Ramos, Cruz win annual Sea Swim
Published: January 10, 2012
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Competitors jump off Frederiksted pier on Sunday morning to start the St. Croix Dolphins Sea Swim.
After the conch sounded, more than 130 swimmers of different ages jumped off the Frederiksted pier and started the eighth annual Dolphins' Sea Swim on Sunday.
The 1-mile open-water swim to Rainbow Beach included the Montclair State University (N.J.) and Assumption College (Mass.) swim teams, along with 10 members from the Puerto Rico national swim team.
"The younger kids always get a kick out of swimming with the college guys," St. Croix Dolphins swim coach John Vasbinder said. "The swimmers from Puerto Rico were awesome."
Nathaniel Ramos, a 17-year-old out of San Juan and a Puerto Rico national team member, won the race in 21 minutes and 52 seconds. Just 20 seconds behind him was Good Hope School senior Bryson Mays, the defending race champion, who finished in 22:12.
The top women's finisher was Betsmara Cruz, who marched up Rainbow Beach at the 22:49 mark and was fifth overall. Cruz and Gabriela Oquendo, who was third among women, were from the Puerto Rico national team. The top local women's finisher was 17-year-old Caylee Watson, who clocked a time of 25:31 and was the fifth woman finisher.
There were five age divisions for the race as swimmers of all ages were invited.
"This event just seems to grow every year and it's just a lot of fun," said Vasbinder, whose swim team dominated last month at the USVI Short Course Swim Meet Championships and is preparing for CARIFTA on April 10-15 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Gustavo Castro (22:13) and Victor Gaud (22:43) followed Mays in the overall standings and were among the eight men from the Puerto Rico national team in the race.
"Not sure what happened to our college kids," Vasbinder said. "They didn't hold back or anything. I think this just means that we have a lot of great young swimmers here."
The day before the Sea Swim, the Dolphins teamed up with the Puerto Rico swimmers and held a traditional swim meet with Duke University and Assumption College. Both schools were on St. Croix to train for their upcoming college seasons.
Duke is one of the schools Mays is considering to swim at next year. His little brother, Matthew, 13, finished in the Top 10 on Sunday and enjoyed the spectacle of Saturday's swim meet with collegiate competition.
"Duke had this one guy who was like 6-foot-6 and he was standing next to Matthew on the deck after a race," Vasbinder said. "Matthew is still growing but when they shook hands, it was like David and Goliath."
The race served as a fundraiser for the St. Croix Dolphins. HOVENSA, the West Indian Corporation and Caribbean Reservation were major sponsors.
- Contact sports writer Aaron Gray at 714-9102 or email agray@dailynews.vi.
8th annual Sea Swim results
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