Julia Day is only a freshman on the Watchung Hills High School girls swim team, but on Saturday she was the Warriors' star.
Day's fifth-place showing of 25.84 in the 50-yard freestyle was Watchung's best showing of the day, boys or girls, and lifted the Warriors to an eighth-place finish in the girls standings at the Somerset County Swimming Championships at Montgomery Township High School.
Bridgewater-Raritan won the girls title with 195 points, followed by Montgomery (145), Hillsborough (125), Mount Saint Mary (116) and Pingry (116).
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The Hills boys failed to have a top-five finish and placed seventh with 61 points. The Warriors best showings were three sevenths, all by the relay teams.
The 200 medley relay team of Jimmy Campbell, Ben Askin , Daniel Keller and Jason Riddell was clocked in 1:47.61. The 200 free relay team of Brandon McSorley, Brendan McGee, Ryan Dreyer and Danny Carlin finished with a time of 1:42.24 and the 400 free relay team of Campbell, Riddell, Carlin and Keller scored a 3:41.11.
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Bridgewater-Raritan also won the boys championship with 282.50 points. Second place went to Pingry with 251 points, followed by Bernards (160) and Hillsborough (150).
Several new records were also established.
On the boys side, Nic Fink of Pingry set records in the 200 IM (1:52.96) and 100 breaststroke (56.65); teammate James Ross set new highs in the 50 free (21.45) and 100 free (47.08); the Pingry 400 free relay team of Alex Mango, Will LaCosta, Dorian Allen and Ross set a new mark with a 3:15.75 and Thomas Rinaldi of Bridgewater-Raritan broke the 100 backstroke record with a 54.13.
Carly Whitmer of Mount St. Mary's set a record in the girls 100 butterfly with a 57.58, teammate Stephanie Farrell broke her own breaststroke record with a 1:05.17 and Bridgewater's 200 free relay team of Wendy Liu, Emma Sommers, Dana Yu and Mara Valenzuela set a new mark with their 1:39.26.
"I'm not used to being the center of attention," Day said of her showing. "It was great. I was hoping I would do well."
Although only a freshman, Day doesn't feel like one when she is among her teammates.
"They don't treat me like a freshman," she said. "They treat me like everyone else."
