Emerson garners swim honors, scholarship

She was named top female swimmer at the YMCA Great Lakes Zone meet.

YOUNGSTOWN —YMCA Y-Neptune swimmer Ashley Emerson of Leetonia was named the female swimmer of the meet at the YMCA Great Lakes Zone championship earlier this month at Cleveland State University, earning the Paul Atkinson Scholarship.

This is the first time a Youngstown Y-Neptune swimmer has received these awards.

Swimmers from five states were nominated for the award, with one scholarship going to a female swimmer and the other going to a male swimmer. Michigan’s Jeffery Shade won for the boys. The scholarship is awarded based on the swimmer’s accomplishments, academic record, volunteer efforts, church activities, involvement with YMCA swimming and letters of recommendation submitted by individuals familiar with the nominee.

“We are so very excited Ashley won this award,” said Y-Neptune coach Sue Mellish. “There is no one more deserving of this honor than Ashley. She has swum for the YMCA since she was 4 years old and has qualified to compete in the Zone Championship meet every year since she was a 9-year-old.

“More importantly, Ashley is a wonderful person who gives back to her community through her volunteer efforts, is supportive of her teammates, and is a fantastic example of what the YMCA hopes to instill in their young adult members. The Paul Atkinson Scholarship Committee made an excellent choice when they awarded Ashley Emerson this honor.”

The Y-Neptunes qualified 29 swimmers to the meet, with several swimmers placing in the top 12 in their respective events. The Great Lakes Zone consists of top YMCA swimmers from Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia.

Tom Boniface placed fourth in the 15-18 boys 100-yard backstroke with a time of 54.54, and 10th in the senior boys 50 backstroke (26.36). Nick Boniface placed eighth in the senior boys 50 breaststroke (28.77) and 10th in the 15-18 boys 100 breaststroke (1:03.68).

Emerson placed 11th in the 15-18 girls 100 butterfly, 1:01.97 and seventh in the senior girls 50 butterfly in 27.58. Mikayla Morrow came in seventh in the 11-12 girls 100 breaststroke (1:15.92) and she placed seventh in the 11-12 girls 50 breaststroke with a time of 34.93.

Neptune relays also did well with the boys 400 medley relay of Tom Boniface, Nick Boniface, Jeff Cowles and Ryan Nasci placing 10th with a time of 3:51.06. The 9-10 girls 200 medley relay of Daniela Cabrera, Theresa Mikolay, Taylor Tofil and Jessica Morrow swam this event in 2:23.30 to place 11th.

“We were very pleased with how well the kids did this year,” said Mellish. “All of the ‘A’ relays re-qualified in their events for next year’s meet as did most of the swimmers who did individual events.”

For more details, visit www.y-neptunes.com or www.glzyswim.org.