Hackensack’s Scott Davis earned BCWCA’s Coach of the Year award, his second in three years.
The victories just kept piling up for Scott Davis.
He didn’t need many club swimmers – or any county champions – to turn Hackensack into one of the area’s strongest teams.
Once an average program, the Comets have posted 10 or more wins in back-to-back seasons. They scored 100-plus points in eight meets and finished the year on a five-game winning streak.
Even after the season ended, the wins didn’t stop.
Davis, a 7th year coach, utilized his team’s depth and flexibility to win the Coach of the Year award from the Bergen County Women Coaches Association. It’s his second time earning the title in three seasons, with this year’s victory shared by Pascack Regional’s Jeff Ziegler.
“When you see a kid succeed and smile and fist pump in the air when they finish a race, that’s kind of what drives me,” Davis said. “They work hard. They hate me through the season. But then, when they’re smiling and they get their best time, that’s really what you’re driving for.”
Davis swam for Jefferson and coaches a summer league program on Lake Hopatcong. He said he runs the Comets similar to a club program, except with 10 months of training condensed to four. He holds three-hour practices for six days a week with “Hell Week” over the Christmas break.
The hard work paid off.
The Comets recorded as few as two losses for the first time under Davis and both defeats – to Northern Highlands and Ridgewood – came against Big North powers.
Hackensack only had three club swimmers in its lineup and didn’t finish higher than tenth in any individual event in the Bergen County Meet of Champions. But the team’s versatility, home-pool advantage and strong relays factored into its success.
At the Big North Freedom meet, the Comets’ 200-yard free relay team broke a school record set in 1992 and then lowered that time at the Bergen County Meet of Champions. The relay of Stephanie Ross, Ashley Sloan, Lauren Kreutzer and Christina Cusmano finished the event in 1:47.24.
Davis said their fourth place finish at the county meet is tied for the highest ever achieved by Hackensack during his tenure.
“I really want to instill confidence in them,” Davis said. “And it’s hard in swimming. You’re not going to get a best time every meet and that’s the biggest challenge. When they’re down in the dumps because they didn’t get a best time, you keep their spirits up and wait for the next race.”
Cusmano also came through with two individual victories in a win against River Dell/Westwood and a tie with Passaic Tech, the two closest meets of the season.
The senior earned all-Big North honors for her all-around performance and as a member of the Comets’ record-breaking relay team.
“She’s my leader and go-getter,” Davis said. “She’s the one behind the success. And we also have a lot of versatility and that’s what helped in dual meets. We match up well with other teams. I can play with relays and our depth really helped us.”
And the Comets made their coach proud at the Bergen County Swim Invitational, held for athletes who don’t reach the Meet of Champions. Some coaches regard the invitational just as highly. It tests their ability to improve non-club swimmers and showcases a team’s overall depth.
The Comets came in third in the girls race, while Davis’ boys team won the event with 187 points.
“I’m putting all the medals together and they have a whole table full of medals,” Davis said. “They had two bagfuls. They really performed well this season.”