Girls swimming
By: John E. Powers
The Hopewell Valley Central High School girls swimming team wrapped up a successful season last weekend at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Meet of Champions at the Gloucester Institute of Technology in Sewell.
And earlier in the week, senior Kristin Caiazzo placed third, and junior Karen Upperco took fifth at the state diving championships at The College of New Jersey. Caiazzo, who will attend the University of Pittsburgh, scored a 428.90, while Upperco went 387.20.
None of the swimmers placed, but Hopewell coach Drew Seibel said he was very pleased with the effort from his young team.
"We swam better than we were seeded in all the events," Seibel said. "The girls had strong swims. They were very competitive. We didn’t have any personal bests, but we did have strong and consistent swims, and at the end of a long season that was good to see. A lot of them are going to continue at the YMCA nationals and Junior Olympics."
Senior Genny Holmes, Upperco, junior Darby Driscoll, freshman Kristen Cuprzinski and sophomore Emily Alexander competed in the swimming events. Driscoll was in the 100-yard backstroke, and the Lady Bulldogs also competed in the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay.
"We had a very strong team this year," Seibel said. "We lost a lot of talent from last year’s team a total of 11 kids, and that makes a difference. It’s hard to lose that many people and continue at the same level."
Caiazzo improved her score by more than 30 points from last year’s scores at the diving championships.
"I thought I did very good," said Caiazzo, a former gymnast. "It was my last meet in high school, and I wanted it to end on a good note."
The divers had 11 dives, with the first two and the last two going a long way in determining scores, Caiazzo said. Caiazzo said her reverse dive layout was strong. The Mercer County champ also had two front somersault pikes. She was fifth in the same meet last year.
"I think it was pretty close in competition from last year," said Caiazzo, who competes with the Blue Dolphins diving team.
Seibel praised the work ethic of the two divers.
"Both Kris (Caiazzo) and Karen (Upperco) are very good and very reliable," Seibel said. "They practice a lot, and they practice all the time with their team. Their confidence on the board was up this year. They have developed a strong relationship with their coaches with the Blue Dolphins."
The record for the state diving meet is held by Hopewell Valley’s Erin Lutz, who had a 517.10 in 1995. Cherokee junior Natalie Thomas was second this year with a 491.90, followed by Cherry Hill West junior Liza Marianni’s 441.85. Caiazzo recorded a 428.90, followed by Lawrence senior Christie Icenhower’s 414.15 and Upperco’s 387.20.