Winter is upon us. Temperatures have glaringly dropped and days are getting shorter. The fall sports season was filled with historic moments, making way for an even more memorable campaign for the bowling, basketball, ice hockey, track and field, wrestling and swimming teams.
Last year, both Scotch Plains-Fanwood swim teams finished with winning records (Boys, 6-5 and Girls, 9-4) and third place at the county tournament amongst juggernaut rivals of Westfield, Summit and Governor Livingston. Under head coach Jessica Hulnik and assistant coach Madelaine Colodne, the Raiders have made their mark in the stiff county competition and had deep tournament runs in past years.
“Our final record didn’t reflect how good we were,” junior Ben Sohmer told The Fanscotian. “We did well against teams that we should have won against and [lost] a couple of meets that were a toss up.”
SPF will be without 15 former seniors, including Division 1 commit Billie Sherratt, four-year varsity swimmer Kyle Karyczak and three-year varsity swimmers Emma Vieira and Gokul Ramanan. 14 freshman joined the program, giving the Raiders further depth in a broad roster.
“We have wonderful new talent this season and I look forward to getting to know them and seeing them become strong members of this amazing team,” Colodne said. “Looking at our veteran team members, it is clear that they have come ready to challenge our competitors.”
Senior Eryn Gulbin and junior Aaron Frank decided not to swim this year. Frank took ninth in the 200 individual medley and third in the 100-yard back event at the county tournament. Gulbin was one of four pieces of the relay teams, contributing to four first place finishes during last season.
Names to look out for: seniors Dylan Condell and Keira St. John, sophomores Matt Iannotta, Harrison McClure, Tessa DeGennaro and junior Shae Trenery.
“These athletes put in so much work both in and out of the pool and they reap the rewards in strong finishes, exhilarating races where swimmers swim neck to neck into the wall, and in the development of their friendships and team bond,” Colodne said.
Condell is a strong freestyler who was involved in thirteen first and fourteen second places the previous winter. St. John built off a breakout second year with over 25 first and second place marks both individually and on a relay team.
Even with a roster as deep as the Raiders had, McClure and Iannotta earned deserved acclaim from day one, establishing vital positions on the team. They had a combined 11 individual and 12 relay first place finishes, culminating impressive freshmen campaigns.
On the girls side, DeGennaro stepped up early on, taking on a flexible role as both an individual and relay swimmer. She totaled 15 times clinching top three spots in events on her own and seven on a relay squad. Trenery has been a core member of the Lady Raiders and things are only looking up. She was a part of eight winning relay events, adding to seven personal number one results to her name last season.
Sophomores Sophie Isleta and Alex Holston with juniors Colleen Gillen, Amelia Condell, Gabby Suriani, John Buckley and Sohmer are poised to ascend to pivotal roles in the program.
“I know my coaches are looking for more stability within the team,” Sohmer said. “I know what I can put out there every single meet and I have more room to develop into a better swimmer with the end goal of making a deeper run in sectionals.”
Although swimming may be viewed as an independent sport, SPF emphasizes the importance of teamwork ahead of a season with high expectations.
“It’s teamwork behind the scenes that truly makes the difference,” Colodne said. “Pushing each other to work a little bit harder, strategizing to hit goal times, going to the gym together and cheering each other on are examples of [having] a cohesive team.”
SPF will kick off the season against Summit at the YMCA in Scotch Plains on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
“We need to handle business in the regular season. It is very important, especially in our section, to have a good seeding,” Sohmer said. “A goal for the team is to get top two in counties and bring home a trophy for SPF.”
