Ridge Girls Lose To Westfield In State Sectionals Finals

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The Ridge girls’ swim team battled hard but was beaten by a strong Westfield team in the State Sectionals Finals at Raritan Bay YMCA on Thursday, Feb. 16.

The final score was 77-93. Ridge Head Coach Melanie Dupuis, who has never taken a girls’ team to the sectionals finals before, told the girls after the meet "you were in it all the way to the end and you should be incredibly proud."

The quartet of Guilia Beverini, Niamh O’Sullivan, Victoria Doucette and Maggie Luo came second in the opening event, the medley relay, against a very strong squad from Westfield.

Ridge took a close, exciting win in the 200 Free relay with Emily Wang, Eszter Kiss, Beverini and Emily Thompson, which broke the Ridge team record by two seconds.

In the final event, the 400 Free relay, the team of Kiss, Wang, Sammie Oei and Thompson came second, with Charli Geary, Doucette, Luo and Kinga Kiss taking third.

In the individual events, Thompson secured two wins, and some valuable points for the team, in the 200 Individual Medley and the 100 Fly.

Wang took first place in the 100 Free and second in the 200 Free. Giulia Beverini took second place in the 100 Free and third in the 50 Free and Eszter Kiss took third place in the 200 IM and the 100 Fly.

Other notable performances include a second place for Doucette in the 100 back and second for Kinga Kiss in the 500 Free, O’Sullivan took third place in the 100 Breast and fourth in the 100 Free and Luo took fourth in the 50 Free and 100 Back. Sammie Oei was fourth in the 500 Free.

Ridge Girls' MVP was Victoria Doucette.

The meet marks the end of the regular season for Ridge. Swimmers who make the time standard will compete in the NJISAA Meet of Championships at GCIT in March.

— Courtesy of Ailsa Ferguson