Raider boys started something special in pool

Team won first sectional title

By: John E. Powers
   
   One thing very clear in the aftermath of the outstanding season Hillsborough High Schools boys’ swimming team was this: everybody connected with the program believes that this year was just the start of something bigger.
   "With all of these young swimmers on this team — these guys are going to be in the mix for a long, long time," Raider senior co-captain Mark Green said. "I think this is the start of something really big. They’re going to be good for a long time."
   The centerpiece of the Hillsborough season was the school’s first Central Jersey Public School A sectional title. The boys finished with an outstanding 14-2 dual meet record. They finished second to powerful Bridgewater-Raritan in the Skyland Conference and Somerset County championships.
   Hillsborough’s season ended with a loss to perennial state power Westfield in the state semifinals, but the loss didn’t cloud what head coach Todd Sudol is building or the milestone season.
   "The way I looked at it was that we’re a young team and we’re young in the sense of competing in these kinds of meets. Westfield has been doing it for 30 years," Sudol said. "This was our first sectional title and our first state semifinals. This is a beginning for us opposed to an ending. The guys are gaining experience."
   At the counties, Green won the 100 free with a 55.23, two seconds faster than last year. Green also placed third in the backstroke after helping the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays take second. Junior Frank Ippolito, second in the county 100 breast last year, won the championship this year with a 1:18:38, being pushed to the end by Raider freshman Pat Kuehne, who was second.
   At the counties, Green successfully defended his 100-meter freestyle title, placed fourth in the 100-meter backstroke and participated on the second-place 200 free relay that swam a strong 1:43.31. He also swam on the second-place medley relay, which went 1:59.96.
   The 400-meter relay team of freshman Timmy Rauch, Kuehne, sophomore Sean Downey and Ippolito was second in 4:00.80. Ippolito, junior Devon Gunaskera and sophomore Scott Prow joined Green in the 200 medley relay and Prow, Kuehne and Downey teamed with Green in just missing the school record for the 200 free relay. Ippolito and Rauch went 4-5 in the 200 individual medley, Ippolito was second in the 100 breast, while Kuehne was fourth.
   Co-captains Green and senior sprinter Evan Gargulio and senior James Vanbiervliet will be missed, but Ippolito, sophomores Peter Cole, Downey, Prow, Eric Horowitz and Rauch give the team a bright future. Freshmen Robert Webb and Bob Gendimenico contributed big efforts throughout the year.
   Vanbiervliet, Gunasekara and Rich Byrne were very pivotal in the 90-80 sectional final win against West Windsor-Plainsboro South at North Brunswick High School. The Raiders won just three of 14 events — Green in the 100 freestyle, Kuehne in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 freestyle relay — but their talented depth paid huge benefits. Most of that depth will be back next year.
   "I don’t think it’s going to stop here," Sudol said. "I’m big into tradition and big into starting things and this is something we started and hopefully it’ll continue on."