Port Washington/Roslyn girls swim team wins Nassau County title

Local News Port Washington/Roslyn girls swim team wins Nassau County title By Michael J. Lewis … Comments Posted on November 13, 2026 The Port Washington/Roslyn swim team celebrating its county title win at East Meadow Aquatic Center. Photo provided by Michael J. Lewis Sometimes, a coach can feel a championship coming, not just a few weeks in advance, but a few years. When longtime Port Washington girls swimming head coach Joe Lennon looked at his newly configured combined team of Roslyn and Port Washington three years ago, he saw lots of potential. Young swimmers on the rise in Port, along with some very talented kids in Roslyn, gave him hope. Two years ago, the squad won the conference title. Last year they were division champs. This year, the goal was county title for sure. “Sometimes the pieces all come together at the same time, and that’s what happened,” Lennon said. “From Day 1 this year, the girls felt dialed in and ready for this moment.” That moment happened on Nov. 7 at the Nassau Aquatic Center in East Meadow. Led by senior Carina Dai’s three first-place finishes and strong performances from a host of talented sophomores, Port Washington/Roslyn captured the team county title. For Dai, who won the 50 free (23.91 seconds) and 100 butterfly (55.29) and was a part of the victorious 200 freestyle squad, the build was all worth it. “We knew we were getting closer and closer, and we all trained so hard to be ready for (Saturday),” Dai, who goes to Roslyn, said. “We all supported each other so well and once we got the ball rolling, everyone was ready.” The Port/Roslyn team is sending eight swimmers to states on Nov. 19-20 led by Dai, who finished third in the 100 butterfly at states last year. The Columbia-bound swimmer “has improved in every area and really outdone herself” this year, Lennon said. Dai has done it while leading some of the younger swimmers who are newer to competition, like sophomore Mae Strasser, who won two events and placed second in another at counties. “She and the older swimmers are very kind, giving people who have helped us a ton,” Strasser said. “Just reminding us to have fun and make it more about the experience, and don’t stress so much about winning.” Strasser, who finished second in the 50 free at counties while helping win two relays, will swim the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke at states, while fellow sophomore Mila Fisher excels at the longer-distance events. Fisher helped win both the 200 and 400 free relays and qualified for state in the 100 and 200 free. “I’ve just gotten much better at my splits, and pacing myself through my races,” Fisher said. “Last year I would sometimes kind of die out in the middle, and not really have the ability to finish strong. I’m a lot smarter about pacing and knowing when to push.” Also excelling on this year’s team have been junior Kamila Ko, a two-event state qualifier; sophomore Angie Arcerito, who moved to the area from Riverside, Calif.; and “was a total surprise dropped in our laps, who we were so thrilled to get,” Lennon said. Vienna Yu, a sophomore, has become a top 1-meter diver this season as well, adding an element to help scoring at meets that Lennon said that past teams often lacked. Now the Port/Roslyn girls head to states hoping to score points for Section VIII (Nassau County) and see about bringing home some individual gold as well. Strasser and the others were quick to credit Lennon for their improvements and state chances, with most saying their relay teams have the best shot at a top 3 finish. “He’s always checking up on us, seeing how we’re doing and to make sure we’re swimming what we want to be swimming,” Strasser said. “It’s a super close team and I’m just so excited we get to have one more meet together.” About the Author All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines . Schneps Media does not endorse the views shared by readers in our comment sections.