Swim teams from diocese rule in pool
By Harry Thomas
Correspondent
You can’t blame opponents of the swim teams from St. Joseph High School, Metuchen; Mount St. Mary Academy, Watchung; and Bishop George Ahr, Edison, if they get a sinking feeling this time of the year.
On Jan. 27, St. Joseph won its 28th consecutive Greater Middlesex Conference boys championship at Princeton University’s DeNunzio Pool, extending the state’s longest conference championship winning streak.
That same day and in the same pool, Bishop Ahr won its third consecutive Greater Middlesex Conference title, while Mount St. Mary won its fourth consecutive Somerset County title at the Somerset Valley YMCA, Bridgewater.
“It’s always great to see our swimmers excel,” said St. Joseph swimming coach Steve Whittington. “It’s still a great thrill.”
St. Joseph scored 645 points and runner-up South Brunswick recorded 357.5. St. Joseph built its victory on the strength of its relay teams. The Falcons were first and second in the 200 medley, first and third in the 200 freestyle and first and third in the 400 freestyle.
In individual events, junior Travis Catania won the 200 medley, senior Phil Luzny won the 100 butterfly and junior Tim Mancuso took the 100 backstroke.
The Bishop Ahr girls also dominated, finishing with 446.5 points; 120 points ahead of second-place East Brunswick.
“Well, I think it’s too early to look at it like that,” said Bishop Ahr head coach Dan Cone when asked if the Trojans were building toward a swimming empire like that of St. Joseph. “But I think today said a lot about the swimmers from Bishop Ahr.”
Bishop Ahr senior Caitlin Cassidy and sophomore Missy Lang combined to break three of their records set in last year’s meet. Cassidy’s times of 24.75 in the 50 freestyle and 59.00 in the 100 butterfly eclipsed her 2006 times of 24.98 and 59.36. Lang won the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.06, breaking her time of 1:06.19 of last year. The two also swam on the first place 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.
Mount St. Mary amassed 320 points, easily beating Pingry (206) and Montgomery (202). The Mount Lions won eight events and set two county records. Senior captain Alison Christie won the 100 butterfly and was second in the 200 IM; freshman Lauren Ross won the 500 freestyle; and Liz Floyd won the 100 freestyle and finished second in the 50 freestyle behind teammate Meaghan Gaynor.
Becca Clapp, Floyd, Gaynor and Kristen Moll set a county record in the 200-meter medley in 2:06.15; Floyd, Janene Senofante, Clapp and Ross set a meet record in the 400 freestyle in 4:06.15; and Gaynor, Senofante, Moll and Ross just missed the meet record in winning the 200 freestyle relay.
“Everyone was mentally ready,” Floyd said
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law