Chris Kelly Long Branch’s Aimee Edson swims to a second-place finish in the 100-meter butterfly race against Ocean Township. The Wave lost to the Spartans 118-57 (boys) and 126-43 (girls), on Feb. 5 at Monmouth University.
Despite knowing full well that they are usually overmatched in the pool, Long Branch High School’s swimming teams still compete well against some of the toughest teams in the Shore Conference.
They continued to force teams to put their best swimmers in the pool last Tuesday, when they faced Ocean Township, losing 118-57 (boys) and 126-43 (girls).
Despite Ocean’s dominance in the pool, their efforts weren’t flawless as Long Branch’s Brian Mejia stole a pair of races from the Spartans, and Melissa Penn won one event.
Mejia won the 200-meter freestyle and the 100-meter backstroke, while Penn won the 100 backstroke, preventing the Big Red from sweeping all 22 first-place spots.
On the boys’ side of the pool, Long Branch only allowed their opponents to sweep one event, the 100-meter butterfly, finding ways to break into the top three 10 times.
Mark Maurice (200-meter individual medley); Brian Fish (50-meter freestyle); Maurice, Bill Kelly, James Burkimsher and Fish (200-meter freestyle relay); and Mejia, Burkimsher, Kelly and Jim Mazza (400-meter freestyle relay) won a total of 16 team points for Long Branch.
Preventing sweeps with third-place performances were Mejia, Mazza, Maurice and Fish (200-meter medley relay); Fish (100-meter freestyle); Burkimsher (500-meter freestyle) and Mazza (100-meter breaststroke).
On the girls’ side of the pool, Long Branch was only swept out of three events — 50 free and 100 free, and the 100 breaststroke.
Registering second-place times for the Wave were Mary Ellen Kelly (200 and 500 free), Penn (200 IM.), Aimee Edson (100-meter butterfly), and Edson, Mary Ellen Kelly, Ashleigh Layton and Penn (400 freestyle relay.
Third-place honors were garnered by Penn, Ashley Stone, Aimee Edson and Kayla Fish (200 medley relay); Kayla Fish, Hailey Rassas, Layton and Mary Ellen Kelly (200 freestyle relay).
Other respectable times turned in by the Green Wave swimmers belonged to: 200 medley relay (Rassas, Amber Trower, Melissa Eilers and Kelli Credle, fifth); 200 free (William Yeung and Layton, fifth); 200 IM. (Bill Kelly, fourth); 50 free (Edson, fourth), (Yeung and Kayla Fish, fifth); 100 butterfly (Burkimsher, fourth), (Mazza and Eilers, fifth); 100 free (Maurice, fourth); (Trower, fifth); 500 free (Ryan Czeslaw, and Layton, fifth); 200 freestyle relay (Trower, Francisco Rosas, Credle and Chloe Francisco, fifth); 100 backstroke (Bill Kelly, fourth, and Rassas, fifth); 100 breaststroke (Czeslaw and Stone, fifth); 400 freestyle relay (Credle, Alexandra Gonzalez, Rosas and Stone, fifth).