Wachenfeld Crowned Skyland Conference Champion, Ridge Sets New Team Record

The Ridge Red Devils had a strong performance yesterday at the Skyland Conference Championships, coming in seventh out of the eighteen teams participating.  Achieving this standing in one of the most competitive divisions in the region was no small feat, and the Devils accomplished it by breaking six of their own team records.  Junior Amanda Wachenfeld had an impressive performance, finishing as a Skyland Conference champion by placing first in the 200 Free and third in the 100 Fly.

The first event was the 200 Medley Relay, in which Ridge finished seventh at 2:00.53.  This was an improvement over their seed time of 2:00.89 and a new team record, the first of many that night.

Next came the 200 Freestyle, in which Amanda Wachenfeld broke the second team record of the night and secured her place as a Skyland Conference champion by cruising into first place with a time of 1:58.07.  Kathleen Shim placed 12th at 2:07.29 and Kristina Cheung came in 15th, with a time of 2:09.76.  These standings allowed Ridge to maintain seventh place going into the third event.

The next event was the 200 Individual Medley, in which Ridge swimmers Kate Bradley and Kristyn Julian finished 15th and 27th, with respective times of 2:27.08 and 2:38.45.  Stephanie Ferrell of Mount Saint Mary took first place in the race at 2:08.27.

Next up was the 50 Freestyle in which Megan Lydzinski of Montgomery took first place. Ridge swimmer Lexi Juelis secured 14th place at 30.42.  Alyssa Marazzo tied Stephanie Massari of Somerville at 28.42 to place 28th in the race.

The fifth event was the 100 Butterfly where Amanda Wachenfeld broke her second and Ridge's third team record of the night.  Her third place finish at 1:01.13 was followed by Krista Mecadon in 26th at 1:11.53 and Kristyn Julian in 29th with a time of 1:14.89.

The 100 Freestyle was next with Megan Lydzinski from Montgomery taking first place.  Ridge swimmer Sarah Valente secured 10th with a time of 58.44, breaking the fourth team record of the night.  Kathleen Shim at 58.94 and Alyssa Marazzo with 1:02.23 secured 13th, and 24th  place, respectively, maintaining their teams seventh place position.

The 500 Freestyle was the seventh event, in which Ridge swimmers Kristina Cheung and Kristina Wenner took 15th and 25th place, respectively, with times of 5:98.86 and 6:28.87.

Ridge finished 12th in the next event, the 200 Freestyle Relay, with a time of 155.07.  This was slightly slower than their seed time, however they were able to maintain their seventh place position.

The 100 Backstroke provided another highlight for Ridge, as Sarah Valente broke her second, and the fifth total, team record of the night.  She placed 3rd at 1:05.77, followed by Kelsey McKeon in 19th at 1:10.66, and Caroline Burke in 32nd at 1:17.91.

Ridge had three competitors in the 100 Breaststroke, with Kate Bradley finishing with the top Ridge time in 11th place at 1:15.  Ridge swimmers Ava Chen and Amy Chen finished within 0.10 of a second from each other.  Ava placed 25th at 1:22.04 and Amy place 26th at 1:22.14.

The eleventh and final event was the 400 Freestyle Relay.  Ridge finished strong in fourth place with a time of 3:52.15 that broke the sixth team record of the night.  They came in close behind Pingry in third, Montgomery in second, and Bridgewater in first.  This allowed them to finish the meet in seventh place. 

Coach Melanie Dupuis was enthusiastic about their performance "We had such a great performance last week and set the bar so high.  After doing so well, it was great to come back and do so well, not knowing what to expect.  It will be a great setup for the state tournament."

The girls swim next at Bernards High School on Tuesday, Feb. 9.