MHS swims to perfect ending

Cougar girls win thriller over PHS for program’s first state title

By: Justin Feil
   EWING — It was only a couple of years ago that Laura Sibbald and Nikki Stirling were among the leaders of the Montgomery High girls’ swimming team.
   As the Cougars welcomed more and more top-notch swimmers in the past two seasons, their roles changed. This year, they were leaders of a different sort. Stirling missed the final two months with an ear infection, but would have been one of the contributing sprinters.
   Sibbald, MHS’ captain, used to be one of the anchor legs for the Cougar relays. But there she was on the side of the pool, screaming as loudly as she could for the final MHS 400 free relays in the state B championships.
   The Cougar anchors delivered a stirring 2-3 finish as Allie Dubiel finished second and Katie Morrison came back to anchor the third-place finishing team by eight tenths of a second and give MHS an 87-83 win over Princeton High for the state B championship at The College of New Jersey on Sunday, its first swim state title in school history.
   "We knew we’d have to swim hard to beat Princeton," Sibbald said. "We knew they had a lot of fast swimmers. We knew we had to use our depth and get as many second, third and fourths as we could.
   "We had a degree of confidence because of our prior record. But we knew we couldn’t be overconfident because of the Mountain Lakes meet. We had to swim our hardest. All we could do is swim our best."
   MHS, which tied Mountain Lakes in Thursday’s B state semifiNal but won on power points while PHS beat Moorestown in the other semifinal, completed a perfect 17-0 season Sunday, but couldn’t have done so without its depth.
   PHS, which ended its season at 9-4 overall, won all three relays, with Nina Rossi anchoring the wining 200 and 400 free relays. Rossi also countered MHS’ top swimmer, Morrison, with wins in the 200 and 500 free events.
   "We knew they had Nina Rossi," Sibbald said. "No matter what she was going to swim in, she was going to win. We knew we had to get seconds and thirds. We’ve been psyching ourselves up for this. We had a bonfire at someone’s house, and a pasta party and we saw ‘Miracle’ and it was really inspiring."
   While Rossi won the 500, Morrison, Kristen Prentice and Elyssa Romino finished 2-3-4, and the Cougars tied it, 15-15. Through the first nine events, neither team had more than a four-point lead. When Michelle D’Aguillo, Loretta Lin and Sibbald placed second through fourth in the 100 fly, MHS led, 41-37. The support role is something new for Sibbald, but a fair trade for a championship.
   "I could not have asked for a better end than this," she said. "Everyone brings something to the team. Everyone cheers and brings their spirit. No one is a star. Katie is, but she doesn’t take credit for it."
   The Cougars’ depth kept them in the lead for most of the meet. They trailed just once after the first event, when PHS went 1-3 in the 200 free relay for a 64-60 lead.
   MHS wasted no time in recapturing the lead when Jen Lin, Dubiel and Loretta Lin finished 1-2-4 to pull the Cougars ahead, 72-68. Then, Shana Conroy, Erica Hydrusko and Michelle LaPalme finished 2-3-4 in the 100 breast to establish an 81-75 lead with one event left.
   It set up the scenario where with a 1-3 PHS finish, the meet would be tied at 85, and the teams would share the team championship. MHS split up its relays to go for second and third, and the win, and it got it.
   "It was all about strategy," said MHS head coach Claire Scarpa. "I pulled Katie Morrison out of the A relay to try to get third. I knew if anyone could do it, it was Katie."
   Morrison trailed when she jumped in for her final 100, but slowly worked back into third place to send the Cougar team into a frenzy.
   "I was trying to cheer my hardest," Sibbald said. "I wanted to get people going as fast as they could. I knew they had to swim their best. The girls were swimming with all heart.
   "I’ve seen Katie in action. I knew she would catch her. I had an inkling she would catch her. It was an amazing meet."
   And an amazing season for MHS. The Cougars were barely .500 last season at 8-6. They lost in the first round of the state B tournament, while still classified as a Central Jersey school. This season, they ended perfect, with a Somerset County Championship crown, North 2 B sectional title and a state championship to top it off.
   "We never would have expected this," Sibbald said. "Our goal was to make it to the second round of states. Anything else was special."
   Scarpa felt confident that if Montgomery swam its best, it would win. She didn’t count on PHS swimming as well as it did.
   "I thought we would be able to win by more," she said. "They came out ready to swim. Their times were on. I knew the events we’d do well in. But I had counted on us winning the medley relay and they did well. They swam faster than our team has ever gone.
   "On paper, it said I had it worked out for us to win. But that’s why you swim the meets, to see who is better. But I had a good feeling. The girls were so excited."
   That feeling isn’t about to leave any time soon as the members of the Cougars will always remember being a part of MHS’ first swimming championship, especially those who know from where the program came.
   "You can’t imagine how I feel right now," said Sibbald while holding the championship trophy. "I’m so happy. I’m so proud. Everyone’s come together. We’re such a team."
   "Five years ago," Scarpa said, "I never would have dreamed we’d be anywhere near this place."