High school swim teams prepare for conference meet

Brick Township's four high school swim teams do not expect to harvest a noteworthy number of places in Sunday's Shore Conference championships, but they figure to gain satisfaction at the end of the season with some personal best times and perhaps some school records.

Brick Memorial's Brian Stillwagon figures to finish his high school career with his best efforts, including the backstroke, to help the Mustangs ease the pain of losing three of its last four dual meets after starting off the season 8-0 for the first time in school history. Stillwagon got the only victory in the backstroke at 1:01.62 when the Mustangs lost to Toms River North, 121- 49, in what was expected to be a battle of unbeatens when Lacey ended that notion against Brick Memorial a week earlier.

Brick Township girls, on the other hand, snapped a winless season with a 90-80 dual-meet victory over Brick Memorial last week as Mikayla Serafin won the individual medley and butterfly and Kaitlyn Huizing won the 500 freestyle and backstroke.

Both qualified for the Shore Conference meet along with one other swimmer from the Green Dragons — Jessica Joseph, who has clocked a :27.57 in the 50 freestyle and 1:19.63 in the breaststroke. Huizing also made it in the backstroke where she was eighth in the Ocean County championships and the butterfly and finished sixth in the county meet in the 500 freestyle in 5:48.06. Serafin was eighth in the county meet in the individual medley in 2:36.68.

"We've been consistently dropping times this season, which is good to see," said coach Dana Heckman.

Brick Memorial girls, meanwhile, have eight qualifiers, five of them swimming on relays off a team that won two dual meets, the latter one a surprise at the end of the season over Colts Neck. Sonya Pearce made it in four events, including the 50 freestyle where she has swum :26.9 and the 100 free where she tied in the county meet, the school record she set in the same meet a year ago with an identical :59.88 time. She also made it in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

"It's very unusual for that to happen," said coach Todd Estelle, who said his team was beset by injuries throughout the season and finally had a full lineup at the end of the season. Shanna Rodgers will swim both distance freestyle events in her first year of qualifying for the Shore Conference meet. She holds the school record in the 500 freestyle at 6:04.01 and is .2 of a second off the school record time in the 200 free.

Stephanie Romano made it in the breaststroke and in the medley relay with Jessica Urciuoli, Stevie Shipani and Kim Rusoff, who just missed qualifying in the backstroke. Rusoff also qualified in the 400 freestyle relay with Daniella Kieffer. Shipani also is swimming the 200 free relay. "She's come a long way," said Estelle of Schipani.