WEST WINDSOR: Pirates complete perfect season

Girls swim team tops Westfield for state A Division title

By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
   EWING — Paul Hamnett knew his West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls swim team needed to be at its best to beat Westfield on Saturday in the state A Division final.
   The Pirates responded beyond even his wildest expectations.
   ”No matter how many times I changed my lineup, I had it as 85-85 almost every time,” said Hamnett, whose team outdid his projections and defeated the two-time defending state champions, 90-80, at The College of New Jersey. “We kind of knew it was going to come down to the last relay and it did. The rest of the girls had to make sure it came down to the last relay for us to have a shot.”
   The Pirates set four school records in the meet, winning nine of the 11 events. And not only did they get the great swims that produced the nine wins, they also got great swims from those who didn’t win as well. Nearly every swimmer posted a best time, whether they finished first or fifth.
   ”Gabby Giambagno’s (100) fly and 500 (free) finishes were unbelievable,” Hamnett said of the junior, who finished fourth in the fly and third in the 500. “And Rachel Sartor’s 100 backstroke (third) to me was also a key because those swims made it so we only had to win the last relay. With those four girls in the end I had the utmost confidence.”
   The Pirates received school record performances from Brynja Winnan in the 50 free (24.40), Rebecca Lewinson in the 100 butterfly (56.97), and Cori Michibata in the 100 backstroke (58.62). The 200 free relay team of Jocelyn Yuen, Amanda Grant, Winnan and Meredith Ketchmark also set a school record with their 1:39.08. It was the kind of day the Pirates needed to have in order to unseat Westfield.
   ”It was such a great meet,” said Lewinson, who also won the 200 IM and was part of two winning relays. “No team was ever way ahead of the other so we were kept on our toes the whole time. Everyone had outstanding performances and we won. That’s crazy. In the 500, Gabby was in the outside lane racing the girl on the opposite side of the pool and she held it. To do that for 20 laps, I couldn’t do that. I don’t know how she does it.
   ”There aren’t even words to describe what happened today. To do 90 percent best times is just incredible. Our team really wanted this and we went for it. It shows that hard work pays off.”
   The Pirates opened the meet with a win in the medley relay, and then got wins from Ketchmark in the 200 free and Lewinson in the 200 IM to build a 24-22 lead. It was 31-31 after Westfield went 1-4-5 in the 50 free.
   The meet was still tied after Lewinson was first and Giambagno was fourth in the 100 fly. But after Westfield went 1-3-4 in the 100 free, the Pirates were in a 50-44 hole.
   ”I have not slept a lot the last couple of days,” Hamnett said of setting his lineup. “It’s been nerve-racking because you second-guess yourself 100 times. I was second-guessing myself right up to the last relay. We changed things even throughout the meet. The girls responded and they make it look easy.”
   The 500 helped turn the meet back the Pirates way as Ketchmark won and Giambagno was third. They got to within 63-61 with the win in the 200 free relay, and then evened the score at 70-70 when Michibata won the backstroke and Sartor was third.
   ”The 500, Gabby getting third, was big,” Hamnett said. “She came through with an amazing swim after getting a key fourth place in the fly. That was even more surprising. Even that first relay, we got away with winning the medley relay without Meredith or Brynja on the end of it. That really got everybody confident in the lineup.”
   Giambagno could tell the swim was important, even as she made her way through the 20 lap race.
   ”I knew that I needed to beat the girl in lane six,” she said. “Once I got past her, I thought this is good. But then everyone was cheering and I was kind of wondering why. And then I saw that girl (in lane two) and I just swam it all out. I didn’t care what my time was at that point. I just needed to get through and beat her.”
   Yuen then won the breaststroke, with Grant getting third and Kim Chiu finishing fifth to give the Pirates an 80-76 lead heading into the final relay.
   In the final relay, Winnan, Grant and Lewinson got a lead and Ketchmark held off a charge for the win.
   ”We knew it was going to come down to that last relay,” Giambagno said. “And everything we had left, we just had to throw it in that pool. It didn’t matter if we had to drag each other out, we just had to swim our hearts out.”
   Added Lewinson: “It was tough because Amanda had just swum the breaststroke, so she was exhausted. And they have Suzanne Lemberg anchoring their team and she is one of the best in the state. So I knew I had to give Meredith as much of a lead as I could give her. And she put out an incredible time. We needed that.”
   So, after two straight years of falling short against Westfield, the Pirates are now champions in the pool.
   ”This is our third time here in a row,” said Hamnett, whose team won its final 15 meets to finish 15-1. “I felt like this was our best team, all around. Our relays are our best and that was what it came down to.”
   For the swimmers, it was the perfect way to end the season.
   ”This was my best day, ever,” said Giambagno, who took seven seconds off her time to swim 5:23.85 in the 500 free. “I had three best times. It was great. It’s a day I will never forget. It’s all about depth. We knew that even though we had some first places, we needed to get those thirds and fourths.”
   Added Lewinson: “We weren’t really that close the last two years. We got here, but Westfield was such an incredible team they nearly doubled our score last year. To come here and be able to beat them shows just how far our team has come.”