LOGAN, CONSTABLE, KAVANAGH WIN 2 EVENTS EACH
Team depth turned out to be the winning formula for the third-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan girls swim team in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group A semifinal against the second-seeded Blue Devils at Wallace Pool in Westfield on February 12. Although the 9-3 Blue Devils claimed a first place in six of the eight individual events and a first in the 200-medley relay and the 200-freestyle relay, the 10-2 Panthers harvested enough second, third and fourth places to come out of the water with a 91-79 victory.
The Panthers cruised over the Phillipsburg Stateliners, 132-38, in the quarterfinal round, while the Blue Devils received a forfeit. The victory pitted Bridgewater-Raritan against the top-seeded, 9-0, Ridge Red Devils for the title. The Red Devils, who beat the Watchung Hills Warriors, 10169, in their semifinal, had defeated the Panthers earlier in the season, 104-66.
The Blue Devils won the opening event, the 200-medley relay, with Clare Logan, Jacqueline Moser, Emily Kapuscinski and Brooke McAndrew touching the wall in 1:51.85. But the Panthers kept close by taking second and third with Amanda Chau, Dora Dvorkin, Lila Blomquist and Ricca Castone taking second at 1:53.07, followed by Erica Maltsev, Claire Hegedus, Katie Krause and Jenna Ali at 1:54.24.
Blue Devil Jane Kavanagh won two individual events beginning with the 200-freestyle at 1:51.82 but the Panthers placed 2-3-4 with Katie Pestrichelli at 1:53.56,Alex Enriquez at 2:02.53 and Merah DeRosa at 2:04.52. Kavanagh also took first in the 100-freestyle with a time of 52.41 but once again, the Panthers finished 2-3-4 with Blomquist at 55.32, Hegedus at 56.85 and DeRosa at 57.68.
Logan finished first in two events beginning with the 100-butterfly at 56.03, followed by Panther Maltsov at 57.02, Emily Kapuscinski at 1:01.56 and Panther Krause at 1:04.14. Logan took top honors in the 100-backstroke with a time of 56.75, followed by Panthers Chau at 1:01.87 and Kimaya Desai at 1:04.48, while Blue Devil Bella Giaccobe finished fourth at 1:05.24.
Blue Devil Emily Constable won a pair of individual events. First, she won the 50-freestyle in 24.86. Panthers Chau at 25.47 and Blomquist at 25.67 finished 2-3, while McAndrew was just behind at 25.69. Constable finished way ahead of the pack in the 100-breaststroke with a time of 1:03.8 but Panthers Hegedus at 1:11.43 and Alison Tamedi at 1:13.65 finished 23 and Blue Devil Moser took fourth at 1:15.25.
Constable, Ava Contract, E. Kapuscinski and Kavanagh won the 200-freestyle relay in 1:41.76, but the Panthers finished 2-3 with Krause, Hegedus, Enriquez and Pestrichelli at 1:44.07 and Ali, Heesco Kim, DeRosa and Blomquist at 1:46.1.
Maltsev led a 1-2 Panther finish in the 200-Individual Medley at 2:06.16, followed by Dvorkin at 2:16.42. Blue Devils Emily Kapuscinski at 2:19.18 and Mina Pektas at 2:19.35 finished 3-4. Pestrichelli took first in the 500freestyle with a time of 5:16.06, followed by McAndrew at 5:19.92 and Panthers Dvorkin at 5:22.61 and Enriquez at 5:33.63.
The Panthers sealed the deal by finishing 1-3 in the 400-freestyle relay. Pestrichelli, Ennriquez, Chau and Maltsev took first at 3:39.07, followed by Blue Devils McAndrew, Charlotte Lehman, Pektas and Logan at 3:45.25. Ali, Kim DeRosa and Dvorkin took third at 3:49.76.
