DI's Flying Fish celebrate outstanding swim season
Once again, the Daniel Island Flying Fish put on a performance that was a splashing success at the CCAA Championships.
The Flying Fish won their fourth consecutive championship June 28 with a 3,097-2,702.5 victory over Snee Farm in a meet held at the City of North Charleston Aquatic Center. Parkshore held down third place with 2,693.5 points in the 58th annual event.
“The team captured its fourth consecutive championship after an exciting weekend of competition in which every swimmer contributed to the overall team score,” Coach Rose Van Metre said. “It was a true team effort, with every swimmer who competed earning points and many posting significant personal-best times throughout the meet.”
The team was in second place after the first day despite some impressive efforts by talented 7- and 8-year-olds.
“Daniel Island took the lead during the second session as the 9-12-year-old swimmers delivered a strong race,” Van Metre said. “On Sunday, during the third and final session, the team pulled away from the competition to secure the championship victory.”
While Van Metre was in a celebratory mood, it was hard for her to say farewell to some talented swimmers.
“The championship marked the final meet for four outstanding seniors: Ellie Chalupsky, who will continue her swimming career at Arizona State University. Mia Devito will swim at Queens University. Mackezie LeVeen is headed to Auburn University, and Carter Riley will attend Clemson University,” Van Metre said. “While each has enjoyed tremendous success in the pool, they have been equally admired for their leadership, sportsmanship, and commitment to their teammates. Throughout their careers, they represented Daniel Island with pride and served as exceptional role models for the program's younger swimmers.”
Chalupsky’s final swim with the Flying Fish was impressive. She shattered her own CCAA Meet records in the girls’ 15-18 50-yard butterfly (25.45 seconds) and the 15-18 50-yard backstroke (25.71).
Chalupsky teamed up with DeVito, Charlotte Good, and Lila Mahoney to claim gold and break the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1 minute and 38.34 seconds.
Van Metre has coached more than 2,000 swimmers in a career that dates back to 1983. She was inducted into the South Carolina Swim Coaches Hall of Fame in November 2025.
She said the Flying Fish success is a tribute to the DI community.
“The Flying Fish would like to thank the Daniel Island Property Owners' Association (DI POA) for its continued support, as well as the entire Daniel Island community for its encouragement throughout the season.”
Here is a list of top 10 finishes by Daniel Island Flying Fish in the 58th CCAA championship:
Ages 7-8
4th Mixed Medley Relay – Stella Muller, Foster Urtz, Johnny Clark, and Charlotte Hubbard
Stella Muller – 10th 25 Free
Hudson Hubbard – 3rd 25 Free
Henry Stephens – 5th 25 Free
Johnny Clark – 4th 25 Butterfly and 3rd 25 breaststroke
Lilly Harper – 5th 25 Backstroke
Ana Tulshan – 10th 25 backstroke
Charlie Stone – 1st 25 backstroke
Charlie Bower – 3rd 25 backstroke
Foster Urtz – 4th 25 breaststroke
Girls Free Relay – 1st Stella Muller, Harper Lilly, Mary McCormick, and Charlotte Hubbard
Boys Free Relay – 1st Hudson Hubbard, Foster Urtz, Johnny Clark
Ages 9-10
200 Mixed Medley Relay – 1st Ruby Muller, Peter McCormick, Nina Altum, and Kellen Marek
Riley Gaston – 5th 50 Free, 5th Riley Gaston
Peter McCormick – 1st 50 Free, 3rd 50 breast, and 1st 100 IM
Nina Altum – 3rd 50 butterfly; 6th 50 backstroke and 9th 100 IM
Ruby Muller – 1st 50 backstroke; 3rd 50 breaststroke and 3rd 100 IM
Paul Barber – 8th 50 backstroke
Eleanor Leeke – 9th 50 breaststroke
Russell Pierce – 10th 50 breaststroke
200 Free Relay Girls – Riley Gaston, Nina Altum, Olivia Keating, and Ruby Muller
200 Free Relay Boys – Kellen Marek, Russell Pierce Bruce Truong, and Peter McCormick
Ages 11-12
200 Mixed Medley Relay – 4th Noella Smith, Libby Scott Rosiak, Sam Smith, and Finn Gaston
Finn Gaston – 8th 50 freestyle, 7th 50 backstroke
Libby Scott Rosiak – 7th 50 butterfly, 3rd 50 breaststroke, and 4th 100 IM
Sam Smith – 4th 50 butterfly, 4th 50 backstroke, and 6th 100 IM
Charlie Mattison – 9th 50 butterfly, 5th 50 breaststroke
200 Free Relay Girls – Noella Smith, Tessa Delpino, Annabelle Pierce, and Libby Scott Rosiak
200 Free Relay Boys – Finn Gaston, Charlie Mattison, Bradley Winograd, and Sam Smith
Ages 13-14
Mixed Medley – 1st Colton Salta, Ana Dyson, Kara Kitlowski, and Nolan Mahoney
Ronel St. Germaine– 3rd 50 Free
Nora Ross – 6th 50 free and 3rd 50 backstroke
Kara Kitlowski – 1st 50 butterfly, 3rd 50 breaststroke, and 1st 100 IM
Ella Teschke – 3rd butterfly, 3rd 50 backstroke, and 3rd 100 IM
Anna Dyson – 7th 50 breaststroke
Nolan Mahoney – 1st 50 free, 1st 50 back, and 1st 100 IM
Cyprian Griffin – 9th butterfly
Colton Salta – 6th 50 butterfly; 3rd 50 backstroke, and 7th 100 IM
200 Free Relay Girls 1st – Ronel St. Germaine, Anna Dyson, Kara Kitlowski, and Ella Teschke
200 Free Relay Boys 1st – Colton Salta, Cyprian Griffin, Marko Franic, and Nolan Mahoney
Ages 15-18
Mixed Medley – 1st Ellie Chalupsky, Jason Chalupsky, Connor Good, and Mia Devito
Mia Devito – 1st 50 free; 4th 50 backstroke and 3rd 100 IM
Carley Foust – 4th 50 Free
Ellie Chalupsky – 1st 50 butterfly * Meet Record; 1st 50 backstroke * Meet Record and 1st 100 IM
Charlotte Good - 3rd 50 butterfly
Mackenzie LeVeen – 4th 500 breaststroke
Lila Mahoney – 5th 50 breaststroke
Jude Nicksic – 3rd 50 free
Connor Good – 7th 50 free and 9th 50 backstroke
Jason Chalupsky – 10th 100 IM
200 Free Relay Girls 1st – Ellie Chalupsky, Charlotte Good, Lila Mahoney, and Mia Devito
200 Free Relay Boys 3rd – Jude Nicksic, LJ LeVeen, Jason Chalupsky, and Connor Good