Judge Leads Mountainside in Swim Meet

She is somehow able to take it all in stride, as though it were a routine that exceptional swimmers conduct at the end of the season.

Stephanie Judge is what one would call a natural swimmer - great technique, plenty of strength to get through the pool and the ability to rise to a challenge when needed.

At the Meet of Champions competition Thursday in New Providence on Judge exercised all her swimming graces to achieve two first-place finishes.

"I was trying a lot (to win)," Judge said after she placed first in the girls 11-12 year old 50 meter butterfly and first in the girls 11-12 year old backstroke. The meet is comprised of the best of the best swimmers in 20 towns on central New Jersey with a field of 16 for each competition.

"I was not expecting (a first place finish) in the backstroke because there was a girl faster than me," Judge said. "There is so much more competition, it's like the finals."

Despite the competition, she made it look easy. "It was a little," Judge said, but admitted, "I definitely have more adrenalin."

Other top Mountainside swimmers put up some respectable results.

Katherine Seeney, who competed in the girls 11-12 freestyle, placed a respectable ninth, but that wasn't the whole story. Sweeney shaved a second of her time in the event and recalled what it took to achieve those results.

"It takes a lot of practice, trying your best and not thinking about anything other than winning," Sweeney said. "I want to get into the top five."

Nicandro Donadio, whose brother Aidan also swims for Mountainside, placed fifth in the boys' 15-18 50-meter breaststroke.

"It was definitely hard," Donadio said. "There are a lot of great swimmers here. I know a lot of the people who I swim with in the winter."

Still, Donadio said he expected that he would be atop the field of finishers. "I did except to place because I work hard at it," he said. "It was a personal best placing this high."

Other top finishers for Mountainside included: Aidan Donadio, fourth place in the boys' 13-14 50-meter breaststroke, Aidan Donahue fifth place in the girls 11-12 breaststroke, Alyssa Corvelli, seventh in the girls 50 meter 11-12 backstroke and Aidan Maloney, fifth in the boys eight and under 25 meter backstroke.