By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Depth is always an issue with the smaller swim teams that compete in Division 2 and Division 3 of the Princeton Area Swimming and Diving Association.
But even though the numbers may be smaller than those teams that compete in Division 1, it doesn’t mean the same strong efforts aren’t there for the smaller teams.
“We were decently sized,” said Nassau Swim Club co-head coach Liz Noles, whose team finished second behind Ben Franklin in Division 2 at the PASDA championship meet. “We had about 60 kids. Every meet we would be missing some kids here and there. But compared to other teams in Division 2, other than Ben Franklin, we are about the same. We had a lot of great talent, which helped make up for having a smaller team.”
Nassau finished with 1,687 points to narrowly edge Hopewell Valley Tennis for second place in Division 2 behind Ben Franklin, which finished with 2,993 points. Nassau was led by a strong contingent in the 10-and-under boys division.
“Our 10-and-under boys, as a group, did fantastic,” Noles said. “They were the last session and going into it we were second to last and by the end we were second. Daniel Baytin was the Most Valuable Swimmer for 10-and-under. He won three individual races (25 free, 25 breaststroke, and 100 individual medley) and set a meet record. He is a very fast swimmer who can do anything. We can put him in any stroke and he will do great. Our relay with Daniel, Owen Barry, Coll Wight, and Alex Burton did really well at champs and throughout the season. They were strong and we always knew we could count on them.”
Noles was in her first season as head coach along with Logan Barnes. The team finished 2-2 in the regular season and made a strong showing at champs. But most importantly, the swimmers enjoyed the season.
“This was my first summer as a head coach,” said Noles, who previously was an assistant coach at Cherry Valley. “I have been involved with PASDA since I was 7, so none of that was new to me. The atmosphere at Nassau was fantastic. Everyone was welcoming and it had a great community feel, which was very important for a summer swim team. A lot of the kids had been swimming for Nassau for a while and that helps.
“This season we were able to win both of our home meets, which is a lot of fun. The kids love to win at home. It was big for me to make sure every swimmer got to swim and no one missed a race. That was huge for me. You know you only swim three races, so to miss one is devastating. That was huge for me that no one missed a race.”
In addition to the 10-and-under boys, Nassau’s two 14-and-under girls also had strong meets.
“We just had two, Isabelle Monoghan and Margaret Hill, but they are very strong and did great,” Noles said. “They can swim any stroke. A few times they swam up with the 17-and-unders and they helped there. They stood out. And so did the Adlai-Gail sisters, Becca and Rachel. They were very versatile and did very well at champs.”
Like Nassau, Cherry Valley’s numbers weren’t great but they still had a good showing at champs. After a 3-2 regular season, Cherry Valley finished third in Division 3 with 1,026 points, trailing Hopewell Valley Golf (1,209) and Twin River (1,173).
“Our little guys were good,” Cherry Valley coach Claire Scarpa said. “We did not have many older kids. We had no boys over 11 so we couldn’t fill all the lanes. But the kids we had were great and cheered and really enjoyed themselves.
“Our main goal is to have fun and we make the most of the situation. Normally we have 85 to 100 swimmers but this year had 58, so were down a lot of kids.”
Cherry Valley had its share of standouts at the championship meet.
“Sadie Lingerfield did fabulous,” Scarpa said. “She had a great year. She is 10 years old and she loves swimming. She loves Cherry Valley and is so enthusiastic. That was a very good age group for us. I had a solid relay and a bunch of really good girls.”
Cherry Valley won the 100 free relay for Division 3 with Lingerfield, Mia Zebrauskas, Aine Dowling and Ciprianna Rue.
