Alana Aubin: 2022 Frank Wuest Open Water Award

Sometimes, the fastest swimmers don’t consider lending a hand to the slower swimmers around them, but happily, that’s not the case with long-time volunteer and passionate advocate of open water swimming, Alana Aubin. 

The enthusiastic New England Masters Swim Club member started swimming competitively at age 10 and launched her open water swimming career some 13 years later. She finished her first marathon swim in 2016. The whip-smart Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate has climbed the podium of many open water events over the years, including these selected highlights:

• 2nd overall in the 2015 Charles River Swim

• 1st overall Charles River Swim in 2016, coincidently placing ahead of Frank Wuest with an epic battle at the end, winning by less than 5 seconds that year

•  5th place finish in the 2016 10K Kingdom Swim in Vermont

• 3rd place finish in the 2017 10K Kingdom Swim in Vermont

• 1st female (2nd overall) in the 2018 10K Kingdom Swim in Vermont

• 1st female finisher (3rd overall) in the 2018 Boston Light Swim

• 1st overall finisher in the 2019 10K Swim with a Mission in Newfound Lake, New Hampshire 

• Completed a solo Double Boston Light Swim (16 miles) in 2019 and set a new course record of 6:18:01

• 2nd place finisher of the 2019 USMS National Championship in Lake Willoughby, Vermont

• 2019 USMS Long Distance All Star, recognized as a combination of Open Water National Championships and Virtual Championships event results

• 1st overall in the 2021 10K race at Kingdom Swim, Lake Memphremagog, Vermont

• Completed the 2022 Border Buster, a 25K race in Lake Memphremagog, Vermont

• 1st in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2022 Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival (water temperature 31 degrees F)

Aubin is a USMS Level 3 certified coach who gives back at many levels of swimming. She has led the New England Masters Swim Club and has served on the NELMSC Board as president and communications chair. Her communications efforts garnered her the 2019 U.S. Masters Swimming June Krauser Award. 

Aubin has made a substantial contribution to growing open water swimming in New England by serving as vice president and treasurer for the Massachusetts Open Water Swimming Association. In that capacity, she manages the all-volunteer-run non-profit organization’s financial and business operations and assists in organizing the group’s several open water swims, including the flagship Boston Light Swim, an 8-mile race across Boston Harbor that was first staged in 1907.

Through her astute actions and ongoing, passionate dedication, Aubin continues to promote open water swimming while serving as a leader, role model, and committed community builder in the sport.

Laura Dennison: 2022 Appreciation Award

Para-athlete Laura Dennison joined USMS and the New England LMSC in 2013 and quickly set about making Masters Swimming more inclusive and welcoming to athletes of all abilities. In 2014, she joined the NELMSC Board of Directors, becoming the first LMSC Para-Athlete Chair within all of U.S. Masters Swimming. 

Since joining the board, Dennison has worked to increase the visibility of para-athletes among coaches and members alike by organizing para-coaching clinics in conjunction with Adaptive Sports New England’s Paralympic Sport Club. 

In 2020, Dennison continued that work by becoming the founding member of the NELMSC Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittee, which ran a survey of NELMSC coaches to determine what resources are most needed to help them better serve para-athletes in the future. She also advocates for para-division and exhibition race options for upcoming NELMSC championship meets to further increase para-visibility.

An accomplished para-swimmer, Dennison has generously shared her own journey and experiences in the sport. She qualified for and competed at the 2016 U.S. Paralympic Trials in the 50, 100, and 400 freestyle, the 100 backstroke, and the 100 breaststroke. In 2021, she presented a TEDx Talk at Western New England University titled “No Kick, No Prob: Becoming You in a World That Says Otherwise.”  

Dennison, who works at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, regularly shares information and resources related to para-swimming including meets, coaching clinics, panels, and discussions hosted by USMS and other organizations. 

Born in Senegal with cerebral palsy limiting the use of her lower limbs and causing spasticity in her hands, Dennison lived in Niger until she was 4 and needed major surgery. This led her to Boston Children’s Hospital where she underwent a series of interventions over the next year. Dennison later moved to Vermont, and after graduating from high school, she enrolled in Western New England College. She went on to complete a Masters in special education at the University of Alabama. While in Alabama, Dennison met six-time Paralympian Aimee Bruder, who encouraged her to try competitive swimming, and the rest is history. 

Friend and teammate Jennifer Downing says that Dennison is “a terrific advocate and champion of DEIB efforts and takes great pride in educating coaches and other swimmers about para resources and training modifications. It's been inspiring to watch her progression since she joined the team, and she definitely exemplifies perseverance and hard work. We're lucky to have Laura as a role model and active member of the NELMSC community.”

For her part, Dennison says her aim is to make sports better for people like her and particularly for people who didn’t find swimming until later. “Sports is a powerful tool to change perceptions. I may not be the fastest in the water (I sure try) but this can be my contribution to swimming and the larger Paralympic movement,” she told Joe Walsh of Adaptive Sports New England in October 2020. 

Jen Downing: 2023 Frank Wuest Open Water Award

Masters swimmers in the greater Boston area who enjoy open water swimming will have no doubt crossed paths with Jennifer Downing at some point over the last two decades. The welcoming and talented open water swimmer and volunteer’s lengthy resume of high-performance in open water is certainly impressive: 

•  Downing finished first overall in the 2021 Boston Light Swim. She has also been a frequent supporter of the event, crewing for Tommy Gainer, Lauren Au, Helen Lin, Jessica Stokes, Alana Aubin, and others over the years. 

• On August 10, 2023, Downing completed the first one-way Nantasket to Nahant Solo Swim, sanctioned and observed by the Massachusetts Open Water Swimming Association. Her course record of 4:05:01 still stands. 

• The long-time Swim Across America supporter has been involved with the organization since 2006 and serves as a leading member of the SAA Boston Organizing Committee. She had been an angel swimmer, top fundraiser, and volunteer coordinator for many years for both SAA Boston and SAA Rhode Island.

• Downing serves as a kayak captain for the 1-mile Charles River Swim every year.

• Downing has competed and podiumed at a range of local races over the years including the Maspee SuperSwim, the Salem Wildish and Salem Swim & Fin events, the Nubble Light Challenge, and many others. 

• She has also taken her enthusiastic support of other open water swimmers on the road; in 2015, she crewed for Maura Twomey in her successful solo crossing of the English Channel and supported Dori Miller on her several swims in that storied waterway.

Beyond open water, Downing is a fierce pool competitor who has represented New England Masters at USMS Nationals more than 13 times and competed at FINA World Masters Championships four times. She’s notched more than 150 Top 10 times and achieved All-American and All-Star honors. 

Ever the volunteer, Downing has served as the Open Water Sanctions Chair, LMSC Postals Chair, and Secretary for the New England LMSC. She currently works for Harvard University as Associate Director of Development, Athletics overseeing all aspects of stewardship for Athletics. She’s been involved in numerous capital projects to develop and renovative athletic facilities and groups on campus and has been instrumental in securing 15 head coach endowments along with numerous endowment funds supporting 42 varsity programs and additional club teams. 

As an undergraduate at Wellesley College, Downing was a four-year Academic All-American swimmer and senior captain. She served two years on the school’s Student-Athletes Advisory Committee and worked special events for the department of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics.

The Charles River Masters Swim Club member served as social chair for the club (formerly Cambridge Masters at Harvard University) for more than 12 years. Downing coordinated social events, post-meet functions, and organized the annual coaches' gifts. She joined the New England Masters Board of Directors as Swim Coordinator in December 2018.

Mina Elnaccash: 2023 Frank Wuest Open Water Award

Each summer, New England plays host to a bevy of beautiful open water swimming events. And a growing number of them are organized by the Massachusetts Open Water Swimming Association, an all-volunteer non-profit organization based in Waltham, Massachusetts. 

New England Masters member and certified USMS Level 2 Coach and USMS Adult Learn-to-Swim Instructor Mina Elnaccash has been an integral force in the group’s expansion over the past several years. Her efforts began in 2017 when she agreed to handle boat matching for the annual Boston Light Swim. That thankless undertaking requires attention to detail, superlative project management skills, and endless patience to recruit local boaters and pair them with anxious swimmers preparing to tackle the swim of their lives. 

Elnaccash, who was a pool swimmer until 2008 when she first took the open water plunge at the Wild Fish 1-mile swim in Salem, capably managed the boat matching process for several years. In 2021, she was promoted to Race Director of the oldest open water event still staged in America. She also assumed the Secretary role on the MOWSA board, and her leadership has helped the organization grow in new directions by adding several events that provide an on-ramp for new open water swimmers looking to go longer.

Her focus on MOWSA’s mission to provide more safe open water swimming opportunities in Massachusetts, regardless of economic status and physical ability, has been inspiring to the rest of the team and galvanized their commitment to the cause. And, her focus on participant satisfaction has raised the bar in all of MOWSA’s events; the MOWSA swag game is strong these days, thanks to Elnaccash. 

An avid open water swimmer herself, Elnaccash has participated in numerous open water swims including:

• The 2011 Kingdom Swim in Lake Memphremagog, Vermont (6 miles)

• The length of Lake Willoughby in 2013 (5 miles)

• The 2016 Kingdom Swim, a USMS National Championship event (10 miles) 

• Three stages of the 2018 SCAR Swim Challenge in Arizona (Saguaro Lake, 13.3 kilometers; Canyon Lake, 14.1 kilometers; Roosevelt Lake 10 kilometers)

• The 2018 Swim the Suck 10K race in the Tennessee River in Chattanooga

A software product manager in educational technology by day, Elnaccash is working on her swimming "comeback" after a shoulder injury. She daydreams about her next marathon open water DNFs (somehow her favorite swims!) and wonders if "comeback" is really the right word after never being away from the water – just having experienced more swims from the boat. For many swimmers in New England and beyond, Elnaccash’s dedicated dry-side volunteerism and passion for providing opportunities to others has made their open water dreams come true. 

Alford Green & WPI Meet Management: 2022 Contributor of the Year Award

Led by Event Director Alford Green, Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s meet management team ― Spencer Coffin, Mark Wild, Ricky Coffin, and Adriana Owen ― organized and ran two successful New England LMSC championship meets in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without this team, there would not have been any NELMSC championship meets during the 2021-2022 season. 

In December 2021, WPI hosted over 200 Masters swimmers at the Colonies Zone and NELMSC Short Course Meters Championship. Four months later, in April 2022, the group hosted the Colonies Zone & New England LMSC Short Course Yards Championship. In a post-meet survey, 93% of meet participants were “satisfied” or “very satisfied with the meet overall. A similar percentage said they were “likely” or “very likely” to attend a NELMSC championship meet the following season. 

With unflappable good humor, Green and his team pulled together two consecutive successful meets and overcame myriad obstacles, including so many pandemic-related uncertainties, compressed planning timeframes, and bureaucratic red tape. Swimmers from across New England were thrilled to have a chance to compete after a difficult and uncertain period of pool closures, team furloughs, and the disappearance of all competitive swimming opportunities.

Green, who received the NELMSC Coach of the Year award in 2016, was the founding coach of Worcester Area Masters, which launched in May 2011. Within a few years, he took over as meet director for the December NELMSC and Colonies Zone SCM Championship, which has been held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute since 2015. He also serves as assistant coach for the Crimson and Gray swimming and diving team at WPI. 

Not just a coach, the 2012 graduate of WPI who holds a degree in civil engineering, is also a fierce competitor. Green swam sprint freestyle and butterfly during his four years on the WPI varsity team. As a Masters swimmer, he’s notched two dozen Top 10 times and earned All-American Honors.

Green grew up in Kingstown, Jamaica, and immigrated to the United States in 2008 when he enrolled at WPI. An LGBT asylum seeker himself, Green now works as the director of the LGBT Asylum Task Force in Worcester, a ministry of the Hadwen Park Congregational Church. He was awarded the Eleanor Hawley Human Rights Award in 2019 by the City of Worcester’s Human Rights Commission for his work. 

Michael Hurd: 2022 Appreciation Award

A gifted communicator, Michael “Mike” Hurd of Maine Masters has contributed to the ongoing business of the NELMSC Board in many ways. As Secretary, his most tangible and lasting contribution has been all of the extensive documentation of meeting minutes he’s created that tell the story of the club and its business. 

He’s also contributed blog posts, meet recaps and photos, and other materials to the LMSC website to help keep members informed and engaged. At the club level, Hurd has served as an Officer of Maine Masters, contributing in various roles. Most notably, he served as editor of the club newsletter reporting on and promoting the activities of Maine Masters and the LMSC.

Ever the encourager, Hurd is a life and business coach by day, and he brings that positive energy and focus on helping others become their best selves to every interaction he has with other swimmers. He encourages others to participate in meets and events and shares what’s worked best for him as he’s grappled with several health challenges over the years. 

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurd was especially instrumental in helping club members keep their connections with each other, despite the challenges the virus posed. He supported members in navigating alternative communication methods and created workgroups and online access so that meetings could continue safely. He did all of this in an effort to keep the sport of swimming thriving for members even when so many pools were closed.  

This was no small task as we all adjusted to COVID-era restrictions and isolation. With endless patience and compassion, Hurd effectively guided users – some with little to no experience and some with ample technology experience – in getting set up to conduct online meetings. The technology isn’t always intuitive, but Hurd’s ability to support others is, and he made sure everyone knew how to participate in the online meetings to have their voices heard, which he then recorded in his meticulous minutes.

A consummate coach, Hurd has an innate ability to provide the space others need to absorb dialogue and feel comfortable in a conversation. He also encourages everyone to develop the confidence to share their opinions and experiences in large and small group settings. He offers an inviting space for others to be heard, seen, and valued.

Hurd also served as a representative of the LMSC as a delegate to USMS Conventions and as a Board Member, Officer, and an active member of the Maine Masters Workout Group encouraging participation and a spirit of camaraderie everywhere he goes. 

Hurd has been a tremendous asset to his club, the NELMSC, and the whole sport of Masters Swimming. His efforts to cultivate a sense of community through transparency and inclusivity have consistently made Masters Swimming in Maine and across New England a brighter thing. 

Sue Jenson: 2023 NELMSC Contributor of the Year

The COVID-19 pandemic radically altered how Masters swimmers around the country were able to connect with their sport and their peers, and swimmers in the Charles River Masters program who had worked out at Harvard University’s Blodgett Pool for years found themselves out in the cold starting from March 2020. The pool closed to Masters workouts for three years. 

But thanks to the efforts of long-time NELMSC member Sue Jensen, along with her husband and a few other swimmers, Masters swimming returned to Blodgett’s hallowed hall on April 1, 2023. Jensen led the push to get approval from the university to launch a lunch-time workout group. 

“It took a great deal of patience, effort, and negotiation with the administration there to make this team a reality,” says one admirer. “The group also investigated several other pools, including Belmont High School and the South End Fitness Center, as part of their effort.”

Blodgett’s closure also displaced the thriving annual April is Adult Learn-to-Swim Month program that Jensen has been heavily involved with since 2015. But in 2022, Jensen, who’s been a certified USMS Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor since 2015, established a new program at the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley, the new post-pandemic home of Charles River Masters. As a result, in 2022, 27 students got to take free swimming lessons in the state-of-the-art facility located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and programs are ongoing. 

Not just an in-water volunteer, Jensen has held several important positions in local and regional Masters swimming circles. She served as the NELMSC Officials Chair from 2015 to 2022, a busy role that requires staffing each meet in the region with qualified officials and supplying those officials with the tools and resources they need to effectively officiate at meets.

In 2022, Jensen took the Chair reins of the NELMSC Championship Meet Committee and has since worked hard to ensure that NELMSC members have access to local, high-caliber championship meets. For example, she worked closely with Alford Green, WPI Meet Director, to garner a bid for the 2022 NELMSC SCM Championship Meet, then partnered with Green and his team to ensure a well-run event. Additionally, Jensen conducted a post-meet survey to collect feedback from swimmers, coaches, officials, and volunteers to improve for the future. 

Jensen also led the planning for the 2023 NELMSC SCY Championship meet, with help from Douglas Sayles and Kysa Crusco. She reached out to 10 pools, including Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Brown University, Phillips Academy Andover, and WPI to find a home for the meet. After speaking with several Aquatics Directors, she secured WPI and worked closely with WPI Meet Director Paul Bennett to ensure the meet ran smoothly and attendees had more fun than ever. 

The meet featured great swag (caps and t-shirts), heat winner prizes, age group high point awards, and a generous snack table. This meet also signaled a return to pre-pandemic business as usual, as it was the NELMSC’s largest since 2019, with 442 swimmers from 55 teams participating.

In 2023, Jensen was awarded the U.S. Masters Swimming Dorothy Donnelly Service Award. She is a member of the New England Masters Swim Club.

Chris Landry: 2023 Appreciation Award

As team coordinator for the Nashua workout group of the Granite State Penguins, Chris Landry knows his way around a team and a pool deck. Landry, who helped found the GPS workout group at the Nashua Boys and Girls Club more than 20 years ago, has been instrumental in keeping the team running ever since. With steadfast dedication, Landry provides affordable access to Masters Swimming in Nashua.

The laundry list of tasks Landry cheerfully completes to keep the group in fine fettle is nearly endless: 

• He handles all of the financial and membership logistics to keep the group in good stead at the Boys and Girls Club. 

• He fields new swimmer inquiries and manages team communications regarding pool closures and inclement weather.

• He coordinates 1-Hour swim events in January, including securing pool time, arranging counters, and sending results to USMS.

• He raised money for new starting blocks and installed them himself! 

• He fixes the lane lines and arrives early before each practice to put them in. He stays after each workout to tidy and lock up the facility. 

• After a long COVID-19 closure, Landry worked closely with the administration at the Boys and Girls Club to develop safe back-to-swimming protocols for the team. 

• He writes workouts and pulls guard duty when there’s no other coach available. He’s also developed an online sign-up system to share that duty across members to fulfill the group’s requirement to have a guard on deck during each workout. 

• He organizes the GSP annual holiday breakfast.

• Most importantly, he’s a positive, consistent presence at workouts and a staple of Lane 3. 

Landry does all of this quietly, without seeking the spotlight. While he may not be well known outside of the GSP workout group, he’s absolutely critical to the program’s survival. Quite simply, without Landry, there would be no GSP workout group in Nashua and hundreds of swimmers who have been able to swim and train would have missed out, including all-star swimmers like Beth Estel Hillman. 

Although Chris doesn't typically compete, he enjoys a good workout and worked hard to make the cutoff times for the Masters World Championship in Montreal in 2014. His commitment, drive, and determination encouraged other GSP swimmers to attend that and many other high-level competitions; he consistently pushes his teammates to become the best swimmers they can be. 

One teammate notes that “Chris is supportive of every swimmer he sees at practice. He creates a positive environment and makes everyone feel welcome. He basically holds the whole group together. Personally, I am thankful for all of his efforts and support to make sure we have continued access to this pool.”

Emily Mitchell: 2023 Appreciation Award

For Vermont-based artist and K-12 art educator Emily Mitchell, swimming has always been a passion. She started swimming at 9 years old and was a member of the Cumberland High School (Rhode Island) State Championship Team from 1987 to 1990. She competed for Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and qualified for New England Championships each year. 

After college, Emily continued swimming with Masters and participated in many triathlons and duathlons between 2000 and 2004. She’s completed three half-Iron distance events and was a proud finisher of Ironman Lake Placid in 2003. In that race, her 2.4-mile swim time was under 1 hour. 

Mitchell has also competed in many open water swimming events, including swimming the 5-mile length of Lake Willoughby and completing a 10K in Lake Memphremagog. She has logged multiple Top 10 achievements in Masters meets over the years.

The USMS Level 2 Coach serves as the head coach at EDGE Masters in Burlington, Vermont. She’s also a USA Swimming Coach working with age groupers at the EDGE Swim Club and is a certified Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor. 

With more than 20 years of classroom experience, Mitchell brings her attention to detail and encouraging instruction to the pool deck, making Masters workouts fun, thought-provoking, challenging, and exciting. More than just a workout coach, Mitchell has pushed many swimmers to reach beyond what they first thought they might someday be able to do. 

In April 2023, Mitchell brought a large team to the NELMSC SCY Championship held at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Among her crew was Chioyne Okwuashi, who was competing in his first ever swim meet. Okwuashi had only learned to swim two years prior, and Mitchell coached him to enter the 100 free and the 50 fly. With her enthusiastic support, Okwuashi had two successful swims and a wonderful time at his first meet. After his butterfly race, he encouraged anyone else considering learning to swim or getting into Masters to just do it. “Please start. It’s not too late,” he said. 

Chris Payson: 2023 Coach of the Year Award

In 2011, Chris Payson was coaching age group swimmers at Crimson Aquatics in the Whitinsville (Massachusetts) Community Center. He’d been coaching with that satellite of the high-powered Harvard University–based USA Swimming club in Cambridge since 2007, but realized something was missing. He resigned and considered his next move. 

After fielding several calls from past swimmers looking for his assistance, Payson was drawn back to the coaching profession. And this time, he would launch his own program, the now-thriving Shamrock Swim Club. The team started out at the Cumberland High School pool in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and later relocated to Milton, Massachusetts. 

Payson was a swimmer growing up, competing for Bishop Feehan High School in the 1980s before they actually had a swim team. He went on to swim at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In the late 1980s, he took up coaching, working with swimmers at the Hockomock YMCA and the Attleboro Bluefish. In the 1990s, he coached part-time with the Cumberland Area Swim Team while working alongside his father in the family construction business.

But swimming, and coaching swimmers to be precise, has always been Payson’s driving passion. In developing the Shamrock Swim Club, Payson has built a high-powered age group club, as well as a Masters program for adult swimmers who want to swim faster, better, and with friends.

Using new ideas, innovative training techniques and a tireless work ethic, Payson grew the Shamrock Swim Club Masters from a tiny club with a handful of members in 2012 to a solid team of more than 40 swimmers today.

In writing workouts, Payson seeks to scale the sessions to each swimmers’ ability level. Using progressive approaches and new technologies, he helps swimmers improve their speed and technique. As a result, several Shamrock Swim Club Members have notched top age group finishes at regional National Championship meets and reached the podium in local open water swimming events. 

An active, engaged member of the New England LMSC, Payson regularly participates in and contributes to meets, workshops, clinics, and other events that promote the sport of swimming. Always willing to share his expertise and knowledge with fellow coaches and swimmers, Payson’s collegial attitude has helped foster a culture of friendly competition within New England. 

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Awards - Blog

Al Prescott: 2023 Distinguished Service Award

For most Masters swimmers in New England over the past 20-plus years, the name “Big Al” Prescott is synonymous with service. The long-time volunteer and ardent swimmer joined the New England LMSC Board of Directors as Fitness Chair in 2002, a new role he designed to encourage fitness swimmers and those new to swimming to engage with their local Masters groups. In 2007, he was elected Board Chair and in 2011, he became Treasurer, a position he held until 2021. 

Prescott made big improvements to the NELMSC during his tenure. In 2009, he created the NELMSC Hall of Fame and added an accompanying board seat in 2011. He also helped revamp the NELMSC website and bylaws and created the Immediate Past Chair board seat. He worked closely with Ed Gendreau to develop the NELMSC records database and helped establish an annual NELMSC SCM Championship meet at Boston University. His promotional efforts helped grow the NELMSC SCY Championship at Harvard University into one of the biggest Masters meets in the country. 

At the local level, Prescott has long been involved with New England Masters Swim Club (NEM), serving on the board for eight years and several as VP of Communications. He was also an important player in Minuteman Masters (NEM-MAMA), one of the largest workout groups in New England in the early 2000s and into the 2010s. 

At the national level, Prescott has been a member since at least 2000 and attended the USMS House of Delegates 2003 to 2005 and 2008 to 2011. 

A delightful writer with a keen eye for wit, Prescott has also contributed many articles and insights to NEM News, the club’s widely read newsletter. In particular his relatable, monthly column “The Non-Elite Swimmer” offered laughs, tips, and motivation for readers all across New England for several years. 

Doug Sayles: 2023 Distinguished Service Award

Since 2009, Doug Sayles has been an active and enthusiastic member of New England Masters and SwimRI. And across those years, Sayles has become a major contributor to USMS, the New England LMSC, and the New England Masters Swim Club through a variety of leadership roles. 

One of the most dedicated volunteers in the New England Masters swimming world, Sayles served as Board Chair of the NELMSC from 2015 to 2019 and has participated in the USMS Annual Meeting as an NELMSC delegate every year since 2014. Currently serving as the Colonies Zone Chair, he was instrumental in hosting the first 2023 USMS Colonies Zone Championship meet at Rutgers University. 

Sayles is always looking to recruit other volunteers and draw new swimmers, coaches, and contributors into the organization. A capable, conscientious volunteer and a meticulous writer and record-keeper, Doug has become the go-to resource for other volunteers serving in leadership roles. 

In addition, his willingness to pitch in for any effort the organization needs has made him indispensable to the smooth operation of the NELMSC. Over the years he’s served as NELMSC Registrar, Board Chair, Acting Open Water Chair, Acting Board Vice Chair, and Acting Secretary. 

Sayles has also contributed countless hours serving on several NELMSC special committees focused on topics ranging from grievances and open water to championships and COVID-19 relief efforts. In 2022 and 2023, he worked closely with Sue Jensen and Kysa Crusco to make the 2023 NELMSC SCY Championship Meet at Worcester Polytechnic Institute the largest SCY meet since 2019.

At the national level, Sayles has served on the LMSC Development Committee since 2023 and the Legislation Committee from 2020 to 2022. He became Secretary of that committee in 2022. He’s also served on the Membership and Governance Committees.

In addition to his myriad volunteer duties, Sayles is also a coach, working with the Newport Athletic Club Masters from 2009 to 2014. As the primary administrator and coach of the SwimRI workout group since 2014, Sayles is the main point of contact for swimmers looking to join the squad. He also co-runs the annual SwimRI Stuffies vs. Steamers charity intersquad meet. Sayles, who has USMS Level 3 coaching certification, is also a certified Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor and a member of the American Swimming Coaches Association.

No stranger to open water swimming, Sayles has served as the fundraising team captain for the SwimRI team at Save the Bay since 2010 and served on the open water race planning committee for the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame from 2012 to 2016. Since 2020, he has been event director of Swim Across America Rhode Island, a massive charity event that brings some 700 swimmers annually to Roger Wheeler State Park in Narragansett, Rhode Island, for ¼-, ½- and 1-mile swim events. That open water festival contributes about $300,000 in donations annually to support cancer research at the Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. 

As the face of Masters swimming in Rhode Island, Sayles has helped build the NELMSC and Masters swimming as a whole over the past decade and a half in unprecedented ways through his tireless dedication to and enthusiasm for the sport and its practitioners.

Amanda Smith Dakowicz: 2022 Frank Wuest Open Water Award

Great Bay Masters Swimming member Amanda Smith Dakowicz embodies the best of what it means to be an open water swimmer. The Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based swimmer and triathlete has made a substantial contribution to open water both as an athlete and as a supporter of others aiming to achieve big things in the sport.

In 2022, Smith Dakowicz completed a 9.22-kilometer clockwise circumnavigation of the Isles of Shoals in the Gulf of Maine in 3 hours, 37 minutes, 44 seconds. A top triathlete, she often swims in a wetsuit and completed this event while wearing a wetsuit, booties, and two caps to ward off Maine’s frigid chill. The swim was ratified by the World Open Water Swimming Association.

Smith Dakowicz has also completed the 25-kilometer Border Buster in Lake Memphremagog in 2021 and the 12-mile Swim with a Mission in Newfound Lake, New Hampshire. 

Always ready to give back, Smith Dakowicz acted as observer for Alyssa Langlais’ 12-kilometer Boon Island to Long Sands Beach, York, swim on July 17, 2021. It was the first documented swim on that course and was ratified by the Marathon Swimmers Federation thanks to Smith Dakowicz’s diligent documentation.

She is also a certified Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor and has helped out coaching at open water swimming clinics, volunteered at races, and served as a kayaker for several area open water events. 

As one admirer notes, “whether it’s a 4 a.m. wake-up call or needing a pep talk 8 miles into a training swim, Amanda has been there to pick me up and keep me motivated. Amanda has done this not just for me, but for so many on the Seacoast, around New England, the country, and even the world. She will go out of her way traveling in a foreign country to find an open water swimming meetup group and form friendships there. And, she inspires swimmers everywhere she goes. She’s a cheerleader at every level, whether it’s a swim practice or a national level event.”

Smith Dakowicz played water polo at Cornell University and coaches the Portsmouth High School swim team.