On Feb. 12, Westfield girls swimming wrapped up their season with a 93.5-76.5 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan in the sectional final. The girls had a strong season compared to last year, improving their record from 9-5 to 11-2 and coming out victorious in the Union County Tournament, which secured them the top seed in their section.
The Blue Devils started the season with eight consecutive wins, overwhelming strong opponents like Summit and Immaculate Heart Academy. The IHA win demonstrated the team’s dominance this year, as it was the first time the girls had defeated them in the past two years. Senior co-captain Ava Contract said that they expected the meet to be really competitive, but still, “Everyone gave their best effort, including a key 1-2-3 finish in the 100 backstroke, which helped us secure the win. It was really exciting for the team because it showed how much we had improved. We didn’t expect to win, and after the meet, everyone was jumping with joy,” she said.
After that meet, the girls went on to face Trinity Hall, a competitive opponent, and despite the 93-77 loss, the girls put on a very strong performance, both as a team and individually. Senior co-captain Cecilia Wiggins said, “We totaled the best times on the bus ride back home and counted 18 best times across the team. Multiple Meet of Champions times were made, and the energy on the deck that day was truly on fire. Every single girl was up and cheering for the races. That was our highest power-point meet of the whole season.”
This performance displayed the individual talent and passion that was evident throughout the season. Head coach Steve Whittington said that a key member of the team this year was junior Jane Kavanagh. “Kavanagh has been simply outstanding for the team this year, winning every individual event we put her in during the regular season and postseason. She went on to further break her school record that she currently owns in both the 200 Free and 200 IM,” he said.
Moving into the tournament season, the girls won the Union County Championship, scoring 341 points to edge out rivals Summit (323) and Kent Place (322). Kavanagh made major contributions, winning both the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke, helping them secure their first UCC title since 2023.
The Blue Devils had a bye for both the first and quarterfinal rounds of the NJSIAA North 2 Group A Tournament, which led them to face Columbia High School in the Semifinals. Westfield beat Colombia 92-78, but unfortunately fell short in the Sectional final to Bridgewater-Raritan.
Their season ended with impressive performances at the NJ Meet of Champions. Kavanagh took home silver in the 200 free, breaking the school record with a time of 1:47. She also placed 7th in the 500 free and the 200 meter free relay team of Amelia Nath, Eva Lubenow, Gemma Giordano and Kavanagh placed 8th overall.
This season, the girls’ success was impressive, highlighted by their county win and an 11-2 record, along with a strong sense of team culture. Contract said, “I feel like we were really close as a team this year. In the past, the team sometimes felt a little divided by grade levels, but this season, everyone mixed together much more. That support carried over into the pool too, because everyone genuinely wanted to see each other succeed.”
From major upsets to dominating rivals, the girls swim team had nothing short of an impressive season. Looking towards the future of the program, Whittington said, “While we will miss our seniors who have simply exceeded expectations this year, we have no choice but to move forward. We have so many talented student athletes returning, so in terms of next year, I would say that the sky is the limit.”
