Twins sisters Sarah and Julia Lucca lead Hauppauge/Smithtown girls swimming to 6th straight county title
The Happauge-Smithtown girls swimming team makes a splash with its 6th straight county championship. Credit: Connor Lawless
Twin sisters Sarah and Julia Lucca just keep dominating for the Hauppauge/Smithtown girls swimming team.
Each sister won two individual races and helped their team win two relays to lead Hauppauge/Smithtown to its sixth straight county title at the Suffolk girls swimming individual championships Saturday morning at Stony Brook University. The Lucca twins were named co-winners of the meet’s Most Outstanding Swimmer award.
“Sarah won the award last year, so I thought that they might try and switch it up and I was honestly wondering if it was my turn,” Julia Lucca said. “Then they said two people were winning, so I hoped we would both get it. It’s a great honor to share that award with my sister.”
The juniors opened the meet by teaming with freshman Ellianna Esposito and junior Olivia Chiofolo to win the 200-yard medley relay in 1 minute, 43.38 seconds, breaking the county record of 1:43.43 set by the same four girls last year.
“We’ve all spent so much time together since we were younger and it’s just been a great bonding experience,” Julia Lucca said. “To be able to say, ‘We can come back next year and do the same or better,’ is really special.”
The reigning state champion relay team has its eyes set on another gold medal at the state championships on Nov. 21 at Webster Aquatic Center. They also are looking to break the state record time of 1:43.21.
“It was our goal for today and we missed it by a little bit, but I’m happy that we beat our county record,” Sarah Lucca said. “It’s always something that we’re working towards and it definitely becomes more real when you get towards counties and states. Hopefully we can get that record in two weeks.”
Sarah Lucca won the 50 freestyle in 23.40 and took first in the 100 butterfly in 54.29, breaking her own county record of 54.58 from 2024.
“I wanted to get that record at leagues last week,” Sarah Lucca said. “I’m glad that I was able to do that today. I think that sets me up really well for states.”
Julia Lucca won the 100 backstroke in 55.29 and the 200 freestyle in 1:50.76.
The Lucca sisters, Chiofolo and Avery Wilcox won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:30.86 in the final race of the day.
Win-win for Longwood
Longwood’s Brooke Orner won last year’s 500 freestyle, but she suffered an ankle injury at the end of the season that has impacted her training. The senior West Virginia commit won the 100 freestyle in 51.19, beating her time of 51.91 when she took third in the state meet.
“Last year, when I did the 100 at states, I didn’t know it at the time, but I had already injured my ankle,” Orner said. “I’m hoping to go back and redeem myself.”
Her teammate, freshman Sadie Wiedersum, won the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.87, edging out Esposito (1:06.99).
“Longwood has never had two county champs in one meet,” Orner said. “It was just amazing to watch Sadie finish like that and know that we represented today.”
Vitiello makes big splash
Babylon’s Alexis Vitiello won the 500 freestyle in 5:07.65. She won her second straight title in the 200 individual medley. Vitiello was ecstatic when she saw her time of 2:07.24 on the scoreboard and started splashing her arms in the water in celebration.
“I was more than happy with my time,” Vitiello said. “I swam my best time by two seconds. I haven’t been able to reach my best time in that race for a while, so I wasn’t expecting to do that well.”
East Hampton freestyle relay rallies
East Hampton’s team of Heidi Rizzo, Ginger Griffin, Avienne O’Shea and Sydney Powers claimed the 200 freestyle relay title in 1:40.11. Hauppauge/Smithtown’s team of Esposito, Emma Cronin, Veronica Acosta and Wilcox took second in 1:40.63. O’Shea swam the third leg in 24.71 and Powers swam the final leg in 24.55 to take a late lead.
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
