by Sam Keller ’19, Sports Editor

Swimming is one of the few sports where the team’s performance is truly dependent on each and every individual performance. What this means is that, unlike other sports where a superstar athlete can create a team’s success on their own, one individual cannot win an entire swim meet for their team. Instead, it is the combination of strong individual performances that create the whole.

With that being said, Newark Academy Girls Swimming’s 2017-2018 season has been nothing shy of strong individual performances, particularly in the postseason tournaments. In the County Tournament, swimmers Claire Xu, Wenni Iben, and Bridget Bowen each received two individual accomplishments during the meet. Claire Xu collected 3rd place in the 100-yard butterfly and 4th place in the 100-yard backstroke. On top of that, Wenni Iben earned 3rd place in both the 100-yard and 50-yard freestyle races. Finally, Bridget Bowen had an impressive performance, gathering a 2nd place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and 4th place in the 500-yard freestyle.

Nevertheless, the Girls Swimming Team’s notable accomplishments did not stop there. At the Prep Tournament Claire Xu once again earned 3rd place in the 100-yard butterfly as well as another 2nd place finish in the 200-yard freestyle race by Bridget Bowen. In addition, Bridget received 1st place in the 500-freestyle, becoming Newark Academy’s first female first-place finish at the Prep Tournament in over ten years.

Ultimately, these individual successes culminated in a few outstanding team accomplishments. Arguably the most impressive of these accomplishments is the girl’s win over Montclair and Millburn, two teams they have not defeated in over 17 years. In addition, the girls finished second in their division, with a 9-4 record, outperforming other athletically dominant schools such as Villa Walsh, Lodi Immaculate and Rutgers Prep.

For the first time since head coach, William Blomn, took over, the girls qualified for the state tournament. In the non-public B semifinal, the girls defeated St. Rose by over 40 points, winning first place in all but three events that afternoon. With this win, the girls will go on to face two-time reigning champions Trinity Hall in the Non-Public B group finals.

Moreover, the team had two qualifications for the Meet of Champions, including Bridget Bowen and the 200-yard freestyle relay composed of Bridget Bowen, Claire Xu, Wenni Iben, and Claire Ou. This is the same relay of girls that defeated St. Rose in the 200-yard freestyle relay by more than an 18 second difference.   

As is the case when many teams succeed in the same way that our girls swim team has, team chemistry has been an influential factor in the team’s victories this season. When Bridget Bowen was asked how she thinks this season has differed from previous ones she explained, “Not only did we get a lot of new freshman, but I also think that overall our dedication is starkly better than last year. We have become a lot closer as a team, which has been a huge part of winning. The team offers each other so much more support than we have in the past which has made me, and every other individual, want to push themselves harder in meets.”

With each swimmer allowed to participate in a maximum of only four events at each meet, swim teams must depend on the unit as a whole to achieve great success. Though some athletes stand out on the stat boards, Newark Academy Girls Swimming has made it quite clear that the entire team is a force to be reckoned with.