Ridge Swim Team Claims 5 State Titles, 2 Meet Records & 7 Team Records

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Ridge Swim team ended their most successful season ever on a high note at the weekend, with a record-breaking showing at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions meet at GCIT in Sewell.

Ridge claimed a total of five State Champion titles, four individual and one relay, in addition to breaking two meet records and seven team records, over the course of the two-day meet.

Making it to the Meet of Champions is a significant accomplishment, making it to finals even more so.

At finals, Senior Emily Thompson won the 100 fly and 100 breast events, setting new meet records in both events. Senior Garrett Gould won the 50 free and 100 free events, setting new team records in both.

The quartet of Thompson, Eszter Kiss, Giulia Beverini and Natalie Hillebrecht won the girls’ 400 free relay to close out the meet and record back to back State Champion titles in that event. Sophomore Gabe Beverini took seventh place in the 200 IM event, breaking a team record that had stood since 2015.

Ridge boys took second place in the 200 medley relay with the quartet of Jack Thompson, Beverini, Mitch Ferraioi and Gould, setting another new team record for Ridge and claimed third in the 400 free relay with the team of Gould, Gabe Beverini, Ferraioli and Youssef Elnawawi.

Ridge girls took fourth in the 200 medley relay with Thompson, Eszter Kiss, Hillebrecht and Giulia Beverini.

Ridge also had a strong showing on Saturday in the Preliminary rounds of the competition, after which only eight swimmers advanced to Finals on Sunday in each event. Sammie Oei finished 16th in the 200 free, with Natalie Hillebrecht finishing in 17th place.

In the 200 IM, Eszter Kiss finished in 9th place, ahead of younger sister Kinga Kiss who finished in 16th place. Kevin Cao finished in 32nd place in the boys’ event.

Mitch Ferraioli took 15th spot in the 100 fly. Giulia Beverini placed 11th in the 100 free while Elnawawi finished in 43rd place in the boys’ event. In the 500 free, Hillebrecht took 11th place, and Orion Wang took 20th place in the boys’ event.

In the 200 free relay, Ridge girls Oei, Kinga Kiss, Victoria Doucette and Maggie Luo finished in 17th place, while Elnawawi, Anurag Bhat, Dean Capizzi and Cao finished in 26th spot.

This concludes a thrilling season for Ridge, with the girls team also winning the North Group A State Championship last weekend.

The current team will get together one last time on March 20 for their Annual Banquet to celebrate their successes and bid farewell to their graduating Seniors.

"We've had a fantastic season. I am so proud of everyone, how well we've performed and how we’ve pulled together to support each other as a team. This is a year none of us will forget," said Head Coach Melanie Dupuis.