On Saturday, January 10, 2026, we held our 16th Annual Northern Virginia Catholic High School Swimming and Diving Championship.
Congratulations to Bishop O’Connell who brought home the “Holy Grail” Traveling Trophies for the second straight year:
- Girls – Bishop O’Connell
- Boys – Bishop O’Connell
Our Swimmers of the Meet were:
- Paul Mullen (SR), Bishop O’Connell
- Four (4) Gold medals in 200 Free, 500 Free, the 200 Medley Relay and the 400 Free Relay.
- Two (2) new meet records in 200 Free and 500 Free
- Claire Dobrydney (SR), Saint Paul VI
- Three (3) Gold medals in 200 Free, 500 Free, and the 200 Free Relay plus a Bronze medal in the 400 Free Relay
- An unbelievable four (4) new Meet Records in 200 Free and 500 Free plus in 50 Free and 100 Free leading off relays
Another indication of the level of competition was the ten (10) new Meet Records set on Saturday – there are only 24 events!
- Boys 200 Free, Paul Mellon (SR), Bishop O’Connell, 1:43.45
- Girls 200 Free, Claire Dobrydney (SR), Paul VI, 1:52.03
- Girls 50 Free, Claire Dobrydney (SR), Paul VI, 1:52.03
- Boys 200 IM, Quinn Caputo (SO), Paul VI, 24.03
- Boys 1-meter Diving, Rai Detten, Bishop O’Connell, 275.50 points
- Girls 100 Fly, Stella Mastroianni (JR), Bishop O’Connell, 57.39
- Girls 100 Free, Claire Dobrydney (SR), Paul VI, 52.43
- Boys 500 Free, Paul Mullen (SR), Bishop O’Connell, 4:33.71
- Girls 100 Back, Melissa Paradise (JR), Seton, 56.68
- Girls 400 Free Relay of Stella Mastrianni, Eleanor Wertzler, Kalyn Ohara, Elliott Rowan, Bishop O’Connell, 3:36.77
Last year, we introduced a new tradition to the Meet – the St. Peter Sprint. In scripture, we read of a 100-yard swim by St. Peter to our Lord:
“When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.” – John 21:7-8
The men’s 100-yard freestyle reflects Peter’s passionate response upon recognizing Jesus on the shore. The event mirrors the exact distance Peter swam—100 yards—emphasizing his eagerness, faith, and determination.
From this year forward, we will recognize the winner of the Men’s 100 Freestyle by engraving their name a specially commissioned canoe paddle that we be at the Meet.
This year’s winner of the St. Peter Sprint was Lionel Martinez of Seton School who finished the sprint in 49.05.
Incredibly, we had two (2) new team records:
- Girls 200 Medley Relay of Melissa Paradise (JR), Therese Paradise (8), Ariana Aldeguer (JR), Maggie Schroer (SO) broke the iconic 2011 Record of 1:50.25 by Alex Doonis, Cat Rogers, Bridget Wunderly, and Lauren Donohoe with a new 200 Medley Relay record of 1:49.84
- Melissa Paradise (JR) broke Anna Kenna’s 2015 record of 27.03 in 50 Back leading off the Medley Relay with a new 50 Back record of 26.10!
And congratulations to Seton’s Northern Virginia High School Champions:
- Girls 200 Medley Relay of Melissa Paradise (JR), Therese Paradise (8), Ariana Aldeguer (JR), Maggie Schroer (SO), 1:49.84, with a new Team Record!
- Lionel Martinez (JR) – 200 IM, 1:59.86
- Meghan Condon (SO) – Diving, 189.20
- Lionel Martinez (JR) – 100 Free, 49.05
- Melissa Paradise (JR) – 100 Backstroke, 56.68, with new Meet Record!
And finally, we had another 137 Personal Records. That brings our Seton season total to 709 PRs!
Here are complete results for the Meet:
Meet Scores-16th Annual NoVa Catholics-Jan10,26
Meet Results-16th Annual NoVa Catholics-Jan10,26
Meet Records-16th Annual NoVa Catholics-Jan10,26
Individual Results-16th Annual NoVa Catholics-Jan10,26
Diving Results -16th Annual NoVa Catholics-Jan10,26
Dive Sheets -16th Annual NoVa Catholics-Jan10,26
Seton Team Records-SCY-Jan10,26
Team Manager Meet Results-2026 NoVa Catholic Invitational Championship-10Jan2026-001 (Coaches Only)