MHS boys, girls enjoy title wins
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Cassidy Bergeron and Matt Maykowski know first-hand how difficult it is to win a sectional title.
The seniors have been a part of some strong Montgomery High School swim teams over their four years, but there haven’t been any sectional banners, and the drought went back well before they came to high school.
It’s what made Friday’s sweep of the Central Jersey A girls and boys championships that much more memorable for the swimmers and their coaches.
”It feels great,” said Maykowski, after the Cougars boys began the day with a 114-56 win over Toms River North. “I’ve never been on a team that’s made it this far. And being a captain this year in my senior year, it’s really special.”
After the boys won their first sectional title since 2006, the girls followed with their first crown since 2004 when they stopped Cherry Hill West, 99-71.
”In the beginning of the season, we definitely knew something awesome was going to happen this year,” said Bergeron, one of seven seniors for the Cougars girls. “Our team has so much depth in it this year, it’s crazy.”
The MHS girls have had some top front-line swimmers in the past, but this year’s team has done well with a greater collection of depth. It’s made the difference this year.
”Now we’re getting second, third, and most of the time we’re sweeping the breaststroke,” Bergeron said. “The beginning of our meet, our coaches said, it’s going to be close but we know we can do it.”
Strong starts fueled both teams to their wins. The Cougar boys roared out to a 44-18 lead at the break over a Toms River team that was missing two of its key swimmers, and MHS never looked back on its way to its second title in program history.
”I’m not surprised we’ve made it this year,” Maykowski said. “I’ve never been on a team this great. Looking back, I didn’t know we could do this. As the season progressed, it showed how great they are and how they could pull through.”
MHS had the winner in nine of the 11 events. After the medley relay of Evan O’Mara, Zack Warner, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Wesley Chen opened up with a win, the Cougar boys went 1-2-4 in the 200 free with Jake Otterbein, Eric Jiang and Maykowski. They never looked back from there. Warner won the 200 individual medley and later the 100 breaststroke, O’Mara won the 50 and 100 freestyle races, Alec Wilson won the 500 free, Chen captured the 100 backstroke and Phil Tow, Tommy Glavin, Fitzpatrick and Otterbein won the 200 free relay.
”They’ve been building all season,” said MHS boys coach Noelle Keller. “Every meet keeps getting better and better. I feel like these boys have really come together as a team.”
Progress has been steady for the boys, who have found their talent spread throughout the lineups they have used, including several new swimmers to the team that have helped the veterans.
”We have so much depth on this team,” Maykowski said. “A lot of people think of freshmen like they’re not going to be that fast. They pull through a lot. Everyone pulls through. We have a lot of depth and everyone is passionate about what we do.”
The boys will face Cherry Hill East in the Group A state semifinals today. The finals are Sunday.
”We’re taking it meet by meet of course,” said Maykowski, who swam on the third-place 200 and 400 free relays. “Everyone has been doing what they’re supposed to. If everyone tries their hardest, that’s when we’ve been doing well. Things are progressing nicely.”
Maykowski is looking to go out with his best swims. Shoulder problems have prevented him from doing the 500 free this year in addition to his usual 200 free, but he has come far in his four-year career. A high-school only swimmer — and an inexperienced swimmer at that — when he joined, he eventually became a club swimmer and significant contributor in his final two years.
”I always liked dreamed of being a captain and leader on the team,” Maykowski said. “I never thought it would happen. Now that it has, it’s incredible.”
Bergeron was part of a happy bunch that gained the second girls title in school history. It was something that had been a goal when the season began.
”It was great,” Bergeron said. “This was a great way to have the season go out. It was so much fun.”
Bergeron has been a club swimmer until this year, and the big question was whether she could sustain her speed without the yardage of club practices. She has, and she’s fit in perfectly with a Cougars girls team that continues to go faster with each meet getting bigger.
”They swam faster today than they did at the county meet,” said MHS girls coach Claire Scarpa. “I was thrilled with everyone’s swims. In a girls-only dual meet, they managed to swim very fast.
”It felt awesome. The girls are very happy.”
Brigid DiBlasio, Michelle D’Allegro, Kara Kydzinski and Katie King won the 200 medley relay. King won the 200 IM, Lydzinski won the 50 free and 100 butterfly, Brianna McKenna won the 100 free, and before McKenna, Miranda Ford, King and Lydzinski won the 400 free relay to wrap up the meet, D’Allegro put a nice touch on the day with a pool-record 1:06.67 to win the 100 breaststroke. The freshman had predicted it before the meet.
”While warming up, everyone said, I feel so fast, I feel phenomenal,” Bergeron said. “Right off the bat, people were getting personal records. It was that attitude going in there that set it off.
”People set the expectations high for themselves and they got it,” she said. “It was amazing.”
Bergeron found her best swims Friday as well. She had personal records while taking fourth in both the 50 free and 100 fly.
”It was definitely our mentality,” Bergeron explained. “We got pumped up in the locker room before we even went out. When you’re part of a team and have everyone to cheer for you, you want to do good for them. Swimming can be an individual sport, but when you have a team counting on you, it definitely pushes you to swim a little faster and try a little harder.”
Bergeron knows that there aren’t many meets left for her with Montgomery, and she’s giving her best to go out on top. Her efforts provide the sort of example that is helping to push along the younger Cougars.
”She’s been a very strong swimmer that I can count on,” Scarpa said, “and she’s good behind the blocks getting the kids ready to go.”
As the Cougars gear up for today’s state semifinals against Cherokee, they are eyeing a trip to the finals. But rather than looking ahead to that, the MHS teams want to focus just on putting together the sort of swims that got them their sectional crowns.
”Everyone went a best time,” Bergeron said. “Hopefully we can do it again on Tuesday.”