Wildwood Crest to Honor Local U.S. Olympian

WILDWOOD CREST – United States Olympian and Wildwood Crest native Joe Maloy will be honored by his hometown in a ceremony scheduled for May 20, at 6 p.m. at Centennial Park, located at Fern Road and Ocean Avenue.
Maloy, 30, a graduate of Crest Memorial Elementary School and Wildwood Catholic High School, has qualified for the U.S. national team for triathlon racing for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Maloy finished the qualifying process for the Olympics as the top-ranked American after a pair of stirring performances at International Triathlon Union events this spring. He placed sixth at the World Triathlon Gold Coast in Australia last month before finishing 11^th in the World Triathlon Yokohama in Japan last weekend. Maloy was the top American finisher in both races.
Maloy will be one of three men on the U.S. Olympic team for triathlon racing this summer.
Maloy began his athletic career as a member of the Crest Dolphins club swim team, which trains out of the Joseph Von Savage Memorial Pool in Wildwood Crest. He became a standout cross country runner and swimmer at Wildwood Catholic, from which he graduated in 2004. He went on to compete for four years for the Division I men’s swimming program at BostonCollege and later became an assistant coach in the program while he earned a masters degree. Maloy turned pro in triathlon racing in 2010.
In a recent story in a local newspaper, Maloy cited his roots in the Wildwoods community as laying the foundation for his success.
“I’m a product of the support I received growing up at home,” Maloy said. “I had great coaching and I got a great education. Basically, everyone put me where I am. I owe a lot to Crest Memorial and Wildwood Catholic and the Crest Dolphins and the Crest beach patrol and to all my coaches growing up. I owe my success to all those people.”
Friday’s event is free to the public. Many of Maloy’s former coaches and teachers, friends, classmates, patrolmates from the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol and more are expected to be on hand at the event. As part of the event, Maloy will take part in a short run with members of the Wildwood Crest Running Club and the Wild Harbor Triathlon Club.
The event will also include DJ entertainment. A limited number of commemorative T-shirts will be distributed to the public.
“It goes without saying that we are extremely proud of Joe Maloy and all of his accomplishments,” said Don Cabrera, Wildwood Crest Commissioner of Public Works and Recreation. “Joe is a great example of what happens when you put your mind to something and work hard and sacrifice to achieve your dreams. But not only is Joe one of the greatest athletes our community has ever produced, he is also one of the greatest people our community has ever produced. We are extremely excited to honor him this Friday and we wish him nothing but the best this summer in Rio.”
Friday’s ceremony is sponsored by the Borough of Wildwood Crest, the Wildwood Crest Recreation Commission and the Wildwood Crest Running Club.
In the event of inclement weather, Friday’s ceremony will be held indoors at the CrestPierRecreationCenter at 5800 Ocean Avenue.
For further information, contact the Wildwood Crest Recreation Department at (609) 523-0202.