By Tim Morris
With a state tournament victory, the Freehold Township High School girls swimming team is turning the 2015-16 season into one to remember.
The Patriots beat North Brunswick Township High School, 113-57, Feb. 3 to advance to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group A semifinals.
With a dual-meet record of 9-1, solid showings at the Monmouth County (fourth) and Shore Conference (fifth) championships, a dual-meet victory over Non-Public B state champion Trinity Hall (90-80) and securing the No. 3 seed in their state section, the Patriots have become more than just a perennial Shore Conference A North Division contender (the team was second to Middletown High School South this year). They are gaining state recognition now.
“The season has been a good one with a 9 -1 record,” head coach Brittany Bott said. “The girls are constantly trying to push each other, gain [personal records] and set records. One meet that we are still excited about was our win over Trinity Hall, 90-80.
“We have three great senior leaders who will be tough to replace (Shannon McDade, Jessie Liu and McKayla Tyrrell). The girls all look up to them and they have truly been some of the best leaders we have seen at Freehold Township.”
The Patriots came through with a superb effort individually and in the relays to finish fifth at the Shore Conference Championships Jan. 31 at the Ocean County YMCA in Toms River.
Molly Griswold led the Patriots with a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.71) and a sixth-place showing in the 200 Individual Medley (2:14.84)
Sprinter Erianna Nguyen was eighth in the 50 freestyle (24.98) and fifth in the 100 (54.36). She achieved the state qualifying standard in the century.
Liu was sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.02), and Stacey Volkov finished 10th in the 100 butterfly (1:02.39).
Freehold Township’s relays shined, with the 200 freestyle team of Griswold, McDade, Veronica Sowinski and Nguyen finishing fourth in 1:42.86 to achieve a state championship qualifying time.
The 200 Medley Relay team of the same foursome also attained a state qualifying mark by placing fifth in 1:53.90.
In their victory over No. 7-seed North Brunswick, Nguyen (50 freestyle), Liu (100 butterfly), Isabelle Scala (500 freestyle), Sowinski (100 backstroke) and Griswold (100 breaststroke) won their individual races for the Patriots. The 200 Medley Relay team also won.
Freehold Township was scheduled to swim against No. 2-seed Hillsborough High School (7-1) in the sectional semifinals Feb. 8. The other semifinal pits top-seed Montgomery High School against No. 4-seed Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
“We are well aware of the power that Hillsborough has, but we are still determined to put up a fight,” said Bott, whose team has nothing to lose in its meet with the Raiders.
The Central Jersey Public A finals are Feb. 11 at the Neptune Aquatic Center.
Colts Neck’s girls make state tourney
Colts Neck High School had a good year as well. The Cougars finished with a 9-4 record. They lost their state tournament meet to undefeated Jackson Memorial High School, 94-76, in the Central Jersey Public B quarterfinals.
Kayleigh Hoagland won the 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, and Megan Judge won the 200 freestyle for Colts Neck. The 400 freestyle team of Nicole Dado, Judge, Vera Stepanyan and Hoagland was also victorious.
The Cougars, who were runners-up in the B North Division, were eighth in the county and ninth in conference championship meets.
Hoagland led the Cougars with a third-place finish in the 200 IM (2:13.32) and fifth-place showing in the 100 backstroke (1:00.75).
Judge took eighth in the 100 freestyle (54.94) and 10th in the 100 backstroke (1:02.51).
The relay team of Judge, Dado, Hoagland and Stepanyan took ninth in the 200 Medley Relay.