By Wayne Witkowski
Gabby Wilson will compete in the individual medley and 100-yard freestyle in the NJSIAA individual swimming championship meet Feb. 27 at Gloucester County Institute of Technology in her final meet competing for Jackson Memorial High School.
She leaves her mark in a record-setting season.
“We have 10 seniors and at the end of the regular season, they were all crying tears of joy,” said Wilson, whose dad, David Wilson, is head coach. “I’m really proud of these girls.”
Also competing in the state meet is junior Anna Francisco, who is a 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke swimmer. Sophomore Annalise Giuliano, who excels in the 50 and 500 freestyles, and junior Katie Idank, who competes in freestyle and the 100 breaststroke races, will swim with Wilson and Francisco in two relays at the state meet.
Together, they led the way for a team of many contributors that went unbeaten in the Shore Conference A South Division for the first time and suffered its only loss to West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, 89-81, in the Central Jersey Group IV semifinals that came down to the last race.
“The girls were excited,” coach Wilson said. “They knew what they had coming back and what they could accomplish this year.”
Sweetening the run was a 97-73 victory over defending division champion Southern Regional High School and a gritty victory over perennially tough Toms River High School North. Those victories ended the Jaguars’ perennial runner-up finish in the division.
“It was a great team effort through the season,” the coach said. “Some had to perform at a higher level, and it was different kids throughout the season. Anytime I asked them to show how good they are, they did.”
That showed in freshman Jamie Klag, who was a key contributor in the victory against Toms River North.
“She took her swimming to another level,” coach Wilson said of Klag, a Shore Conference championship meet qualifier in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle. Another freshman, Danielle Holmes, swam her season-best times in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke in the victory over Southern Regional and qualified for the Shore Conference championships in both events.
But the season wasn’t without its moments of individual glory. Gabby Wilson broke her own meet record in the 50 freestyle in 24.95 while finishing third at the Ocean County meet. She also won the 100 breaststroke in the county and Shore Conference meets, nearly breaking her own record in the county meet in 1:07.75.
“In the 50 free, it’s rotating and getting your arms out for the powerful pull,” Wilson said. “For the breaststroke, as soon as I touch the wall, I’m off the wall. Some use that moment as a resting point, but that’s where you have to be fast. That’s where you win races.”
Wilson feels the breaststroke is her event for college. She has visited Gardner-Webb University and also is considering the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Campbell University and Ramapo College.
Francisco broke her own Shore Conference meet record in the 100 backstroke with a winning mark of 55.65 and was second in the 100 butterfly in 56.14 to break her own school record. She won both events in the county meet and was named Swimmer of the Meet for the second straight year.
Giuliano swam a school-record time of 2:01.48 in the 200 freestyle at the county meet, where she finished fourth. Idank was sixth in that event. It helped the Jaguars finish third in the team standings.
The Jaguas also proved powerful in the relays. The medley relay set meet records in the county and Shore Conference meets, where the 1:56.2 time in the latter meet was just .06 off the school record. In that relay, Francisco swam the backstroke, Idank swam the breaststroke, Wilson swam the butterfly and Giuliano swam the freestyle. The same four swimmers were on the 200 freestyle relay that finished first at the county meet in 1:40.68. That relay was third in the Shore Conference meet.
Both relays will compete in the state meet at Gloucester County Tech.
Giuliano and Idank missed the Shore Conference meet because of illnesses, which figured in the Jaguars finishing sixth place in the team standings.
Seniors Allison Young and Victoria Migneco did not set school records, but coach Wilson was quick to point out the important roles they played. Young often was the second swimmer to get points in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke and also swam the individual medley.
“She’s always a team player. She never complained,” the coach said.
Migneco was a sprint freestyler who also filled in well on relays as needed.
It was all part of the makeup of a memorable season.
Jackson Memorial’s boys also had a fine season, finishing second in A South and losing to Cinnaminson High School in the second round of the state tournament.
Jackson Liberty High School’s boys, meanwhile, had some tough losses in a 2-8 season, but not without some contributors to the team under coach Mike DiSanzo.
“The last half of the season was special,” DiSanzo said. “We were very young with a lot of new guys and did not have the strength we were used to, but everyone matured and stepped up to do everything possible and do it together. As their coach, I couldn’t ask anything more from them to mature and grow as a family.”
Two senior captains led the way: Chris Murphy in the 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly and Chris Mulholland in the 500 freestyle, where he cut his time to 5:57. The junior standouts included sprint freestyler Derek Patron, who qualified for the Shore Conference meet in the 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle; Nick Abileilra in the individual medley and the 100 butterfly; and John Goldenberg in the freestyles and 100 backstroke. Sophomores Hunter Bulin and Tom Ferullo, who qualified for the Shore Conference meet in the sprint freestyles, rounded out the top contributors.