Ridge Girls' Swim Team Wins State Semifinal

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Ridge girls’ swim team beat East Brunswick on Wednesday in the NJSIAA Group A semifinal meet by a score of 104 to 66, to secure a place in the State Championship final against Egg Harbor on Sunday, Feb.25 at Rutgers.

This is the first time that Ridge has reached this stage of the competition.

"The meet on Sunday is the biggest opportunity our team has ever had. We have never come this far and we need to bring our 'A' game," Head Coach Melanie Dupuis told the girls after their semifinal win.

As has become customary in the last few weeks, Ridge parents and boys turned out in force to cheer on the girls' team.

Ridge kicked off the meet with an explosive start, taking first and second place in the medley relay with Giulia Beverini, Eszter Kiss, Amelia Ellis and Maggie Luo taking first place and Victoria Doucette, Charli Geary, Olivia Gao and Emily Thompson taking second place.

This result gave the girls a 12 to 2 lead after the first event, which they continued to extend as the meet progressed, leading by over thirty points at the halfway point and ended the meet with a 38 point margin of victory.

Ridge took first place in the 200 IM and 100 Fly (Thompson), 100 free (Beverini) and 100 back (Eszter Kiss) but again showed the formidable depth of their squad in the other races.

In the 200 free, Kinga Kiss took second place with Sammie Oei taking fourth place. In the 200 IM, Natalie Hillebrecht took second place and Higgins secured fourth. Beverini and Luo took second and third places in the 50 free. Ellis took third in the 100 fly and in the 100 free Beverini, Eszter Kiss and Higgins grabbed the top three spots. In the 500 free, Oei took second place with Caitlyn Ferraioli right behind her in third.

In the 100 back, Doucette took second place with Gao in fourth. Ridge gained further valuable points in the final individual event, the 100 breast, as Kinga Kiss, Hillebrecht and Elissa Profaca took second, third and fourth.

Ridge girls, still ranked number one in the state, advance to the State Championship final this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. against Egg Harbor at Rutgers University.

— Submitted by Ailsa Ferguson