After last year’s season came to a heartbreaking finish, Westfield entered the 2022-2023 season with one goal in mind. In an interview just three months ago, head coach Jeff Knight said, “One of our goals is to exact revenge on Cherry Hill [East].” Knight and his team spoke those words into existence as Westfield took back the state title from the same team that stripped it of a win last year.
Westfield had a clean sweep this season, taking home the Union County title, the North 2, Public A sectional title, and the Public A state title, while also being one of three teams that finished the season undefeated. However, the road to get there was not all smooth sailing as they faced multiple top ranked opponents.
At the beginning of the season Westfield was ranked fourth in the state, but slowly crept its way to the number one spot as it took down other top ranked teams such as Christian Brothers Academy and eventually Bridgewater-Raritan in the North 2, Public A sectional finals. These nail-biting races were limited this season, as the Blue Devils predominantly rolled over their opponents, but the big wins gave them momentum and confidence as they prepared to face off once again on the most important stage.
“With graduating such an amazing senior class, there were definitely questions, and other people did not know where we stood in terms of overall state. Hence the fact that we were ranked fourth,” said Knight. But Westfield extinguished the doubt that flurried around it as many different swimmers stepped up to fill needed roles. “Relay-only swimmers and outside-lane swimmers started to fill those center lanes, and it was those guys that did make the difference and were able to step up and prove that they’re worthy,” Knight noted.
One of Westfield’s most consistent and fastest swimmers, sophomore Owen Waibel, was a difference maker and played a key role in Westfield’s undefeated season. Waibel tallied two first-place finishes in his individual events in the defeat of Cherry Hill East.
“High school swimming is so much about momentum. I know that if I win, it will get our confidence up and keep rolling,” said Waibel. Waibel was a sure thing for the Blue Devils this season and was dependable whenever Westfield needed a first-place finish in an event.
Westfield’s success did not just mount with the individuals stepping up and the trophies, but also broken records. The Blue Devils wound up with the highest power point total in Westfield history and regained their number one ranking in the state. With this ranking, one might think there was a lot of pressure on the team, but Knight emphasized that the swimmers welcomed pressure and responded well when they had a target on their back.
It was evident that the Blue Devils were on a tear this season as many of the emotions carried over from last season’s gut-wrenching loss to Cherry Hill East in the Public A final. Knight emphasized the camaraderie amongst the team to win a state title this year specifically for last year’s seniors who were deprived of that victory. “Our senior class was one of the strongest in Westfield history,” said senior co-captain Colin Kavanagh, “But after a tough loss last year to Cherry Hill, I knew that we had the determination needed to work hard and fill in where the seniors swim last year.”
Last year’s cheating allegations and this year’s transfer controversy regarding Cherry Hill East did not seem to affect Westfield over the course of this season. “We knew we had to take care of what we had to take care of above all,” said Knight, “To get wrapped up in all that other garbage would just be problematic for us, but we did use it as fuel.”
Headed by a strong senior class of five, Westfield was bound for success. “We were constantly pushing ourselves and our teammates throughout our sets so that we could be the best swimmers we could be,” said Kavanagh.
With this veteran leadership departing, Westfield will once again need underclassmen to step up and fill in those gaps for next year, but the team is confident in its ability to fill those roles as it was able to do this season. Westfield’s young talent can and will be used as an asset once again to propel it to another successful season.
“In the end, the good guys won, and we did it the right way,” said Knight.
