LINWOOD — Anna Tran was a double winner for Atlantic City High School’s swim team last week, but the Mustang girls dominated all but three of the events to win their season-opener 115 to 55.
Mainland did have a meet the week before and it was competitive, but the girls weren’t facing another team.
Asked about what would have been the actual season-opener, head coach Mike Schiavo said, “It went really well considering we didn’t get to swim anybody else.”
He explained Millville let Mainland know the day before the meet the team would be competing co-ed this year and wouldn’t be fielding a girls team.
“The co-ed team swam the boys and fortunately we were allowed to swim in between,” Schiavo said. “It seemed like a meet. There were fans here. The girls handled that really nicely. It was a good tell-tale sign. It didn’t matter to them. They got up and they competed. They raced and put up some very good meet times.”
The Mainland girls are the defending 2022 South Jersey Group B champions, having won their first sectional title since 2013. They lost a few seniors from that championship team, including Alex Batty, Sophie Sherwood and Emma Barnhart, but have returned a core group of starters.
Seniors Laci Denn, Summer Cassidy, Monica Iordanov, Sam Camey and Charlotte Evinski will lead the Mustangs this year and serve as the team’s captains.
“They have all done a nice job so far this year,” Schiavo said.
“It’s always good to experience that type of run, to understand what it takes (to win a title). It’s hard because you have to get up and swim hard over and over and over again. There’s no break,” he said.
“On the other side of that, whatever we have in the pool has changed. And every other team’s talent has changed as well.
“Every year is a transition and every year is an opportunity for swimmers to grow and progress and contribute to team successes. That attitude has been there from the first day,” he said of his team.
“I think we understand right now that the Cape-Atlantic League is incredibly competitive this year. Vineland is going to be really good. OLMA is going to be really good. As usual the Ocean City and EHT teams are going to be really good as well,” he said.
As a big test, the Mustangs will be swimming defending state champion Cherry Hill East in the middle of the season.
“And who knows what else is out there in South Jersey,” Schiavo said.
He said his swimmers are working really hard and progressing nicely.
“They have really great attitudes every day at practice. They’re just excited. There’s going to be opportunities for kids who haven’t really had opportunities to swim this year as we try to fill holes due to graduation. I think they realize that. It’s a little extra incentive to continue to work hard, try new events, embrace challenges that come at them.
“It’s been a fun start to the year.”
He added, however, the team isn’t getting ahead of itself.
“We’re not really looking at the end,” Schiavo said. “We’re looking at what’s happening every day, every set, every lap, just trying to get a little better every day. Whatever happens, happens. We’re going to enjoy the ride, focus on the processes and not the outcomes.”
MRHS 115, AC 55
Summer Cassidy, Leah Nirenberg, Laci Denn and Isabella Iordanov won the opening 200-meter medley relay in 2 minutes, 12.53 seconds, with teammates Samantha Camey, Bonnie Peng, Alivia Wainwright and Aixell Perez third. Vikings Kaitlynn Do, Anna Tran, Grace Gaskill and Lauren Fox were second.
200 freestyle – Mustangs Claudia Booth (2:20.31), Isabella Iordanov and Charlotte Evinski were first, third and fourth. Vikings Fox and Ixanna Torres were second and fifth.
200 individual medley – Mustangs Wainwright (2:31.62), Ryann Lowry and Shannon Sharkey were first, second and fourth. Vikings Gaskell and Jodi Pereira were third and fifth.
50 freestyle – Viking Anna Tran (28.65) and Kaitlynn Tran were first and third. Mustangs Cassidy, Megan Pruitt and Bonnie Peng were second, fourth and fifth
100 butterfly – Mustangs Denn (1:08.42), Monica Iordanov and Shayne Connolly were first, second and fourth. Vikings Gaskill and Pereira were third and fifth.
100 freestyle – Mustangs Claudia Booth (1:04.62), Perez and Sophie Goldstein were first, second and fifth. Vikings Melissa Tran and Maggie Edit were third and fourth.
400 freestyle – Vikings Fox (4:57.79) and Torres were first and fifth. Mustangs Lowry, Natalie DiBartolo and Isabella Iordanov were second, third and fourth.
200 freestyle relay – Booth, Cassidy, Denn and Monica Iordanov (1:54.82) won and Mustang teammates Sharkey, Maddie Slattery, Sophie Goldstein and Evinski were third. Vikings Anna Tran, Do, Gaskell and Fox were second.
100 backstroke – Wainwright (1:07.50), Camey and Connolly were first second and fourth. Vikings Do and Edit were third and fifth.
100 breaststroke – Viking Anna Tran (1:25.68) and Melissa Tran were first and fourth. Mustangs Megan Pruitt, Sharkey and Nirenberg were second, third and fifth.
400 freestyle relay – Monica Iordanov, Denn, Cassidy and Isabella Iordanov (4:20.11) won and Mainland teammates Wainwright, Booth, Perez and Lowry were second and DiBartolo, Goldstein, Evinski and Peng were third.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
