High school swim meets do not typically have packed stands. When the Blue Devils faced Scotch Plains-Fanwood, it was an entirely different story. With the first rivalry meet of the season, alumni, parents and friends watched as Westfield secured another victory over the Raiders.
Juniors Michael Fisher and Wes Young anchored two of the Westfield’s 400 freestyle relay lanes, finishing first and second respectively, capping off the meet and adding the final points to the Blue Devils’ 128.5 – 41.5 win. Onlookers and teammates cheered the teams on as Westfield added the final touches on an already secured win. Senior captain Charlie Jeckell said, “It was a great meet. It’s always good to lay down a win against a rival like SPF. One of our first big competitive meets, so it’s good to see everyone racing the way they did today.”
With this win, the boys continue their undefeated record, improving to 3-0. Coming off decisive wins against Governor Livingston and Cranford, scoring over 100 points each meet, there was plenty of momentum coming into today.
Many of the juniors performed exceptionally well, notably Fisher, Young, Hudson Wilcomes, and Danny Pierce. Led by senior captains Jeckell, Danny McGann, and Ben Nematadzira, the boys laid down a commanding win, dominating both the relays and individual events.
Pierce secured first place in multiple of his individual events, using his long frame and reach to his advantage. “Honestly, we have such a good community here. And we have such a strong brotherhood that even though, you know, I didn’t have as much competition today, I really just wanted to bring the energy and set the tone for the rest of the year,” he added, energized by the team’s triumph.
After the meet, Westfield swim alumni reunited with their former team once more to receive their state championship rings from last winter. Their 15-0 streak has continued to this season, improving to 3-0 from yesterday’s victory.
The girls were able to continue their winning streak, strengthening their record to 3-0 as well. Even though Scotch Plains has been a powerhouse team, the Blue Devils dominated 114-56.
Setting the tone early, the girls dominated the first heat of the meet – the 200 Medley Relay. Westfield finished first with a time of 1 minute 51.23 seconds, led by senior captain Emily Constable and breakout freshman Jane Kavanagh, and they finished second with a time of 1:55.73. It became clear Scotch Plains had their work cut out for them.
Coming off of three wins, head coach Steve Whittington wants to keep momentum high rolling into the long January stretch. “I think it’s really important that in December we were able to put in a solid meet to set the tone for the rest of the season.”
Even with multiple stars swimming for the Blue Devils, the roster has depth with underclassmen, including Kavanagh and junior Emily Kapuscinski coming away with individual victories. This win does not come without hard work, and senior captain Bella Giacobbe thinks it is really beginning to show: “I think we definitely fed off the energy of all of our alumni, we had so much fun just getting fast swims in. Our swims definitely showed the hard work we’ve been putting in.”
Both teams have their next meet on Jan. 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the Westfield YMCA. The girls will be facing Oak Knoll and the boys will take on Oratory Prep, both teams looking to continue their undefeated seasons.
