The New Canaan YMCA Caimans Swim Team is proud to announce that Kalen Anbar has been named the 2022 Connecticut Male Swimmer of the Year. Anbar is one of two Caimans swimmers to earn Connecticut Swimmer of the Year in the past ten years.
Throughout the 2022 season, Anbar achieved prominent rankings both nationally and internationally, broke several Caimans swim team records, and helped the team earn the 2022-2023 Bronze Medal Club Excellence award as part of USA Swimming’s National Club Excellence program.
Anbar’s consistently strong performance at state and national meets this year helped him earn the honor of being named Connecticut Male Swimmer of the Year. At the Connecticut Senior State Championship, Anbar was named champion in three short course events and one long course event. Additionally, he claimed eight of the state’s top 16 swim times for the year. On the national stage, Anbar earned second place finishes at the YMCA National Championships in both the 400m Individual Medley (IM) and the 200m Breaststroke events. He also earned a top ten finish in the 400m event at the USA Swimming U.S. Summer Junior National Championship. These accomplishments earned Anbar a 95th and 151st ranking in the 400m IM World Rankings Powered by USA Swimming and FINA World Rankings, respectively.
Anbar’s USA Swimming and FINA World Rankings led him to qualify for the 2022 U.S. Open December 1-3, where he went on the represent the Caimans, finishing 13th in the 200m Breaststroke, 15th in the 400m IM, and 21st place in the 200m IM; setting a new team record of 2:05.91 in the 200m IM for the Caimans team.
Anbar’s accomplishments this year contributed to the Caimans’ overall team success and helped the team earn the 2022-2023 Bronze Medal Club Excellence award as part of the National Club Excellence program powered by USA Swimming. USA Swimming awards Bronze Medal Clubs as any swim team with an eligible athlete scoring at least 710 points toward their team’s performance scoring in a single season. The Caimans have earned six Club Excellence awards since 2009.
Anbar has been a member of the New Canaan YMCA Caimans Swim program for 11 years. He shared, “I’ve been on the Caimans swim team and a part of the New Canaan YMCA since I was six and the benefits are endless. As a swimmer, I’ve grown tremendously thanks to my teammates and amazing coaching from Coach Brian and Coach Liz. Beyond this, being a part of such a positive and well-motivated community has helped me develop as a person through volunteering within the team and interacting with other members of the Y. I have also really enjoyed that I was able to be on the team as it has grown and gotten better throughout the years because it makes me feel as if I’m part of something bigger than myself.”
Reflecting on earning 2022 Male Swimmer of the Year, Anbar added, “Earning Swimmer of the Year means a lot to me especially because I have looked up to the people who have earned this award ever since I started swimming, and a lot of my success has come from pushing to earn this title. CT swimming offers some of the best competition in the country and there are so many other swimmers who deserve this award, so it is really an honor that I was chosen for it this year.”
Brian Fazzino, Director of Competitive Swimming and Caimans Head Coach, commented, “The most impressive thing about Kalen is not that he is one of the most talented swimmers that I have ever coached, but that his work ethic exceeds how great of a talent he is. To see what he pushes himself to do in the pool, the classroom, and the weight room is what distinguishes Kalen Anbar from anyone else. He has been an absolute dream to coach and has pushed the team to a new level of focus and determination. The journey that we have been on has brought us across the country to many high-level meets and watching him hone his potential each day has been the greatest gift and joy.”
Founded in 1962, the New Canaan YMCA Caimans competitive swimming program provides a supportive, instructive, and fun environment for swimmers of all abilities with athletes who range from recreational participation to those who compete collegiately.
For additional information about the Caimans Swim program, contact Brian Fazzino, Director of Competitive Swimming and Head Coach, at [email protected].