The combined Mahopac, Putnam Valley and Carmel (MPVC) girls varsity swim team turned in an impressive performance at the Section 1 championships, capturing two sectional titles, tying a section record and sending four swimmers to the state championships.
Mahopac’s Chloe Forger and Kira Furfaro, Carmel’s Keira Troccoli and Putnam Valley’s Elisabeth Knuth each earned All-Section honors and have qualified for the New York State Girls Swimming and Diving Championships, scheduled for Nov. 20-21 at Webster Aquatic Center near Rochester.
The foursome’s biggest accomplishment came in their winning performance in the 200-yard medley relay — a victory that may foreshadow even bigger things to come.
“Not only did they become Sectional Champions, but they also tied the Section 1 record previously set by SHEDI (Sleepy Hollow, Hastings, Edgemont and Irvington) in 2019 and achieved a time that puts them in consideration for All-American honors,” coach Erica Burlenski said. “It was an incredibly proud moment to see these four girls standing at the top of the podium receiving their medals.”The relay team enters the state championships seeded second in New York.
Forger added an individual sectional title in the 50 freestyle, finishing first after also posting the fastest qualifying time in the preliminary round. She enters the state championships seeded third in the event.
Forger also finished second in the 100 backstroke and will enter that event seeded fifth in the state.
The MPVC swimmers delivered another strong performance in the 200 freestyle relay. After entering the preliminaries seeded sixth, Forger, Knuth, Furfaro and Troccoli finished second to achieve the state qualifying standard they had been pursuing throughout the season.
They improved their time by another three seconds in the championship final, again finishing second. The team enters the state meet seeded fourth.
Individually, Troccoli placed fourth in the 200 freestyle and fifth in the 500 freestyle. She enters the state championships seeded 12th and 15th, respectively.
Furfaro finished fifth in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 100 butterfly. She is seeded 26th in the freestyle and 19th in the butterfly at states.
Knuth earned a third-place finish in the 100 freestyle and took second in the 100 breaststroke. She enters the state meet seeded ninth and fourth, respectively.
The championship performances marked a milestone for the combined program, which had never previously produced multiple All-Section swimmers in the same season.
“As coaches, we could not be prouder of these girls,” Burlenski said. “They have worked incredibly hard all season, pushing themselves and each other every single day. To see that hard work pay off with personal bests, Sectional titles, a tied section record, All-Section honors, and state qualifications is something truly special.”
The team's success extended beyond its four state qualifiers. Mahopac's Alyza Laufman, Savannah Jarrett and Laura Svrcek, along with Carmel's Adelina Loza, also represented MPVC at sectionals.
Laufman recorded personal-best times in the 200 and 500 freestyle events, while the 400 freestyle relay team of Laufman, Jarrett, Svrcek and Loza improved from its 24th seed to finish 22nd.
Forger, Knuth, Furfaro and Troccoli will each compete in two individual events and two relays at the state championships.
“What makes this group even more impressive is how they continue to step up for one another,” Burlenski said. “Whether competing individually or coming together in a relay, they bring so much determination, heart, and excitement to the pool.”
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