On Feb. 15 at Passaic County Technical Institute The Kinnelon Girls Swimming Team took on the NJSIAA Group Tournament, Final Round, North 1. Going into the meet the Girls had an undefeated season with a record of (11-0) going against Mountain Lakes with a record of (9-3).
The girls went into the meet with a confident mindset as they had a strong winning streak. Captain and Senior Charlotte Maknamara mentioned, “My biggest personal goal would be for the team to win states.”
Going in with this confidence showed off from the start. Starting off the meet with the 200 MR Swimmers Samantha Benzija, Zoe Davies, Anna Kilponen, and Jianna Sartorio placed first with a time of 1:50.32. Kilponen mentioned how relays work so well for the Kinnelon Girls Swim team: “We are all so close and always get to cheer each other on, and cheering each other on is a big thing because when your mentally in it and your cheering you go faster,”
The girls continued on with their confidence for the next few events placing 2nd in the 200 free, 1st in the 200 IM, 1st in the 500 free, and 1st in the 100 fly. Davies placing 2nd in the 100 free with a time of 0:56.17, speaks on ways she trains to improve her swimming and see positive results, “I go to the gym and put in lots of practice hours and commitment,”
Continuing to push through with power to the next few events the girls placed 1st in the 500 free, 2nd in the 200 FR, and 1st in the 200 Back. Davies strikes again going into the 100 Breast but this time with a 1st place victory, she also mentioned “Swim comes with a lot of physical pain. Sometimes winning can look easy but it’s hard, and it hurts!”
Going into the final event the girls were confident they were going to take home the win. The whole team cheered on the sidelines: “Rubber Duckie, Rubber Duckie, Quack, Quack, Quack, Who do we think is a mighty fine bunch?” swimmers Ellie De Keukelaere, Charlotte McNamara, Jianna Sartorio, Samantha Benzija lined up for the 400 FR. The girls came on top with an outstanding time of 3:48.28.
Coming out with a total score of 95-75 in favor of Kinnelon the girls have a bright future ahead of them. As Captain Davies is aging out this season she leaves behind some inspiring words to the girls for next season: “Stay strong, mentally and physically. Hard work will definitely show if you put in the time and effort to really get there. But the love you have for the sport is all that matters in the end.
The girls ended off the night with a great celebration in the pool heading home with their new plaque to show off throughout the halls of Kinnelon High School hoping to keep this winning legacy alive for the Kinnelon Girls Swimming team.
