Y Swim Team Brings Competitive Edge to Westfield

They are as young as age 6 and as old as 18, but the members of the Westfield YMCA swim team are well aware of the intense competition they are engaging in.

They call themselves the Devilfish, and much like their name suggests, they will fight to the finish of every race.

In just his first year as head coach, Brian Guidera takes pride in his hands-on approach with his team, something that might have been missing in years past.

“I think I held my kids more accountable than in previous seasons,” said Guidera, who has been on the staff for the past eight years. “I’m an active and vocal guy, and I think that helps.”

A team of successful swimmers makes it easier for Guidera to take that approach. The Westfield “Y” swim team has a tradition of excellence, winning the 1965 YMCA national championship, and taking off ever since.

This past year was not much different, as more than 80 of the team’s 200 swimmers competed for the New Jersey Junior Olympics, 85-percent of whom recorded personal best times.

Eleven more Devilfish swimmers made the YMCA Nationals in Florida, which Guidera describes as “very tough” to make.

Above all, though, there was one competitor who stood over everyone else during the past season, which ran from September through March.

 Matt Meserole, a 17-year-old high school junior, who is one of the top swimmers on the team, came in fifth place in the 100-meter backstroke and sixth place in the 200-meter backstroke during the YMCA Nationals. Meserole was also the only swimmer on the team to qualify for the U.S. Open.

This past season was a big one in Devilfish history, as the team “jumped to a new level,” according to Guidera.

"There was such a positive energy and bond this year,” Guidera said. “We really got a full group effort and that helped us hit an upswing for the season.”

Guidera said that upswing could have been partially helped by the fact that this season came after an Olympic year, where Michael Phelps captivated the country with his swimming prowess, putting the sport back on the forefront for the first time since Mark Spitz dominated the headlines during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Guidera cited the parents of the team as a key part of the success. He noted that 120 members of the team, which is a feeder squad for the high school team, are under the age of 13 and parental involvement is important. The parents volunteer for team activities and attend many evening and weekend events, practices and meets.

Guidera thinks the parents recognize how much the success of the Devilfish means to the swim-heavy area of Westfield.

“It’s a huge swimming community,” Guidera said. “That is why I expect the best from my swimmers.”