By: centraljersey.com
The format was different this year with no team scores being kept at the Skyland Conference Championships, but the Montgomery High School swim teams didn’t need a score to show they are still formidable.
The Cougar girls won four individual gold medals and were second in two relays Saturday while hosting the Skylands.
"They swam great," said MHS girls head coach Claire Scarpa. "I think almost every girl had a PR at some point."
Megan Lydzinski maintained her spot atop the state’s best in the sprints. After a slow start to the season, she used the Skyland meet as reassurance that she still is the best. The junior captured the 50 freestyle and 100 free for the third straight year at Skylands. Her 24.05 for the 50 and 52.44 for the 100 were season bests.
"The shocking thing was her seed time," Scarpa said. "Her fastest 100 was a 55. Other coaches were asking me if it was right. It reassures me, from her going a 52 in January, it sets the pace for what she can do the rest of the year.
"I think she needed that, to swim fast and be pushed. In the 100, Mara Valanzuela was not even at her feet when she hit the wall and (Valanzuela) is a very good sprinter. After the county meet last year, I thought it was going to be a closer race. I was even a little worried that she could lose."
She hasn’t lost yet, and now after a dominant Skyland meet, it looks like it will be a difficult task on any day that she is motivated. Hannah Matheson also took gold when she won the 100 butterfly in 58.14 seconds, a meet, pool and school record. She topped defending champion and fellow sophomore Carly Whitmer of Mount St. Mary on Saturday. It was also Whitmer’s record that she broke, by .22 for the meet mark and by even less for the pool record.
"The pool record was by .05," Scarpa noted. "Whitmer set it last year. She’s been wanting to break the fly record all year. I’m really proud of her." Anna Marshall captured the fourth gold for the MHS girls when she took the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.16, almost two seconds ahead of Aleksa Lapinas of Delaware Valley. Defending champion Stephanie Ferrell, who is headed to Harvard next year, did not swim in the event while focusing on the 500 free, which she won.
"It’s Anna’s first time winning the 100 breast," Scarpa said. "I was so happy for her."
Marshall’s day began with a huge PR in the 200 indivdiual medley. She finished third in 2:16.72.
"Marshall stepped up and cut three seconds off her time in the IM," Scarpa said. "Then she won the breast. That came from the fact that Stephanie Ferrell swam the 500.
"The thing about a championship type meet was there was no score. You could put people in the events they wanted to swim. That’s why we had Hannah Matheson and Miranda Ford in the 200 free. I was able to do that and let them swim what they wanted to swim."
Matheson was second in the 200 free and Ford, a freshman, was fifth. Ford swam to fourth in the 500 free. The Cougar relays also did well. The 200 medley relay placed second in 1:52.15. The 400 free relay was second as well, in 3:42.33. The 200 free relay placed sixth.
On the boys side, Zack Warner had the highest individual finish in a fast meet. Warner placed fourth in the 100 breast in 1:02.71. The Cougar boys placed sixth in the 200 medley in 1:4485 and sixth in the 100 free relay in 1:38.46.
The Montgomery girls return to the pool to host Mount St. Mary today. The boys won’t compete again until Thursday when both teams host Bridgewater-Raritan. It’s a big week that follows a promising Skyland showing.
"I didn’t know what to expect because we’re only a week out of winter break and we had two meets during the week," Scarpa said. "There were a lot of factors that could have changed how things went. I was very pleased and very proud of all the girls.
"Overall, everyone swam well. They swim well in big meets."

