Swim meets never truly come down to the last race. The last event is usually just a culmination of the team’s season, their work ethic and how they performed in the events leading up. However, when facing an opponent like Bridgewater, Westfield did everything in their power to keep the score close, and not only the sectional final but also a chance to continue their season came down to the 400 freestyle relay.
Rowdy is not typically a word used to describe high school swim meets. Chants are not usually a defining factor, but in a deep-seated rivalry like this Public A sectional final, all you could hear the entire meet was chants being answered by fans.
This rallying show of support started early in the meet when senior captain Charlie Jeckell from the deck shouted ‘Let’s go Westfield’. Not only was this an invitation but an expectation that the Westfield section of the stands would answer. Shouts followed then came silent as the swimmers stepped up to the blocks for the first race of the day. The 200 medley relay set the tone, and unfortunately Westfield finished third and fourth. Not only did this mean Westfield scored once in the relay but that Bridgewater, going into the second event, had almost a 10-point lead.
The lead did not last for long, as Westfield answered back swiftly when junior Michael Fisher won the next event, the 200 freestyle, in 1 minute and 43.34 seconds. The next four events, the 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and the 100 freestyle would all need to be big scoring events for Westfield since the 500 freestyle, the longest race of the meet, was predicted to enhance the Bridgewater lead by a large margin.
The Blue Devils did not disappoint. They finished second, third and fourth in the individual medley. Junior Owen Waibel dominated the 50 free. Junior Danny Pierce tied for first in the 100 fly. Waibel rounded out these events with a win in the 100 free.
The 500 actually proved to be the turning point for Westfield. Junior Cole Sharkey put on a gutsy performance and junior Artem Dobrovolskyi followed just behind him.
Following the 500 Westfield was trailing 54-56. In the last few events, Westfield and Bridgewater went back and forth. Pressure was not a new concept to the swimmers or head coach Jeff Knight but that did not make the race easy. Knight knew that what his swimmers needed was an impressive first and third place finish and trusted they could get the job done: “They knew what we had to do. They knew we needed one [and] three.” Knight said that there was a roster change in order to stack both relays, giving each a chance to finish in the necessary spot. “I knew that the guys I was putting in there and switching some things around were going to get the job done, it didn’t matter what lane they were in.”
Jeckell was moved into the third leg of the A relay and needed to swim hard. “The mindset is you have four more laps for what could be the end of your season, the end of your high school career, and we fought so that wasn’t true. We fought to touch that wall first”
The first two legs of the relay were so close that certain splits were tied. When Jeckell entered the pool, Westfield was leading by a slight margin. After his 100, the margin was slightly increased as Waibel dove from the block, ultimately securing the first place victory while Westfield’s other relay cruised into third place.
For a team that won a sectional championship, the three captains showed a level of poise and humility that can only be found through experience. None of the captains were strangers to the sectional experience but all remarked on what this team means to them.
“I don’t swim year round. I come here to swim with the team I love. Without these guys I probably wouldn’t come back. With this being one of the final meets ending with a trophy means the world. All of the hard work paying off just means the world,” said senior captain Danny McGann.
As the boys look to their next challenge of the season, they know the skills they can bring. “A lot of guys stepped up today in the face of adversity. We brought our talents and we made it close,” said senior captain Ben Nematadzira and he joked that “we like it down to the wire.”
As the boys were able to lift the sectional trophy high, it was clear that not only was a great sense of relief brought to this Westfield team but a fiery passion to compete as a unit and continue to dismantle their opponents in the final round of the tournament as the notorious first seed.
Westfield will look to continue their state championship dynasty at the NJSIAA Group 4 semifinal on Feb. 20 at the Passaic County Technical Institute.
