By Trey Kohlhausen
Aquatics Director, Westwood Country Club
The Westwood Waves definitely attacked the competition this season. They finished their summer league season UNDEFEATED in 2026. They were 7- 0; the Waves got 1,156 best times, had 89 undefeated swimmers, achieved 251 BRONZE, 193 SILVER, and 71 GOLD motivational time standards.
All Waves enjoyed an exciting celebration of the season at our awards banquet on June 10 th . After the awards presentation and slideshow/video in the poolside lawn, the party moved to the pool area, where there was a water slide that the swimmers really enjoyed, the fun “bouncy house” was out for the swimmers to jump, then the swimmers did a raft race, a greased watermelon race and a relay where the swimmers put on heavy clothes and had to swim to the other side and pass off the clothes. The finale was a Westwood favorite, as always, Soda Scramble.
What a fantastic celebration highlighting a successful season. At the Waves Banquet, Judah Schwartz received the coveted Price Malone Award for outstanding sportsmanship and leadership. The award is given to an 11 & up swimmer who is a team leader on the Waves. Judah is an excellent athlete/student and all the swimmers on the team look up to him for advice, swimming help, and “fun” In the past, Judah received the Most Improved Award, Coaches' Choice Award, and Most Outstanding Swimmer Award. Most deserving of his Price Malone Award, for sure, and we salute Judah and his family for this great accomplishment.
Again this year, Westwood Waves hosted a GRAND PRIX swim meet. This was our swim league’s CHAMPIONSHIP swim meet. The league was divided into the Blue Team and the Gold Team. Westwood was part of the blue team along with Austin Country Club and the Hills Country Club. The gold team was Westlake CC, Barton Creek CC, and Western Hills Athletic Club.
The 8 & under swimmers competed, and the BLUE team trailed the GOLD team at the beginning of the meet, then the lead changed hands and finally the GOLD team ended the meet ahead of the Blue Team; congrats, Gold. All 9 & over swimmers competed on a different night and the BLUE team BEAT the GOLD team easily. Way to go BLUE!
High Point awards were given out at the event in all age groups: Julia Van Houten and Hayes Newberry (age 15-17), Kenneth Uglietta (age 11-12), and Madeline Pierson (Age 9-10), Lilly Embrey and Collier Dipasquale (age 13-14) and Grace Garigliano (age 6 & under) won the High Point Award in their age groups. Runners-up in high points were Charlotte Mazzarella, Will Opalka and Lochlan Caskey (age 7-8), Luke Opalka (age 9-10), Rebecca Pierson, William Fowler and Yates Cowan (age 11-12), Kendall Newberry, Forrest Johnston and Tomas Romano (age 13-14), Carson Dipasquale and Finley Perez, Judah Schwartz and James Fox (age 15-17). Way to go Waves!! The Coaches were so proud of the team.
In our regular season, we swam at Austin Country Club, Barton Creek Country Club, Westlake Country Club, Hills of Lakeway Country Club, and Western Hills Athletic Club. Team camaraderie was at an all-time high this season as it always is…the strength of the Waves, as many of our families say, is the cohesive spirit and loving atmosphere that we all have, swimmers, parents, and coaches. The swimmers are easily motivated to swim FAST!
CONGRATS on a great season!!
Thanks to all our parent volunteers who help us have swim meets! Waves parent volunteers worked extra hard. We appreciate you all. Our Waves President, Liz Opalka, is INCREDIBLE! Thanks to her for an amazing year leading our team. Liz helped us organize and run our Waves with 300 swimmers and their parents. The coaches love you, Liz, more than you know.
Waves Award Highlights - 2026
Most Outstanding Swimmers
Age 5 – Etta Freundt & Charlie Mardy
Age 6 – Elle Zandan & Miles Zandan
Age 7 – Charlotte Little & William Sawyer
Age 8 – Charlotte Mazzarella & Will Opalka
Age 9 – Virginia Fowler & Sawyer Zandan
Age 10 – Madeline Pierson & Luke Opalka
Age 11 – Caroline Fox & Kenneth Uglietta
Age 12 – Rebecca Pierson & William Fowler
Age 13 – Kendall Newberry & Walker Lloyd
Age 14 – Maible Epp
Age 15 – Adelaide Cronin & Hayes Newberry
Age 16 – Finley Perez
Coaches’ Choice Award
Age 5 – Charlotte Duncan & George Gilman
Age 6 – Preston Anderson & Sam Dean
Age 7 – Emerson Sims & Sam Swift
Age 8 – Katherine Dillavou & Billy Hilliard
Age 9 – Romilly Young & Drew Bohrer
Age 10 – Louise Cowan & Jack St. George
Age 11 – Maggie Kay & Winn Fowler
Age 12 – Farrah Uglietta & David Coover
Age 13 – Lilly Embrey & Tomas Romano
Age 14 – Eliza Miller
Age 15 – Mary Elizabeth Reynolds & Charlie Edmonds
Age 16 – Greta Wolfe
Age 17 – Izzy Thomas
Most Improved Swimmers
Age 5 – Tatum Victory & Hooper Duck
Age 6 – Alice Bauer & Mark Kay
Age 7 – Caleesi Murray & Peter Raden
Age 8 – Sophie DeMeuse & Eliot Tucker
Age 9 – Marie Kay & Louie Johnston
Age 10 – Frances Pieratt & Charles Glasgow
Age 11 – Addie Craig & William Glasgow
Age 12 – Lillian Tierney & James Donoghue
Age 13 – Tatum St. George & Collier Dipasquale
Age 14 – Nara Hale
Age 15 – James Fox
Age 17 – Carson Dipasquale
Tough as Nails
Age 5-6 – Noli Grace Spencer & Tate Abblitt
Age 7-8 – Cecilia Shands & Charles Fowler
Age 9-10 – Liana Lindsey & Clark Little
Age 11-12 – Daphne Turner & Bobby Johnston
Wackiest Wave
Age 5-6 – Reese Hill & Jake Stites
Age 7-8 – Julia Turner & Anthony Craig
Age 9-10 – Callie Wayne & Charlie Swift
Age 11-12 – Madeline Pieratt & Charlie Schonert
Undefeated Swimmers:
Preston Anderson, Marcela Bridges, Grace Garigliano, Bree Prather, Cora Sayers, Maggie Coover, Rory Glasgow, Vivian Hale, Charlotte Little, Charlotte Mazzarella, Annie Cardillo, Scarlett Clauer, Madeline DeMeuse, Virginia Fowler, Eleanor Fox, Annie Hilpert, Wren Hopping, Marie Kay, Georgia Matson, Goldie Navarro, Ava Nixon, Madeline Pierson, Charlotte Sawyer, Daphne Turner, Yate Cowan, Hunt DeShields, William Fowler, Winn Fowler, Hap Polan, Kenneth Uglietta, Lilly Embrey, Maible Epp, Audrey Hartmann, Abbott Hassack, Hadley Matson, Eliza Miller, Genevieve Miller, Kendall Newberry. Clara Schonert, Collier Dipasquale, Sam Fox, Forrest Johnston, Walker Lloyd, Tomas Romano, August Seats, Adelaide Cronin, Carson Dipasquale, Finley Perez, Mary Elizabeth Reynolds, Izzy Thomas, Julia Van Houten, Greta Wolfe, Charlie Edmonds, James Fox, Haye Newberry, Jackson Price, Judah Schwartz, and Miggs Thomas.
