Boys make big splash at conference meet
by John E. Powers, Sports Writer
The mantra that Todd Sudol has preached since becoming head coach of the Hillsborough High swimming teams eight years ago is that county and conference meets are just preliminary stops on the way to what the team is really after team and individual glory at the end of the season.
The Raiders showed at the Skyland Conference meet last week that they are faithfully following their coach’s words. The Raider boys didn’t win the conference meet finishing second to Montgomery but their effort was much more satisfying to the team than their third-place Somerset County effort a week before.
Montgomery scored a 256-229 victory over the Raiders with Somerset County champ Bridgewater-Raritan placing third at 221. Hillsborough also learned that it’s the third seed in the upcoming Central Jersey Public A Tournament. Montgomery is the No. 1 seed and Rancocas Valley is second. The Raiders will play host to sixth-ranked South Brunswick, probably Monday. The girls, the sixth seed, will swim at third-seeded Montgomery next Tuesday.
”Ideally, on the boys’ side you want to be in the top three,” said Sudol, whose team has won four straight sectional championships and one state title. “We got some times from what South Brunswick has done. But we should hold up fine. Rancocas is very good and we’ve seen Montgomery a couple of times.”
The Raiders, who beat Montgomery last year in the sectional final, were also third seed last year.
”Hopefully we’ll be peaking at the right time, it should be interesting,” Sudol said. “We’re getting faster as the season goes on. The power points are an indication but I always feel like we’re well below our power points. We always score higher than what we’ve gone in with. I tell the boys we can’t get obsessed with these seedings. You have to go out and swim the races.”
The Raiders went out and did very well at the conference meet. The Raiders won the 200 medley relay (1:41.14) and 200 free relay (1:30.52). Junior Rob Parker won the 100 freestyle with a come-from-behind effort of 48.47, beating Immaculata’s Mike Vernoia (the 200 freestyle champion) by .36 seconds. Parker also placed second in the 200 to Vernoia, who also won the county meet.
”Coach Sudol just wanted to change it up,” Parker said.
Hillsborough also received back-to-back victories by a pair of freshmen, and both triumphs came in dramatic fashion. Matt VanBiervliet won the 100 backstroke in 56.30, just .06 seconds ahead of Bridgewater’s David Yao. Sean Johnson won the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.74, nipping Somerville’s Jeremy Chaudet by .12 seconds.
”I felt pretty good,” said Parker, who won the 50 free and 100 free at the county meet. “I say I’m peaking. I dropped at least five seconds in everything I’ve done before this year.
”At the counties, people weren’t feeling so good and Sean was sick,” Parker added. “We weren’t swimming our best that day, but we stepped it up at the conference meet.”
The 200 medley team was third at the county meet with a 1:43.39. But VanBiervliet (back), Johnson (breast), David Wilson (butterfly) and Parker (freestyle) won in 1:41.14, beating Bridgewater-Raritan, the county champ.
”Our goal was to win two of the three relays, so we decided to stack the medley and go for it,” Sudol said. “We knew we had the fastest medley and we knew we’d win it.”
The 200 free team of Parker, VanBiervliet, Brian Giacopelli and Wilson won in 1:30.52, beating Montgomery’s 1:31.80. The team went 1:29.68 at the county meet.
Parker has qualified in four individual events at the Meet of Champions the 50, 100, 200 and 500. He said he probably be focused on the 200 and 100, but that is still a few weeks away. The team challenge begins with South Brunswick.
”As long as we have swims as we did at the conference meet we’ll be OK,” Parker said.
VanBiervliet was sixth in the 200 freestyle at 1:52.54. Johnson was fifth in the 200 IM at 2:06.71. Giacopelli was fifth in the 50 free at 22.98 and sixth in the 100 free at 50.21. Wilson was second in the 100 butterfly at 54.34 and third in the backstroke at 57.42. The 400 freestyle relay team was third.
Ashley Smolinka was one of the highlights for the HHS girls. She was third in the breaststroke with a personal best of 1:10.63.
”Ashley is doing a great job,” Sudol said.
The 200 freestyle team of Smolinka, Stephanie Silleck, Jessica Parker and Carolyn Mehrtens finished third in 1:43.79. Mehrtens was fifth in the 200 free (2:02.41). The medley team of Heather Good (back), Smolinka (breast), Silleck (fly) and Parker (freestyle) was fourth in 1:58.45.
The 400 freestyle team of Kerri Hamersky, Mehrtens, Good and Jessica Walton finished fifth in 3:55.53.
The team was once again without senior star Kelsey Hurley, who is out with illness.
”No doubt about it, we’re pleased with the girls’ performance,” Sudol said. ‘It’s tough going without somebody like Kelsey, who is a guaranteed win for us. But seniors like Carolyn and Jess Parker are picking up the slack in the relays.”