Coach Joe Zobel hopes to make swimming an official school sport at Passaic Valley. (Photo: Chris Pedota)
Jeff Ziegler predicted a “phenomenal meet”.
And somehow, his team’s showdown with NV/Demarest not only lived up to the hype, but surpassed it.
Cassie Freeman improved her own Pascack Regional record in the 200 IM. Her team’s 400-yard medley relay qualified for the State Meet of Champions for the first time in school history. And the two best teams in the Big North Patriot played to a dramatic tie.
The third-ranked Pascack Regional girls swimming team (8-0-1) tied No. 4 NV/Demarest (6-1-1) with 85 points on Wednesday night at Passaic Tech.
“(It) was a totally acceptable outcome for that meet,” Ziegler said on the tie. “Really evenly matched up teams, who each gave an all-out effort.”
Ziegler said that the score was close throughout the meet and Pascack Regional never led by more than four points. His team entered the final event, the 400-yard medley relay, trailing by two. NV/Demarest finished second and third and the Cowboys’ relay team of Sophie Messinger, Sarah Litvinsky, Cassie Freeman and Haleigh Marzano won in a school record 3:47.57, leaving both schools with 85 points.
“We’re successful based on our leadership and overall team concept,” Ziegler said. “The same team values get passed down each year and the team knows what is expected of them – work hard, give your best effort, and be respectful. Everyone buys in that each individual performance contributes to our season long team goals”
Freeman won all four of her events and her new school record 200 IM time came in 2:12.77. It was the fifth fastest winning time in North Jersey this season in the event, according to results received by The Record.
“She always steps up in a big spot,” Ziegler said. “When it comes to racing, she will not be intimidated and has extremely high expectations for herself and the team.”
Neither Pascack Regional nor NV/Demarest has lost a game in divisional play this season. So both can enter the Big North Championships on Thursday knowing that the winner can claim to be the outright champion. Pascack Regional has won the title for the last five seasons.
BOYS
The Bergen County Meet of Champions was postponed from Saturday and a make-up date has not been announced. The move could have a significant effect since the original date conflicted with SAT testing and multiple teams had juniors who were unable to participate in the meet.
Passaic Valley could have a school swimming team as early as next year, thanks to junior Kevin Villagomez. The Hornets are competing as a club this season with no pool, no practices and no uniforms. But they impressed many at the Passaic County Swimming Championships earlier this month with several unofficial times in the Top 10.
The NJIC’s best boys team (Rutherford, 7-0) and best girls team (Leonia/Palisades Park, 9-1) saw their schools match up this past week and the results were as expected. Alec Reimon and Rutherford held on for a 105-65 win. The Leonia/Palisades Park girls kept their perfect in-conference record with a 118-52 victory. Key swimmers in the meet were Catalina Castellon, Elle Morse and Gabriella Cintron, all with four wins in the victory. Leonia’s only loss this season on the girls side came to Pequannock.
Passaic Tech remains undefeated. The Bulldogs improved to 11-0 by beating Ridgewood, 107-63, at home on Tuesday. They host Paramus tomorrow in their final regular season meet.
GIRLS
Senior Annmarie Picinich led Fair Lawn to victories over Passaic and Mahwah last week and became the school’s all-time points leader among girls swimmers. The New Hampshire recruit won all eight events over two meets and set the Fair Lawn record in 50-yard. She won the event (in meters) in 28.5 seconds.
“It means a lot to become the top point scorer since so many good swimmers have been at Fair Lawn,” Picinich said. “I’ve gotten so much support from my coaches and teammates and they’ve really helped me get to where I am today.”
Indian Hills junior Jamie Yadoff nearly set the school record in the 100-yard freestyle when she completed it in 55.46 seconds on Monday. She won three events against Pascack Regional in a loss, showing no signs of her season-long shoulder soreness and a lingering cold.
“That’s a good sign for me that she’s sick and she was three or four tenths from her school record time,” Indian Hills coach Bryan McDonnell said. “She did that (record) last year at counties last year in a tech suit in a big meet with plenty of rest.”
She also anchored Indian Hills to a win in the 200-yard free relay over Pascack Regional, taking a lead of about two seconds and turning the race into a blowout. Even though the Braves have just one win on the season, Yadoff’s performance hasn’t suffered. She hasn’t lost in the 50-yard freestyle, frequently coming up biggest in crucial moments.
“I do work well under pressure,” she said. “When people depend on me, it makes it more important.”
Wayne Valley has continued to do well following its second place finish in the Passaic County Swimming Championships. The Indians (6-4) beat Clifton and Ramapo this week and each win came by more than 20 points. Freshman Claire Custance won seven events and recently became the county champion in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Lyndhurst/North Arlington (5-2) has put together another strong season in the NJIC, surprising even head coach Sean Frew.
“I expected them to do well, but the girls have surprised me,” Frew recently told the South Bergenite. I like how they work together, and they are a very team-oriented group.”
My colleague Edward Kensik of the South Bergenite explains the reasons for the school’s success in this article and why the team could be even better next season.
Immaculate Heart can proudly call itself the best in New Jersey after a victory on Thursday against Bridewater-Raritan, likely the state’s next best team. The Blue Eagles romped to a 97-73 victory and won eight of 11 events.
“Our kids swam extremely well,” coach Jason Schlereth said. “I’m so proud of all of them. Our kids are swimming events that are not what they’re used to swimming, but they always want to do what’s best for the team and that’s extremely rewarding as a coach.”