Letter From the Director

The 38th annual St. Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound took place on Saturday, August 2, 2025. The weather during the entire day was beautiful, though the headwind and outgoing tide created a challenging chop for swimmers in the water and those on the boats for the first three hours. By midday, the tide and winds switched directions and rewarded the swimmers with a nice push into Blackrock Harbor. The 2025 event saw four course records fall and 41 of the 46 escort boats complete the entire course in just over nine hours! Truly remarkable!

A heartfelt thank-you to our incredible volunteer boaters, who demonstrated sound judgment, flexibility, and commitment in the face of Thursday’s storm and Friday’s forecast of high winds and wave heights. Each captain carefully timed their departure for Port Jefferson, arriving on Friday afternoon or early Saturday morning to be ready when the conditions allowed. Your patience and dedication allowed the swimmers to safely complete the 15.5-mile journey from Whitehall Beach in Port Jefferson, NY, to Black Rock Harbor in Bridgeport, CT.

Just before 2:30 pm, Joey Nizzardo, age 22 from Monroe, CT, successfully completed a third consecutive overall win in the time of 6:02:46. Remarkably, Joey has consistently bettered his time by 33 minutes each year. Nikko Price, age 31 originally from Branford, CT and a two-time Solo winner, finished in 2nd with a time of 6:21:07. Jorge Agudelo Vargas, an international swimmer from Columbia, finished in 3rd place, in a time of 6:42:40. Christopher Calby, one of the top fundraisers, finished in 4th, in a time of 7:31:00. Alexander Morris finished 5th in 8:23:10 and Benjamin Casey finished 6th in 9:04:30 in Solo-Male category.

Danielle Honrath, age 40, crossed the finish line with a time of 6:36:30, smashing the previous Solo-Female course record of 7:50 female set in 2024 by Maribeth Robertson from Glastonbury, CT. Danielle, a mother of two young children, delivered an extraordinary performance — not only finishing third solo swimmer overall with an impressive time, but doing so at an age 10 years senior to the second-place male swimmer and 20 years senior to the winner.

The Two-Person Relay, Whoa the Fire of the Fightin’ Hellfish, Boola Boola!, with Yale Waterpolo alums, Will Reid and Doug Hausladen, won and set a new category course record in the time of 6:34:16. The Salty Sirens team of Maribeth Robertson and Amy Meskill was forced to withdraw due to seasickness.

The overall team relay winner and fastest time of the day was 5:20:00 by the Marist University Men’s Swim team, who set the University Challenge category record. The two teams from Clarkson University, The Soggy Knights and Potsdam Paddlers, finished 2nd and 3rd in the University Challenge category with times of 5:58:29 and 5:59:50. The four teams from the University of Connecticut: UConn Club Swim (6:04:04); UConn Swim Club Alums (6:53:28); UConn (6:55:25); and UConn Swim Club (7:11:04) completed the University Challenge category.

In the Traditional (wetsuit allowed) category, Rapid – Boos Crew 3 was the first finisher in the time of 5:31:31, setting a new course record in the category. The Pool Boys team crossed for 2nd place in the time of 5:33:35. The Pool Boys, whose average 38 years old, were only two minutes behind the 18-year-old Boos Crew 3 team. The 3rd place team, Fair Diego, finished in the time of 5:49:00. Rounding out the Traditional category were, The Sunrisers (4th), Washed Up (5th), Cardinals (6th), HHC Tide Hustlers (7th), The MK Fan Club (8th), OSG Bonefish (9th), Swim Shady (10th), and Survivors (11th). The Misty Mountain Runner team was forced to withdraw due to seasickness and exhaustion.

In the Classic (no wetsuit) category, Rapids – Boos Crew 2 was first with a time of 5:32:16. Water Rat Swimming was 2nd in a time of 5:34:50 and What Ferry? was 3rd crossing in 5:36:00. Rounding out the Classic category were Team RBG (4th), NC Cross Currents (5th), Notre Dame-West Haven (6th), The Foxy Five (7th), Hungerford’s Just for the Halibut (8th), The Slow The Fast & The Ugly (9th), The Goofy Goobers (10th), Pisces Pride (11th), Backus for a Cure (12th) Blue Marbles (13th), Make Everyday Beautiful (14th), and Paint the Sound Blue (15th). Barbara’s Bunch was moved up during the marathon and did not complete the entire course.

In the Corporate Challenge category, Code Blue Snapper and Code Blue Fish did not complete the course.

The 2025 “Dream of Life” award in memory of Maura Marden was presented to Dr. Nicholas Blondin, who, like Maura, embodies strength, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to those facing cancer. As a neuro-oncologist, Nick provides exceptional care to patients and families navigating some of life’s most difficult diagnoses. His dedication does not stop at the hospital doors; he fights it, alongside those who live with it, both in and out of the water. As both a swimmer and a team organizer, he plays a vital role in uniting colleagues, patients, survivors, and supporters around this cause. His team is a true reflection of the SWIM spirit: a mix of medical professionals, friends, and cancer survivors, swimming side by side in solidarity and strength. This was Nick’s tenth year participating in the SWIM Across the Sound.

The 2025 “Beacon of Hope” award in memory of Jan Williams to recognize exceptional contributions of truly remarkable volunteers on the water for the SWIM was presented to Carl Swebilius. Carl was a long-time boat captain for over 20 years for team relays, including escorting the Survivors team for the last 5 years. Carl retired from being an escort captain last year to spend time with his wife.

We are extremely grateful to the boat captains, their crews, SWIM officials, observers, medical support, kayakers, jet skiers, and land volunteers who volunteered and raised funds for the SWIM. A sincere thank-you to all the municipal police, fire, and marine units whose presence on the water helped ensure the safety of our swimmers and support crews. Your coordination, vigilance, and commitment played a vital role in protecting the course and making the event a success.

Finally, to all the swimmers who reached out to family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even strangers to raise funds — thank you. Your dedication helped make this a record-breaking fundraising year in support of patients in need.  We proudly recognize our top fundraisers – Danielle Honrath, who raised an outstanding $18,500, and George Mladsi, close behind with $18,000. The Top Team fundraiser honor went to Make Everyday Beautiful, which brought in an impressive $38,729.

We are thrilled to share that we raised $790,000, thanks to the incredible efforts of our swimmers, generous corporate sponsors, and participants in the Swim Virtual Challenge. Because of your efforts, more individuals and families facing cancer will receive the assistance they require. We are incredibly proud of what we accomplished together — and hopeful that next year will be even stronger.

With gratitude and admiration,

Liz Fry
Swim Across the Sound Marathon Director

Swim Committee Members: Liz Fry, Jim Doyle, Kevin Blanco, Matt Hlavna, Ryan Conrad, Bill Selski, Bill Dragon, Susie Nolan Loiselle, Rich Langlois, Teresa Kennedy, Jeff Sargent, Tom Gilbertie, Matt Schwartz, and  Mitch Lasky.