Girls and Boys Swim Recap

Ava Palschakov, staff writer

As the New Providence swim team season comes to an end, we look back at all their accomplishments throughout the season.

This year, the boys swim team had more swimmers than in recent years.

Coach Kempner said: “This year we had 25 boys, which is eight to ten more than normal.”

Captain Van Laylwer said: “Having more swimmers led to more opportunities and helped the team further succeed.” 

Boys swimming advanced one round in their tournament.

This year, they were able to “fill out lineups that have not only good quality but depth to it,” Coach Kempner said.

Girls swimming finished the year with a 4-7 record.

Coach Kempner said: “We had a difficult season in that we always have to swim against all leading county teams and some of them are quite accomplished.”

Both swim teams faced tough competition in Union County.

Kempner said: “Particularly Westfield, Scotch Plains, and Summit have many kids that are year round winners. We only have a few that are club swimmers, which makes it more difficult.” 

Senior captain Sabine Silva explained how the girls stayed persistent and kept a positive attitude throughout the season, as exemplified by senior night:  “During senior night, there was such a positive vibe coming from the whole team. After the meet, the seniors all went out to dinner together and that positive vibe continued throughout the entire night.”

Kempner agreed:  “We had a nice bunch of girls who worked hard and did a great job progressing through the season.” 

Senior Corinne Walsh stated that she loves swimming and it is a great outlet for a fun after school activity. When asked about her favorite events, she said that she loves the 50 meter freestyle and 100 meter freestyle. Walsh also reported that her favorite memory from the season was their last meet where they stopped at Wawa on the way back home.

“It was a really great way to end the season with all the girls, even though we lost,” she said.