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SWIMMING

Girls swimming: North Jersey team-by-team previews for the 2022-23 season

Sean Farrell
NorthJersey.com

Take a team-by-team look at the North Jersey girls swimming teams heading into the 2022-23 season.

Big North American

Demarest

Top returners: seniors Elaine Kim and Rebecca Storch, junior Marta Gershanok, sophomore Trianha Puente.

Outlook: The Norsewomen (4-8) have the high-end speed to contend in this realigned division after taking a close second last year at the Big North American meet. Gershanok captured the league title in the backstroke and placed sixth in that event in Bergen County.

Indian Hills

Top returners: senior Joyce Baik, junior Karolena Shaw, sophomores Katie Lawrence and Ava D'Antonio.

Outlook: North Jersey Girls Swimmer of the Year Katie Lawrence will set the tone for the Braves (10-2), who move over from the Patriot Division a year after reaching the sectional finals. Getting back there will require Indian Hills to develop in the outside lanes behind its state silver medalist and Bergen County champion (50 and 100 free).

Mahwah

Top returners: seniors Charlotte Kaya and Ava Ufferfilge, junior Molly Fear, sophomore Elie Meizys.

Outlook: The Thunderbirds (1-9) aim for a better record in coach Kaitlyn Rockwell's second season with a boost from freshmen Marissa Jansen and Ali Migliacci.

Ramapo

Top returners: seniors Lily Frick, Katie Paul and Carli Silverman.

Outlook: First-year coach Joe Torres takes over the Raiders (4-6) with the intention of being competitive in the league race. A big plus is the addition of freshman club swimmer Samantha Oring.

Ramsey

Big North American league championship swim meet at Hackensack High School on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Casey McLaughlin, of Ramsey, in the girls 200 yard IM.

Top returners: seniors Casey McLaughlin, Arden Dowd and Julia Weir, sophomore Keely McGhee.

Outlook: The Rams are back on the map after winning back-to-back Big North American titles. The nucleus remains intact for coach Gary Bach, whose close-knit team is fueled by a pair of league champions in McLaughlin (200 IM) and Dowd (50 and 100 free).

Teaneck

Top returners: seniors Ruby Ha and Angelique Bunza, juniors Ruby Fricker and Abigail Ortiz.

Outlook: The Highwaywomen climbed from zero wins to two last season and hope for continued growth under new coach Brian Doyle, whose goal is to "get 1% better each day".

Big North Freedom

Fair Lawn

Top returners: senior Nika Chmigelski, juniors Katerina Sudentene and Skylar Coleman, sophomore Olivia Lyons.

Outlook: The Cutters (5-5) will attempt to climb over .500 after hitting the mark in back-to-back seasons. Sudentene will make a huge impact in the sprint events while the team incorporates a big group of first-year swimmers.

Hackensack

Top returners: senior Alejandra Laynez, junior Alice Rodriguez, sophomore Leticia Laynez.

Outlook: Leticia Laynez is the returning Big North Freedom champion in the breaststroke and will help lead the rebuild for the small Comets (3-8) lineup.

Northern Highlands

Morris Knolls competes against Northern Highlands in the North 1, Group B final at Passaic Tech on Friday Feb. 18, 2022. Grace Lee from Northern Highlands competes in the 200-yard freestyle.

Top returners: seniors Meghan Rourke, Katie Kaminsky and Sanja Radan, junior Grace Lee.

Outlook: The Highlanders (11-1) will fight to stay on top after winning league and sectional titles and finishing as the No. 1 public school in North Jersey. The lineup is once again deep, especially at freestyle where All-North Jersey swimmers Meghan Rourke (sprint) and Grace Lee (distance) are joined by promising freshmen Jessie Wolf and Savana Levi.

Ridgewood

Top returners: senior Kaitlyn Schwartz, juniors Isabel Lee and Nichole Koltsov, sophomore Emma Briganti.

Outlook: The Maroons (9-1) will be strong across the board after winning the Big North Freedom and reaching the North 1, Group A final. Keep an eye on sprint sensation Isabel Lee, who went 4-for-4 at last year's league meet.

River Dell/Westwood

Top returners: seniors Caroline Burmaster and Eliza Olszewska, sophomores Stephie Perez and Ava Perrino.

Outlook: The Golden Hawks (4-7) are blessed with experience in the middle lanes after bringing back all four of their swimmers who earned Big North postseason honors a year ago.

Big North Liberty

Clifton

Top returners: senior Abigail Chaky, juniors Natalie Rozon and Veronica Trejos.

Outlook: Getting newcomers up to speed will be crucial for Mustangs (1-8), who need to replace 14 seniors. Chaky gives them a lift in the butterfly as the Passaic County bronze medalist.

Lakeland/West Milford

Top returners: seniors Nicole Magee and Isabelle Kuhn, junior Chris Ranft, sophomore Emily Kebrdle.

Outlook: The sixth-year program turned the corner last season by racking up the highest win total in program history (7-5-1). Kebredle and Magee will push for even more after top-five finishes at the Passaic County tournament.

Pascack Regional

Top returners: senior Karen Kirkorian, junior Jessica Malocha, sophomore Laila Shell.

Outlook: Pascack Regional (4-6) sent two swimmers to the Division I level, but still kept its share of star power with Bergen County medalists Karen Kirkorian and Jessica Malocha. Four freshmen join the co-op after a rare losing season.

Passaic

Top returners: juniors Lila Gavin and Leslie Manoatl, sophomore Marcia Hernandez.

Outlook: Most of the Indians are brand new to the sport on the heels of a winless season. Helping matters is the fact that coach Kristine Meindl describes her group as "hard workers (who) are learning very quickly".

Passaic Tech

Swimmers to watch: freshmen Francesca Cordero, Julia Lo, Leah Ciabattoni and Danna Tapia.

Outlook: The Bulldogs (9-3) will reload in a hurry after winning Big North Liberty and Passaic County titles. A deep and talented freshman class has the program shooting for a trip back to the sectional finals.

Big North Patriot

Paramus

Top returners: senior Isabella Patti, sophomores Alexis Gaudreau and Angelia Choi.

Outlook: The Spartans (3-6) look to improve with the return of three of their four Bergen County qualifiers, including distance specialists Patti (13th in the 200) and Choi (14th).

Tenafly

Top returners: senior Tamar Peleg, junior Allegra Wong, sophomores Emelia Lan and Katelyn Liu.

Outlook: Underclassmen accounted for more than half the roster last season when the Tigers (6-4) doubled their win total and returned to the state tournament for the first time in five years. Coach Matthew White sees enthusiasm and desire as his team's biggest strengths now after getting that taste of success.

Wayne Hills

Top returners: juniors Callie Ng, Alexis Gentile and Mary Puglisi, sophomore Rebecca Siuffe.

Outlook: Almost all the top scorers are back for the Patriots (10-2), who finished second at the Passaic County meet last winter behind silver medalists Rebecca Siuffe (butterfly) and Callie Ng (breaststroke).

Wayne Valley

Big North Freedom Swimming Championships at Hackensack High School on Thursday, February 3, 2022. Sarah Rodrigues, of Wayne Valley, in the girls 200 yard IM.

Top returners: senior Mikaela Voinov, junior Jennie Mullarkey, sophomores Sarah Rodrigues and Urvi Sinha.

Outlook: Only three seniors are listed on the roster for the Indians (6-4), who need to develop new leaders after heavy graduation losses. All eyes will be on Sarah Rodrigues after earning state medals in the backstroke and butterfly as a freshman.

Big North United

Immaculate Heart

Top returners: sophomores Kayla Rodriguez, Kathleen Turano, Madison Assanah and Izzy Piccinich.

Outlook: The Blue Eagles want to start a new title streak after falling a few points short of their 14th straight state championship. There is still an abundance of talent in this young, top-ranked IHA lineup with Mariana Builes headlining a speedy freshman class.

Paramus Catholic

Top returners: seniors Corrine Javellana and Jocinta Kitele, junior Crystal Pisello, sophomore Natalie Cruz.

Outlook: The Paladins (1-8) are shaping up to be more competitive as coach Carl D'Amore is encouraged by their growing depth and the addition of freshman Juliann LoCicero.

NJIC

Garfield/Hasbrouck Heights

Top returners: seniors Abigail Hernandez and Kanzy Hassan, junior Xenia Lopez, sophomore Lucia Lopez.

Outlook: Expectations are high for the Boilermakers (6-4), who produced winning records in three of the last four seasons. All four swimmers are back from a 400 free relay that earned NJIC second-team honors.

Leonia/Palisades Park

Top returners: seniors Lea Lee and Maria Lazarou, junior Isabelle Yoo, sophomore Sophie Dahiya.

Outlook: The Lions (9-1) have rattled off seven straight NJIC meet titles and remain the team to beat despite losing a host of four-year swimmers. A big hole in the backstroke was filled with the addition super-sophomore Rebakah Jung from the Scarlet Aquatics.

Lyndhurst/North Arlington

Top returners: seniors Isabella Freitas and Alyssa Centurion, sophomores Nicole Rivera and Sena Fidan.

Outlook: A youth movement begins for the Golden Bears, who are looking to rebound from a winless season. Eight of its 16 swimmers are freshmen.

Rutherford

Top returners: senior Caroline Gemelli, juniors Kari Augusterfer and Francesca Perrotti, sophomore Ava Stadler.

Outlook: The Bulldogs (6-1) wound up second in the conference last year and expect to fill each lane with good swimmers. Multiple freshmen will make an impact on their title chase.

Secaucus

Top returners: seniors Haley Nowak, Sophia Lee and Margaret Furman, junior Denise Borbe.

Outlook: There is plenty of upside for the Patriots (4-4), who rolled out one of the youngest lineups in North Jersey last season. Three-time conference champion Haley Nowak will try to move up the state podium after placing eight in the butterfly.