Ridge Girls Win, Boys Place Second At Somerset County Championships

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Ridge Girls swim team won the Somerset County Championships on Saturday at Montgomery High School in Skillman.

The team scored 243.50 points to secure the win, with Watchung Hills finishing in second place and Bridgewater in third. This marks the first win for the girls at the County Championship since 1983.

Ridge Boys team placed second in the boys’ competition, behind Bridgewater, beating several other very strong teams to claim the number two spot.

Head Coach Melanie Dupuis congratulated her team, saying "What an amazing accomplishment on a full team performance, with points being scored in every event."

Ridge Girls believed they had a chance to win the County title, after placing a close second to Pingry in the Skyland Conference meet earlier in the month.

Their victory on Saturday was secured through a strong team effort, with all swimmers stepping up a gear to set season or personal best times.

Girls who had not been selected to swim on the day also turned out in force to cheer on their teammates. Senior Emily Thompson set a new County and pool record in the 200 IM event with a time of 2:00.55.

The Ridge quartet of Eszter Kiss, Natalie Hillebrecht, Giulia Beverini and Emily Thompson won the 400 free relay, but it was in the individual events that Ridge really shone.

In the 200 free, Ridge had three swimmers in the top ten with Hillebrecht finishing fifth, Sammie Oei seventh and Caitlyn Ferraioli in tenth place.

In the 200 IM, Thompson won and Eszter Kiss finished third. In the 50 free, Victoria Doucette took fifth place, with Amelia Ellis securing ninth spot and Maggie Luo claiming tenth. Thompson won again in the 100 fly event, with Kinga Kiss finishing seventh. Beverini placed fourth in the 100 free with Eszter Kiss in sixth place.

The trio from the 200 free also had top finishes in the 500 free with Hillebrecht claiming third spot, ahead of Oei in sixth and Ferraioli in seventh place.

In the 100 back, Beverini fought a close race to finish second, followed by Victoria Doucette in sixth place and Amelia Ellis in tenth.

In the 100 breast Kinga Kiss finished eighth, Charli Geary ninth and Niamh O’Sullivan in eleventh place.

Ridge Boys performed strongly throughout the meet, showing the strength and depth of the team, in both relays and individual races, with many top five finishes.

In the relays, the quartet of Jack Thompson, Gabe Beverini, Mitch Ferraioli and Kevin Cao placed second in the 200 medley relay.

In the 200 free relay, Youssef Elnawawi, Orion Wang, Anson Chen and Nathan Luo took fifth place with Ferraioli, Chen, Elnawawi and Beverini taking fourth in the 400 free relay.

The boys stepped up in the individual events, securing many season and personal best times. In the 200 free, Chen placed seventh ahead of Ferraioli in eighth and Elnawawi in eleventh.

In the 200 IM, Beverini came second ahead of Cao in fourth place. Anurag Bhat placed tenth in the 50 free.

In the 100 fly, Ferraioli placed second ahead of Thompson in third. In the 100 free, Elnawawi placed fourth, with Luo in seventh and Dean Capizzi in eighth place.

In the 500 free, Chen placed seventh with Wang in eighth place. Thompson came second in the 100 back with Ian D’Silva in fourth place.

In the 100 breast, Beverini placed third, lowering his own team record with a time of 58.45, with Cao in fourth place.

The County Championship meet concludes the regular season for the boys. The girls team will meet Mount St Mary on Jan. 29 at Jersey Aquatic Center.

— Submitted by Ailsa Ferguson