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Girls Swimming

by Matt Cosentino
Bishop Eustace Crusaders

Swimmers to watch:
The Crusaders have plenty to be excited about, with most of their top swimmers returning, including the standout junior and sophomore classes. Junior Lauren Cavanagh placed 15th in the state in the IM to go with her sixth-place finish in the event at the SJISA Coaches Invitational. Her classmate, Alex Nachodsky, qualified for states in the 50 and 100 free, and placed in the top 10 in both events at the South Jersey meet. Another junior, Elise Connelly, was eighth at SJISA in the 100 free and 19th in the 50 free. Sophomore Mackenzie O’Connor was one of several rookies to make an impact last year, as she finished 15th in the state in the backstroke and took fourth in both the back and 200 free at the SJISA meet. Sophomore Jordan Washart was a state qualifier who took fourth in the 500 free and sixth in the 200 free at the South Jersey meet, while sophomore Lauren Baines had top-15 performances in the IM and breaststroke. Other key returners include seniors Kate Circus and Natalie Kelly, junior Sarah McGough and sophomores Gabriella Salvati, Grace Pasco, Molly Davis and Allison Gozdan.

Outlook:
After posting a 10-2 record, reaching the Non-Public A state final and finishing at the ninth-ranked team in the state, Eustace should be among the best teams in South Jersey this year.

Cherokee Chiefs

Swimmers to watch:
Despite the graduation of standout Isabel Obregon, Cherokee does return its other star from last year, junior Jamie Bowne. She competed at states in the IM and butterfly, earning an eighth-place showing in the IM and a 12th in the fly. Bowne was also the champion in the fly and 500 free at the SJISA Coaches Invitational, and should be line for another special season. Sophomore Diana Wood added a third place in the 500 free and fourth in the butterfly at the South Jersey meet. Bowne and Wood were both part of the 400 free relay that took ninth at states. Other top-10 finishers at the SJISA meet were seniors Nicolette Broome (eighth in the backstroke) and Kara Anderson (eighth in the 500 free) and junior Breanna Gleason (eighth in the IM). Additional returners who will be counted on include sophomores Sarah Shephard and Audrey Fanning.

Outlook:
The Chiefs’ 10-1 season included their second straight South Jersey Public A championship and a close loss in the state semifinals. They also took second in Division A at the SJISA meet. Ten seniors from that team graduated, so Cherokee will look to rebuild around Bowne and under new coach Chelsea Kehoe.

Cherry Hill East Cougars

Swimmers to watch:
The Cougars have several experienced veterans back to lead this year’s team, including senior Megan Miller. She was consistent in dual meets and shined at the SJISA Coaches Invitational, placing ninth in the breaststroke and 11th in the 50 free. Also at the South Jersey meet, junior Lauren Kerner took 12th in the butterfly and 13th in the backstroke, while senior Carlee Timmins placed 10th in the 500 free and 20th in the 200 free. Junior Carrie Baeckstrom (50 and 100 free) and sophomore Katherine Ji (breaststroke, IM) also placed in the top 20 in multiple events. Other important returners include senior Carlie Harms; juniors Katie Doyle, Ally Mora, Gwen Kramer and Lizzie Loesner; and sophomores Carolyn Wang, Nicole Harms, Gracie Morrow, Carissa Campbell and Georgia Gray.

Outlook:
After losing in the South Jersey Public A quarterfinals and finishing with a 4-6 record, the Cougars will shoot for a winning record and return trip to the playoffs.

Cherry Hill West Lions

Swimmers to watch:
Senior Madison Franke leads the returners for West after qualifying for states last year in the 50 freestyle. She also placed sixth in the 50 free and eighth in the 200 free at the SJISA Coaches Invitational. Sophomore Anna Mecca is coming off a strong rookie season in which she took seventh in the breaststroke and ninth in the butterfly at the South Jersey meet. Other key returners include seniors Colleen Clancy, Abby Walters, Jess Donnelly and Lauren Kasprowicz; juniors Blair Brown, Julia Wilson and Kailey Stankus; and sophomores Jillian Henshaw and Gina Mecca.

Outlook:
The Lions’ 5-6 record last year included a 4-1 mark in the SJISL Caribbean Division, making them tri-champions with Eastern and Lenape. They also reached the South Jersey Public B semifinals. With a lot of key swimmers returning, this should be another successful season.

Clearview Pioneers

Swimmers to watch:
Clearview graduated an outstanding senior class that included Marissa Moskalow, Miranda Coughlan and Gabby Accorsi. Now the spotlight will shine on new stars such as sophomore Kyra Schwerzler, who burst onto the scene last year with an outstanding freshman season. She was the Gloucester County and Tri-County Conference champion in the breaststroke and qualified for states in the event. Schwerzler also took sixth in the breaststroke and 16th in the 50 free at the SJISA Coaches Invitational and is primed for a big season. Junior Emily Bayes was the conference champ and took second in the county in the 500 free, and added a 14th-place showing in the event at the South Jersey meet. Gabby Moskalow is a key senior who placed second in the county and third in the conference in the butterfly, and sophomore Rachel Doring took third in the county in the backstroke. Other contributors include senior Anna Boyton and juniors Emily Kopchick and Alanna Sindoni.

Outlook:
The Pioneers went 7-2-1, reached the South Jersey Public A quarterfinals and captured their third Gloucester County title in the last four years. They should remain a fun team to watch despite the losses to graduation.

Eastern Vikings

Swimmers to watch:
Eastern has a talented roster led by a pair of outstanding juniors in Kayla Gagnon and Kendall Bromley. Gagnon qualified for states in two individual events last year, finishing ninth in the IM and 17th in the butterfly. At the SJISA Coaches Invitational, she placed second in the IM and third in the fly. Bromley took 19th in the 500 free and 21st at the breaststroke at states, following a second in the 500 free and a third in the breaststroke at the South Jersey meet. Both swimmers also joined senior Alex Bromley and junior Nicole Meskin on Eastern’s 400 free relay that qualified for states and took third at the SJISA meet. Alex Bromley added top-10 finishes in both the 200 free and backstroke at the South Jersey meet and senior Christina Janesky has top-20 showings in the 200 and 500 free. Other important returners include juniors Renee Le, Caroline Ricciardi and Carly Harowitz and sophomores Morgan Krwawicz and Julia Spanfelner.

Outlook:
Eastern went 4-6 overall and 4-1 in the SJISA Caribbean Division to share the championship with Cherry Hill West and Lenape. The Vikings also qualified for the South Jersey Public A playoffs. With Gagnon and Bromley leading the way, this season should only get better.

Gloucester Catholic Rams

Swimmers to watch:
Camryn McHugh, whose three older brothers were swimming stars in South Jersey, kept up the family tradition with a phenomenal freshman year. She took first place in the backstroke and second in the butterfly at the SJISA Coaches Invitational, setting school records in both events. She was also the Tri-County Conference champion in the 50 free and qualified for states in the backstroke, and should continue to impress as a sophomore. Lauren Emerson is a key senior who was the conference champ in the 200 free and took 12th in the 100 free at the South Jersey meet. The talented sophomore class also includes Emma Billings (butterfly) and Nicki Reed (IM), who both placed in the top five in the conference, as well as diver Laura Blaston. Senior Emma Burns and junior Devin Morrison are other returners.

Outlook:
Last season included a 6-2 overall record and eighth-place finish at the SJISA meet. The Rams are in line for another strong season with McHugh and Emerson leading the way.

Haddonfield Bulldawgs

Swimmers to watch: Sophie Fontaine’s name is already all over the Haddonfield record books, and she will look to put an exclamation point on her sensational career with a memorable senior season. Fontaine, who will continue her career at Yale, took second in both the 200 free and backstroke at states and will be in contention for state championships in both events this year. She was also part of the 200 medley relay that took second at states, as well as the 400 free relay that took fifth. Juniors Abby Neveling and Caroline Conte were also part of those relays and also shined in their individual events. Neveling took 11th in the state in the 50 free; she also placed second in that event and the breaststroke at the SJISA Coaches Invitational. Conte took eighth in the 50 free and 11th in the 100 free at the South Jersey meet. Another star junior is diver Sophia Peifer, who repeated as both the South Jersey and state champion last year. Her performance at states included a perfect score on one of her dives. Other key returners include juniors Abigail Bentley and Elizabeth Kolaski and sophomores Grace Figlioli and Kacie Mullin.

Outlook:
The Bulldawgs went 9-5, placed fifth at the SJISA meet and reached the Public C state final last year. This is one of the top programs in South Jersey year in and year out, and this season should be no different.

Kingsway Dragons

Swimmers to watch:
After an impactful freshman season two years ago, there was no sophomore slump for Sydney Jaramillo last winter. She repeated as both the Gloucester County and Tri-County Conference champion in the butterfly, and also took fifth in the event at the SJISA Coaches Invitational to go with her second-place effort in the IM. She’ll once again lead the Dragons this year with classmate Sam Armano, who placed third in both the county and conference in the IM in addition to an 11th-place finish at the SJISA meet. Another junior, Marissa Heino, was the county champ in the backstroke while taking third in the conference and 11th at the South Jersey meet. All three standouts were part of the 200 free relay that took first in the conference and second in the county; they also teamed up with senior Kristina Hess to take second at both meets in the 400 free relay. Hess is a force in the 50 and 100 free, and other key seniors are Alexis Gross and diver Emily Danilak. Marjorie Myers is a promising sophomore.

Outlook:
The Dragons finished with a 5-3 record last year and reached the South Jersey Public B quarterfinals. The strong junior class has this looking like another playoff team.

Lenape Indians

Swimmers to watch:
Nicole Shek is poised for a huge senior year after placing sixth in the IM and eighth in the backstroke at states as a junior. She took third in the backstroke and sixth in the butterfly at the SJISA Coaches Invitational. Sloane Haines is another senior leader who placed fifth in the 500 free and 11th in the 200 free at the South Jersey meet, while junior Patricia Thomas was 13th in the 200 free and 14th in the backstroke at the same meet. Other key returners include seniors Stephanie Pappas, Alexandra Pappas and Julie Zeiberg; junior Justina Lanni; and sophomore Meghan Vizzard.

Outlook:
The Indians went 5-5 last year—including 4-1 in the SJISL Caribbean Division to share the championship with Cherry Hill West and Eastern—and also qualified for the South Jersey Public A playoffs. Many of the top swimmers return, and they should challenge for a winning record.

Moorestown Quakers

Swimmers to watch:
Although Carter Orth, who took second in the state in two events and had a terrific career at Moorestown, has graduated, the Quakers still have a lot of talent. That includes junior Andrea Fong, who placed 11th in the 500 free and 18th in the IM at states. She also was the champion in the 50 free and took second in the 100 free in the Burlington County Scholastic League; and added a third in the 100 free and fourth in the IM as the SJISA Coaches Invitational. Eliza Pluckhorn is another key junior who took second in the backstroke and third in the 100 free at the conference meet; she also placed in the top 10 in the back and 200 free at the SJISA meet. Sophomores Annie Wixted and Abby Wilson will both look to build on impressive rookie seasons. Wixted was the conference champ in the breaststroke, took third in South Jersey and qualified for states; she also shines in the IM. Wilson is a standout in the 50, 100 and 200 free, as well as the backstroke, and qualified for states in the 50 free. Other talented juniors include Tara Thornton, Briana Mateo and Paige Greer, while key sophomores include Katie Hines and Kaitylin Levinson. Other returners expected to contribute are senior Kristen Hynoski and junior Danielle Scola, while freshmen Janey Galski, Annabel Gorman, Fionna Penn and Holly Robinson are all expected to help the team.

Outlook:
After reaching the South Jersey Public B final and taking second in Division B at the SJISA meet, the Quakers are in line for a strong season.

Moorestown Friends Foxes

Swimmers to watch:
Senior Marirose Aleardi leads the returners for the Foxes after making the all-Friends League first team as a junior. She took third at the league meet in both the 100 free and backstroke and is primed for a strong final season. Junior Rebecca Berg took fourth at the league meet in the breaststroke and is another key returner, while sophomore Megan Mininno placed seventh in both the 100 free and breaststroke. Other contributors include senior Skylar McClane, juniors Katie Schuyler and Hannah Bianco and sophomores Anna Immaneni, Amanda Cooper and Eve Mikes.

Outlook:
The Foxes have a talented core of swimmers and will look to improve on their 3-7 record from last year.

Seneca Golden Eagles

Swimmers to watch:
Seneca has a solid core to build around, including sophomore Morgan Calabria, who took sixth in the backstroke at the SJISA Coaches Invitational with a school-record time of 1:05.57. She also took 20th at that meet in the butterfly and should only improve with a year of high school swimming under her belt. Tiara White is a senior leader who shines in the 50 and 100 free, placing in the top 20 in both events at the SJISA meet. Senior Leah Wisniewski, who swims the 50 and 100 free, is another leader and the team captain for the second year in a row. Sophomore Catelyn Stevenson joined Calabria as a standout rookie and swims the 200 and 500 free.

Outlook:
The Golden Eagles notched their first-ever win last season in the third year of the program and were competitive in several other meets. They hope to keep improving under new head coach Bonnie Horner, who was previously an assistant with the team.

Shawnee Renegades

Swimmers to watch: Shawnee is paced by a pair of veterans coming off impressive seasons. Senior Leanna DeMarco qualified for states in the 100 free and IM as a junior, and also took fifth in the IM and sixth in the backstroke at the SJISA Coaches Invitational. Junior Tess Ruona also competed at states, taking ninth in the 500 free and 15th in the 200 free. Sophomore Shannon Feeley placed seventh in the 500 free at the SJISA meet, while junior Megan Strachan was 10th in the same event. Other key returners include seniors Lena Herman and Olivia Frassetto; juniors Adrienne Bilello and Rachel Winiarcczyk; and sophomore Jenna Mesisca.

Outlook:
The Renegades went 5-3 and dropped a tough 86-84 loss to Egg Harbor in the South Jersey Public A semifinals. They also placed third in Division A at the SJISA meet. With many top swimmers returning, this is shaping up as another successful season.

Washington Township Minutemaids

Swimmers to watch:
Senior Kylie Finnigan, who specializes in the 200 and 500 free, leads the returners for Washington Township. Last year she took fifth in Gloucester County and ninth at the SJISA Coaches Invitational in the 500. Fellow seniors Colleen McAninley (fourth in the 100 free) and Corrie Calandra (fifth in the breaststroke) also had strong performances at the county meet. Junior Ilyssa Liberto and sophomores Casey Shultz and Marina Smith are other important returners, while a strong freshman class will add depth.

Outlook:
The Minutemaids will shoot for a winning record after finishing 3-7 last year.

Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family’s High School Winter Sports Preview, Volume 6, Issue 9 (November, 2015).
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