Phillips. Sussex County teams also placed second and fourth. The second-place team featured Alexandra Santer, Meredith Lockwood, Lainey Shockro and Sophia Gulotti, while the fourth-place team included Emma Barthelmess, Julia Merritt, Grace Hansen and Carol Zangla. 

Santer with 115 points, Hansen with 52 and Zangla with 27 were the top point producers on the women’s side. 

Santer had a great event, placing second with Gulotti, Cindy Fajardo and Hansen in the women’s rescue race, third in the open American ironwoman, third with Hansen in the open women’s board rescue race, fourth in the open ironwoman, fourth in the open board relay with Hansen and Fajardo, fourth in the open women’s surf race, fourth with Gulotti, Fajardo and Hansen in the open women’s taplin relay, and fourth with Fajardo in the open women’s surfboat. Fajardo also placed fourth in the open women’s surf ski. Shockro placed third in the open women’s beach flags. 

The top three point producers on the men’s side were Alex Geiersbach with 29, Josh McIntire with 26 and Declan Burke with 23. 

Adam Snyder took second in the open men’s 2K beach run, while Brendan Keane was third in open beach flags. Delcan Burke and McIntre took fourth in the open men’s board rescue race. 

There were many other age-group accolades won, which can be found at usla.org/page/Nationals.

The lifeguards return to their August beaches for a month where the waves get bigger and the rips get faster.