By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
SEWELL Caroline Kelly’s season extended last year beyond the team portion to the Meet of Champions.
But last year was a bit different in practicing for the most competitive meet in New Jersey. Kelly wasn’t alone.
”She was with boys last year so it made it easier,” said Lawrence High School swim coach Mike Underwood. “This was a first-time ever.”
With no other Cardinals qualifying for the Meet of Champions, Kelly was left to herself to prepare for the MOC. She made the most of it.
”It was just me,” Kelly said. “I will say I do like training with the team better. I actually had Mr. Underwood pacing with me. He was walking two body lengths in front of me and I’d pretend he was the swimmer. That’s what you have to do. It’s so pathetic, but we had so much fun doing it.
”We’d make the pool sound like an auditorium with stereos. We had the speakers blasting. We were louder than all the guys in the weight room. We had so much fun with it.”
It paid off handsomely too as Kelly improved over last year’s finishes at Sunday’s MOC finals. She finished 13th in the state in the 100 freestyle one spot ahead of her seeding in 54.46 seconds, just off the school record 54.31 she set in Saturday’s preliminary swim. Saturday, she was 25th in the 50 free in 25.36 seconds, faster than the 25.47 she clocked in the 2008 MOC.
”It was my goal to get here,” Kelly said Sunday. “I made it back. I did better than I did last year. I dropped a whole second from what I did at counties. I’m so excited. That record, I’ve been looking at that record so long. There’s nothing like waiting ‘til the last minute, but I’m so happy I got it.”
A year ago, Kelly finished 14th in the 100 free at the MOC in 54.98. She credited Underwood and the LHS staff with helping her drop the time necessary in the final weeks of this season to graduate a record-holder. Underwood credited Kelly.
”It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I’m definitely going to miss having her at practices and at meets. She’s on to bigger and better things. She was 13th in the state, she got the school record (Saturday). She’s had a heck of a weekend.
”It’s very tough to do what she did. I give her a lot of credit. Practicing by herself, nobody pushing her. She really accomplished something great this weekend.”
Kelly had plenty of internal motivation even if none of her teammates were pushing her in practices. Competing on the biggest stage in New Jersey certainly helped.
”Last year, I was just happy to be here,” she said. “This year, there was more pressure because last year I made it back to finals. I wanted to get back this year. I’m very happy I made it back. I’m very happy with my times and where I placed. It’s exciting.
”(Saturday) was awesome. I like (Saturday) a lot better than today just because my times were better.”
Kelly knew she couldn’t hold back in Saturday’s preliminaries or she wouldn’t make it to the finals. It was no surprise to her, then, that it took a school-record swim.
”All these girls, they’re the top in the state so they’re all fast and they know how to swim,” Kelly said. “They’re all really fast swimmers, so I didn’t think I’d come back. I thought it’d be like my 50 where everything was just so close that it almost comes down to luck if you make it. I was so happy. You have to go all-out for that.”
It was an ideal way to go out for one of Lawrence’s top all-time swimmers. Saturday’s record and Sunday’s strong showing cement that she won’t be soon forgotten.
”She finally got her name up on the record board that she’s been chasing for four years and deserves,” Underwood said. “Today was gravy. She moved up a spot and did well.”
It was Caroline Kelly’s final scholastic swim before she will begin to focus on narrowing her choice of college. She can do so knowing she put together a solid final high school meet as the lone LHS representative at the Meet of Champions.
”I’m happy. I had to come and swim here and do it,” Kelly said. “It was difficult. I don’t want to do that again. It was fun though.”

