NJ EEX Holiday Classic XXXVIII
- Dec. 19 to 21, 2025
- SCY (25 yards)
- Sonny Werblin Recreation Center (Rutgers)
- Full results under “EEX Holiday Classic XXXVIII” on MeetMobile
Rutgers may not have fielded a men’s swim team since 1990, but men’s swimming records continue to get broken in the Scarlet Knights’ pool.
At New Jersey’s 38th Holiday Classic meet, which took place a week before Friday in Piscataway, Streamline Aquatics Club’s Zack Kusch won the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:58.52. A class of 2030 Northwestern commit, he also took down the Holiday Classic meet record and the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center pool record, which was formerly held by Slavik Fattakhov. Fattakhov, a then-senior at the Division II University of Bridgeport, clocked a 1:59.41 to set the Rutgers pool record in 2013.
Kusch set a best time by nearly three seconds in the 200 breast, besting his old mark of 2:01.47 from Winter Juniors in 2024. He also won the 100 breast in personal best fashion (54.12) by nearly a second, while finishing second in the 100 free (45.13).
Beating Kusch in the 100 free was Scarlet Aquatics’ Ryker Levi, who won the event in a best time of 45.13. He also won the 100 fly in a time of 47.67, beating his previous personal best mark of 49.64 set at YMCA Nationals in April by near four seconds. Levi, a current sophomore at Northern Highlands Regional High School, has risen to become the second-fastest 100 flyer in the high school class of 2028.
Levi also anchored Scarlet Aquatics’ winning 400 free relay with a 44.62 100 free split.
Yale 2030 commit Burak Iloglu took home wins in the 500 free (4:31.81) and 1000 free (9:17.07), while his Scarlet teammate and 2030 Army commit Brandon Anand swept the 200 (1:51.47) and 400 IM (3:56.16) events. Iloglu went a best time in the 1000 free, while Anand clocked one in the 200 IM.
The 15+ high point winner on the boys’ side belonged to Somerset County YMCA’s Christopher Wasko, who notched first-place finishes in the 50 free (20.60) and 100 back (50.44), in addition to third in the 100 free (45.89), eighth in the 200 free (1:43.44) and eighth in the (52.54). He set best times in every event he raced.
On the girls’ side, Scarlet Aqautics’ Josie Marino was a standout performer, completing a distance sweep and winning the high point for the open girls’ division. The Ohio University class of 2030 commit won the 500 free (4:55.40), 1000 free (10:07.76) and 1650 free (16:40.19). In addition, she scored an eight-place finish in the 200 fly (2:08.82) and a fifth-place finish in the 200 IM (2:09.15).
Marino’s standout swim was the 1650 free, where she won by over 22 seconds and improved 13.08 seconds from her previous best time of 17:13.04 from YMCA Nationals in April.
Also performing well was Fanwood Scotch Plains YMCA’s Jane Kavanagh, who won the 200 free (1:49.84) and 200 back (1:58.98) in personal best fashion, while also placing second in the 100 back (55.57). The junior out of Westfield High School is not committed to a college yet, but is on NJ.com’s New Jersey Girls’ Swimmer of the Year watchlist for 2025-26.
A pair of Power Conference 2030 commits in Florida State’s Samantha Villacis and Iris Kim also won events. Villacis, representing the Peddie Aquatic Association, swept the butterfly events, clocking a 54.94 to win the 100 fly and a 2:00.48 to win the 200 fly. Meanwhile, Scarlet Aquatics’ Kim was the winner of the 200 IM (2:02.20) in PB fashion, while she took second behind Kavanagh in the 200 back (1:59.40).
14-year-old Alexa Davies of the Lakeland Hills Family YMCA impressed in the 13-14 division of the 100 breast, winning in a time of 1:02.67 that was faster than the winning time in the open division (1:03.41). Another 14-year-old in Scarlet Aquatics’ Emma Pereira won the open division of the 400 IM, clocking a time of 4:28.03.
Scarlet Aquatics dominated both segments of the Holiday Classic, racking up 4259 combined to rank first amongst all the clubs — over 1,200 points clear of the Somerset YMCA, the second-ranked team. Scarlet was also the winner of the separate boys’ and girls’ competitions by a clear margin.
Other Boys’ Open Winners:
- 200 free: Max Ciechanowski, Jersey Aquatic Center — 1:40.22
- 1650 free: Daniel Choi, Scarlet Aquatics — 15:50.79
- 200 fly: Nathaniel Kern, Scarlet Aquatics — 1:48.70
- 200 back: Luke Luo, Peddie Aquatic Association — 1:51.41
- 200 free relay: Greater Somerset County YMCA — 1:23.43
- 400 free relay: Scarlet Aquatics — 3:02.96
- 800 free relay: Scarlet Aquatics — 6:53.00
- 2oo medley relay: Greater Somerset YMCA — 1:30.18
- 400 medley relay: Scarlet Aquatics — 3:22.93
Other Girls’ Open Winners:
- 50 free: Lola Early, Peddie Aquatic Association — 23.54
- 100 free: Katherine Kennedy, YMCA of the Jersey Shore — 51.59
- 100 back: Hannah Bateman, Peddie Aquatic Association — 55.51
- 100 breast: Stephanie Kim, Scarlet Aquatics — 1:03.41
- 200 breast: Stephanie Kim, Scarlet Aquatics — 2:15.43
- 200 free relay — YMCA of the Jersey Shore — 1:35.62
- 400 free relay: Peddie Aquatic Association — 3:29.59
- 800 free relay: Scarlet Aquatics — 7:50.41
- 200 medley relay: Lakeland Hills YMCA — 1:43.57
- 400 medley relay: YMCA of the Jersey Shore — 3:48.25
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Northwestern Commit Zack Kusch Breaks Rutgers Pool Record At 2025 Holiday Classic
