Madison Girls’ Swim Team Wins Their First-Ever Sectional Team Title

The 2022-23 season for the Madison High School girls’ swim team was a historic one, as they qualified for and won their first ever sectional semifinal. In this article, we review some of the most memorable highlights of the year for this team.

In the regular season, the Dodgers finished with six wins and two losses, finishing on top against every team they faced with the exception of Chatham and Morristown. They pulled off lopsided victories against several teams such as Villa Walsh (121-38 score), Mendham (131-32 score), and Morristown Beard (139-25 score). In fact, the Dodgers placed first in every single event they swam in at the Mendham and Morristown Beard meets.

The performances of the Dodger girls during the regular season had them named as the top seed headed into the North II, Group C sectional tournament. Being the first seed meant that they got first round and quarterfinal byes, and they began their postseason in the sectional semifinals against Glen Ridge.

During the sectional semifinal meet, the score was close throughout, with the gap between Madison and Glen Ridge being just five points with four events left to go. However, a 1-2-4 finish by senior captain Bella Guarino, freshman Alexis Lee, and senior Louise Nielsen in the 100 breaststroke gave the Dodgers a 10+ lead for the first time in the night with one more event left. Finally, a victory by sophomore Layla Knoll, senior captain Karen Wu, junior Erin Barisonek, and Guarino in the 400 freestyle relay secured the Dodgers’ spot in the sectional finals. The final score was 92.5 Madison, 77.5 Glen Ridge.

Knoll, Wu, Barisonek, and Guarino combined for a time of 3:51.56 on that relay, which crushed the previous team record of 3:53.13 that was set by Wu, Guarino, Barisonek, and alum Lilly Barisonek last season.

The sectional final between Madison and #4 seeded West Morris was an even closer matchup. Despite the fact that the Dodgers had already beaten West Morris 94-76 in the regular season, West Morris was fresh off an upset against the #2-ranked Caldwell, so they couldn’t be counted out.

Despite the fact that the Dodgers led throughout the whole meet, they ended up only holding off West Morris by six points to earn a 88-82 win. The only individual event where Madison outscored West Morris by more than two points was in the 200 freestyle, where Knoll, junior Emma Dooley, and sophomore Anna Kulesa went 1-2-5 and earned 11 points for the Dodgers compared to West Morris’s 5 points.

Other swimmers that scored critical points at that finals meet included Wu, Guarino, Barisonek, Lee, Nielsen, senior captain Fiona Beacon, sophomore Evelyn Juliano, junior Eva Deng, senior Sasha Knoll, senior Stacy Deng, junior Nina Kornchankul, junior Sophia Modi, and junior Isabella Sarullo.

Senior Owen Weller, the captain of the Dodger boys’ swim team, was also a big contributor to the success of the girls team—he assisted coaches Nancy Leib, Lisa Moretti, and Adair Fleming make lineups for the girls’ sectional meets.

Following their sectional victory, the Dodgers got a police escort back home, and were welcomed by cheering parents when they arrived back at the high school.

At the end-of-season banquet, Wu and Barisonek were named the “most valuable swimmers” on the team for their consistent wins and point contributions towards the team (Wu primarily in the sprint races, Barisonek in the 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley), while Lee was named “rookie of the year” for contributing individually and stepping up to perform on several ‘A’ relays. Kulesa got the award for “most improved”, having dropped over 40 seconds in her 200 freestyle over the last two years.

In addition, Barisonek was named second-team all-conference for the Southern II division in the 200-yard individual medley, while Guarino got second team in the 100 breaststroke. Wu was named an honorable mention.

At the end of the banquet, current juniors Erin Barisonek, Sophia Modi, and Emma Dooley were named captains for the next season. Congratulations to all the swimmers on a successful season and best of luck to seniors Bella Guarino, Fiona Beacom, Nina Kornchankul, Yanyan Li, Louise Nielsen, Anna Tuttle, Isabella Lord-Martin, Alexa Leo, Stacy Deng, Karen Wu, Sasha Knoll, Kaitlyn Engel, and Susan Wilson on your future endeavors!