Christian Brothers Academy I f Christian Brothers Academy’s (CBA) dominance in the pool was ever in question, the swim team put all doubts to rest after securing the school’s fourth consecutive NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship on Feb. 24. The Colts defeated Seton Hall Preparatory School, 113-57, at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.
“It was an exciting meet for us. We knew going in that we had a chance of winning,” CBA head coach Vito Chiaravalloti said. “Any time you get a chance to win the championship, it’s a tremendous experience. They are a good group and have a lot of heart, and it makes the hard work worth it to win the last meet and hold the trophy.”
The Colts were winners in 10 of the meet’s 11 events, including first-place showings in all three relays. Junior Alex D’Anna placed first in two individual races — the 200-yard individual medley (1:59.78) and 100 breaststroke (1:01.50) — and he was a member of the 200 freestyle relay (1:30.25) and 200 medley relay (1:39.23) teams. Fellow junior Robert Whitacre joined D’Anna on that 200 medley relay team and also gained first-place finishes in the 100 freestyle (48.23), 100 backstroke (53.46) and as a member of the 400 freestyle relay team (3:20.67).
“They’re special swimmers,” Chiaravalloti said about D’Anna and Whitacre. “They are two kids who can compete on a national level.
“To have them coming back [next season is] exciting and sets the tone for the rest of the team,” the coach continued. “They are two of 40 guys that make this all possible.”
Senior captain Josh Berger swam on all three winning relay teams and earned a firstplace finish in the 50 freestyle (22.10). Junior Dean Shafritz, also on the 200 medley relay team, won the 100 butterfly (54.26). Junior Stephen Benvenuto took the 500 freestyle (4:52.13) and placed second in the lone event that CBA was not a winner in — the 200 freestyle — with a time of 1:46.64. Seton Hall Prep’s Justin Dunn was the winner in that event by finishing in 1:45.60.
Berger, Joe Caucino (captain), Cam Wilson (captain), Avery Alexander, Andre Daneman, Ryan Dunigan, Brian Fox, Matt Horbacz, Dean Imbemba and Dan Knox found this win to be especially memorable since it marked a perfect run for the group of 10 seniors that experienced all four of CBA’s recent state championships.
“They’ve been there,” Chiaravalloti said about his seniors. “One of the unique things about our senior class is that they never lost a state championship, and not too many athletes can say that. They took a lot of pride in that.
“They were ready to close it out, leave a legacy and challenge the junior class,” he added. CBA made it to the championship meet after taking the South Jersey Non-Public A sectional. The Colts received a first-round bye before defeating Notre Dame High School, 117-53, in the semifinals and then St. Augustine College Preparatory School, 100-70, in the finals.
In addition to attaining the four-peat with previous state championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012, this marks the fifth overall state title for CBA. The Colts won their first in 1998, and Chiaravalloti was a key swimmer for that team.
“Winning as a swimmer is obviously exciting,” said Chiaravalloti, who has coached the CBA swim team since 2008 after taking over for the retired Mike Sullivan. “I said when we won in 2010 that there is nothing better than winning as a coach because it feels like a team effort. It’s a more rewarding victory to share with 40 guys. As a swimmer, you get caught up in four events. As a coach, you’re coaching 11 events with three swimmers in each event — it’s like coaching 33 events. It’s a different feeling, and I’m most proud of being able to do both.”
The Colts also won their 23rd straight Shore Conference Tournament title on Feb. 3 with 388 points, 210 more than second place Toms River High School North. Whitacre took three gold medals during the meet in the 100 backstroke, 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay. His personal best of 50.78 in the 100 backstroke was both a meet and team record, while the 200 freestyle relay time of 1:28.59, which was also the work of D’Anna, Berger and sophomore Chris Tucker, also set a meet record.
“Although it seems like we won easily, it’s far from easy.” Chiaravalloti said. “We have incredible depth, which guides us because we have so many swimmers who can score. These guys have a lot of pride and they don’t want to be the team that loses the first Shore Conference title.”
Winning the Shore Conference championship is always a goal for CBA, in addition to winning the Monmouth County championships and the state title. The Colts were winners for the 23rd straight time in the Monmouth County meet on Jan. 12 with 422 points, well ahead of second place Marlboro High School’s 201.5. Whitacre, D’Anna, Shafritz and Berger set a meet record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:37.73.
With another state championship in their collection, the “Drive for Five” begins, and Chiaravalloti knows he must keep his swimmers focused in light of the lofty expectations they will have heading into the 2013-14 season.
“That was one of my biggest challenges after winning last season and getting the three-peat,” he said. “We had to make sure these guys stayed focused and motivated. Complacency is one of the easiest ways to go down the wrong path toward losing.
“We’re returning a lot of swimmers,” Chiaravalloti continued. “We want them to enjoy this championship and we want them to understand the work is not done. Next year, we expect nothing less than another state title.”