The MHS girls’ swim team won their meet against Pequannock High School on Monday, December 16 with a score of 91 to 79. This was Madison’s third meet, as well as their first win of the season. The girls worked hard for this win, fighting in every race for points where a first place finish in an individual event is worth six points, second is worth four points, third is worth three, fourth is worth two, and fifth is worth one out of six swimmers per race. The meet was very close and was even tied three times during the meet with the two teams alternating for the lead, but Madison ultimately pulling ahead. Head Coach Nancy Leib called this meet a “nail biter,” and Assistant Coach Lisa Moretti added that “all points were crucial.” Indeed, the MHS team pulled together to get points everywhere they could, fighting for even fourth and fifth place, knowing that each person’s effort counted. Lisa Moretti elaborated on this saying “Our depth of swimmers that won 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^ths were what won us the meet.” Nancy Leib also credited the “team depth” as the deciding factor in the team’s win.

This effort paid off, as the team not only won the meet, but also garnered many individual best times. In the 50 freestyle, McKenzie Rambusch with a time of 30.37 seconds, Emilie Flamme with a time of 34.01 s, Lauren Kelly with a time of 28.70 s, Melissa Blount with a time of 30.13 s, Caroline Kranefuss with a time of 31.65, Julia Grant with a time of 31.16, Beatrice Stadler with a time of 33.92, and Charlotte Biederman with a time of 35.07 all got best times. In the 100 freestyle, Claire Schaenen got a best time of 1:10.69. Maddie LeGros got a best time of 1:23.82 in the 100-yard backstroke and Katie Brundage got a best time of 1:23.65 in the 100- yard breaststroke. Samantha Blount got a best time in the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 36.44s, and so did Julia Grant with a time of 35.44 s. In the 50- yard breaststroke, Emily Benton got a best time of 42.29 s. Head Coach Nancy Leib commented, “It is great to see continued improvement across the board with more best times from our swimmers.”

The coaches also gave many girls chances to compete in certain events for the first time. Notably, Catherine Brennan took third place in the 200- yard individual medley race, Caroline Kranefuss took second in the 200-yard freestyle race, Claire Schaenen took third in the 100-yard freestyle race, and Melissa Blount took second in the 500-yard freestyle  – all in their first time doing the event. Maddie LeGros tried her hand in the 100-yard backstroke, getting fourth place, and Rae Crescas participated in the 100-yard breaststroke for the first time, getting second. Emily Benton took fourth in the 100-yard freestlye for her first time in that event. Irina Erickson touched the wall for fourth place and Julia Grant got fifth place in the 100-yard butterfly; this was their first time competing in this event.

The team’s highest scoring races were the 200-yard individual freestyle with Katie Brundage in first, Caroline Kranefuss in second, and Darcy Clew in fourth, and the 400-yard freestyle relay, with a team of Sophie McDonnell, Catherine Brennan, Melissa Blount and Lauren Kelly in first; McKenzie Rambusch, Darcy Clew, Claire Schaenen, and Caroline Kelly in second; and Chloe Connell, Carolyn Brazil, Elizabeth Timmons, and Audrey Rowland in fourth. However, the “team depth” came into play many more times with the team taking 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th in the 50-yard freestyle (Lauren Kelly, Melissa Blount, Natalie Aguero), 100-yard freestyle (Natalie Aguero, Claire Schaenen, Emily Benton), 200-yard freestyle relay (McKenzie Rambusch, Darcy Clew, Sophie McDonnell, Natalie Aguero; Caroline Kranefuss, Holly Claytor, Claire Schaenen, Julia Grant; Emilie Flamme, Beatrice Stadler, Charlotte Biedermann, Sarah Williams), 100-yard backstroke (Catherine Brennan, Lauren Kelly, Maddie LeGros), and 100-yard breaststroke (Irina Erickson, Katie Brundage, Rae Crescas).

Good job to the team, and good luck to them in their next meet!