IHA swimming cleans up at State Meet of Champs by Jane Havsy of The Daily Record
SEWELL – Kate Sheridan and her Immaculate Heart swim teammates had a plan for the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. The Blue Eagles came to Gloucester County Institute of Technology with unfinished business.
They took care of the first part of it right away, as Sheridan came off the final wall with a lead and helped IHA win the medley relay.
The relay quartet – seniors Sheridan, Catherine Fazio and Sarah Horne, and junior Elizbeth Arevalo – had a similar plan a year ago, sacrificing individual races to go for all three relays. But the medley was elusive – until Sunday afternoon.
“I saw I was ahead off the wall,” said Sheridan, who also finished second in the 100-yard freestyle (50.83). “I just booked it, and tried to keep the lead. … We’re all here to have fun, but we want to get it done.”
However, once again the Blue Eagles wound up just a little short of their ultimate goal. They finished second to Ocean City by 49 hundredths of a second, as both teams broke the 5-year-old meet record.
More: NJSIAA Meet of Champions girls swimming results
More: NJSIAA Meet of Champions boys swimming results
That only served as motivation for Horne and the rest of the Immaculate Heart foursome, getting out of the water knowing “each person gave her all.” And they put all that enthusiasm – plus a little disappointment – into the 400 free relay.
As the Meet of Champions ended, the Blue Eagles were once again at the top of the podium.
“We love doing the relays,” Fazio said. “It’s a team thing too. To win it with the same four people is amazing.”
♦ Demarest junior Phil Gong was second in the breaststroke (56.72). Demarest junior Tim Park placed fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:41.99). Park also anchored the Norsemen’s fifth-place 400 free relay. Demarest junior Rachel Woods-Bannan placed seventh in the 500 free (5:05.49).
♦ Hackensack sophomore Briana Williams and Passaic Tech sophomore Simi Lall were seventh and eighth in the backstroke. River Dell-Westwood freshman Sydney Rodriguez won the consolation backstroke final.
♦ Senior Kyle Iorizzo, Old Tappan’s lone MOC qualifier, placed fifth in the 500 free and sixth in the consolation 200 free, the first time he’d come back for two events.
“It’s an OK day. It wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be” said Iorizzo, who has signed a National Letter of Intent to swim at Rider. “It’d be a little more fun if I had other kids with me.”