Hi Hammerheads,

This week's Hammer Times is brought to you by Steve Grosso, our Coach Liaison, in collaboration with Coach Brice and Coach Dylan. I missed this meet, so a big thank you for stepping in and filling in for me!

WOW! What a start to the season! A thrilling meet from start to finish, with 38 of 57 swimmers contributing points toward the Hammerheads' victory! Out of 171 races, 98 achieved improved times! Most notably, Rowan Crissman, Will Goldsticker, Hadley Hughes, Leo Mahnke, Evie Nusbaum, Grayson Stanton, Mabel Thomas, and Jack Wallace all improved times in all three of their individual races!

Eight swimmers achieved Black Cap times, including Luca Grosso, Chasen Bourke, Steve Guo, Avery Chen, Zoe Mahnke, Dani Sade-Fernandez, Giorgio Keppler and Reid Wallace.

History was made by Steve Guo, who set a new Carpenter Village team record in the Boys 9–10 Breaststroke with a blazing time of 19.23! Steve broke the previous record of 19.39, set by Lee Chang in 2012. Congratulations, Steve, on this incredible achievement!

A few Hammerheads stood out for their team spirit and determination:

Reid Wallace was spotted exuberantly cheering on his brother Jack, and Jack delivered an improved time. Go Wallace boys!

Olivia had a standout swim in one of the relays, helping the team close the gap and finish strong for a well-earned win.

Dani was injured and heroically swam his event anyway, despite a cut on his arm. Talk about grit!

TEAMWORK!

In the Medley Relays, we went 7–3. Heading into the Freestyle Relays, we were down on points, but I was told that Mateo Singh rallied the troops and was heard saying, "We're down 7—everybody lock in!"

And lock in they did!

The Hammerheads responded by going 7–3 in the Freestyle Relays, pulling ahead to clinch the meet victory. Our team earned an incredible 70 out of a possible 100 relay points, helping secure our first win of the 2026 season!

The final score was:

Carpenter Village 262

The Reserve 235

Well done, Carpenter Village! While we have won against The Reserve in the past, we improved our margin to 27 points this year (it was just 14 points last year, a nail biter!)

What a fantastic example of teamwork, determination, and finishing strong.

A few volunteer shout outs:

Erik Davis “Water-Melon!”

Claudia Hierro, swim parent alum and veteran Clerk of Course, served alongside Hari to keep the meet running smoothly. Thank you both for keeping our swimmers organized, on deck, and where they need to be - no small feat!

Joanne Gilchrist and Brandon Stanton bravely corralled the 9-10 groups, wrangling a whopping 17 swimmers between the two of them. Thank you for keeping that energetic crew moving and ready to race!

Emily Wallace (Master of the Volunteers) stepped up to fill the vacant Stroke & Turn Judge position while also managing her usual responsibilities of coordinating volunteers and helping with meet setup. Emily, you're a true team player, and we're incredibly grateful for your willingness to jump in wherever needed.

And finally, a big birthday shout out to Coach Brice! Brice, thank you for being one of the fearless leaders of this team - we’re grateful for your leadership, positive energy, and dedication. Happy birthday! 

Go Hammerheads!

Emily Perkins

CV Hammerheads Committee, Communications