SP-F Boys and Girls Swimmers Advance in State Tournament

After a few days of sledding and shoveling snow, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High swim team returned to the pool for the start of the state tournament, and as expected, both the boys and girls teams delivered impressive scores Friday afternoon at the Jewish Community Center in Scotch Plains.

The Raider boys' team, ranked No. 6 in the state, defeated Summit 104-66 with victories in the 200 medley relay, the 200 Free, the 200IM, the 50 Free, the 100 Fly, the 100 Free and the 100 Breaststroke.

Joe Dunn, who swam third on the victorious 200 Medley Relay team that kicked off the day, was satisfied with the Raiders efforts.

"I think we did really well," he said. "Congratulations should go out to everyone. We just do what we have to do to win. We take one meet at a time."

"I was happy with the way we performed today," added head coach Jess Hulnik, who's in her 15th season. "Having the last couple of days off, I was a little worried about how they would swim, but they did all right. I'm looking forward to getting them back in the pool a little bit more."

Dave Pesin captured the 200 Freestyle event, finishing in 1:59.62, followed by Mike Napolitano's victory in the 200 IM.

Mike Henkels sprinted to victory in the 50 Free, with Ryan Henkels next in second, while Dunn touched first in the 100 fly in the following event. Andrew Van Haasteren kept the streak going with his victory in the 100 Freestyle.

"I'm pleased with our performance," said Van Haasteren. "We came out and did what we wanted to do. We weren't swimming our top lineup. We mixed some guys around and put some people in different events, so we saw how everyone can do in different events. It was fun and we had a couple of good races with the other team."

Matt DiBiasse, Adam Bransky, Ryan McKenna and Ryan Henkels rounded out the day with a victory in the 400 Free Relay.

The expectations are high and the Raiders are ready to live up to them.

"At this point, we've been swimming long enough, that when it's time to tune in, we can go out and do it and get the times that we want," Van Haasteren said. "So barring something unforeseen, I feel confident going into the next round."

On the girls side, the Lady Raiders defeated Governor Livingston 93-77, capturing the 200 medley relay behind the efforts of Caitlin English, Kelsey Rossi, Becca Dunn and Jodie Thompson.

"Everyone's stepping it up," Dunn said. "We know it's a big tournament. Of course our goal is to win states, but even winning sectional finals would be a great experience for everyone. I know a couple of years back we won the state tournament and that's definitely shining in our minds. I wasn't on that team, so I know it's something the seniors want especially because we just missed it."

Ana Bogdanovski won the 200 Free in 2:09.06 and the 100 Free in 58.64, Steph Baliko the 200 IM in 2:25.39 and Kelsey Rossi the 100 Butterfly in 1:04.91.

Baliko also kicked off the win in the 200 Free Relay, while Nicole DiPaola won the 100 backstroke in 1:08.77.

All in all, a solid performance in the first round.

"We're swimming great," Baliko said. We're swimming great times. We have a lot of depth. Every meet we have to take very seriously. We have to have all of our swimmers at their best every meet."

The boys' side will most likely need to get by Mountain Lakes and Haddonfield if they're to win a state championship. They know the road won't be easy.

"They're just two great teams out there," Van Haasteren said. "You have Mountain Lakes, a five-time defending state B champion. You can't knock that experience. They have clutch swimmers in the middle lanes and they have outstanding depth in the outside lanes as well. And Haddonfield is a really good team. They're first in the power points. We don't know a lot about them because of geography, but certainly, if we swim against them, it's going to be a great meet to watch."

The girls are also hoping for a memorable finish down the line.

"We're just hoping to win every meet and go as far as we can," Baliko said. "We're hoping for a great ending, no matter what."

The boys will face the winner of Morristown and Chatham on Monday at the JCC and the girls will take on Morristown, whom they beat earlier in the year in a close match. The meet is set to get underway at 5 p.m.