Big year for Bellmore-Merrick swimmers

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The Bellmore-Merrick girls’ varsity swim team nearly toppled Garden City in the Nassau swimming and diving championships at the Nassau County Aquatic Center on Nov. 8, taking second place while the Lady Trojans won their 14th straight title.

Bellmore-Merrick still has plenty to swim for before winter hits, namely the upcoming New York State Public High School Athletic Association Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Ithaca University. Comprised of swimmers from all three area high schools, the girls’ varsity swim team is sending six qualifiers to Ithaca as individuals and a pair of relay teams after taking third place at last fall’s state meet.

“Most of the [girls] swim for the high school team and a club team,” coach Bob Kaefer said. “They put in a lot of hours, they [swim] six days a week all year round.”

And it’s easy to see the hard work has paid off.

Mepham senior Kerry Giovanniello not only captured first place in the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle events, she was named the event’s Swimmer of the Meet. And perhaps even more impressive than winning the races, she jumped right back in the pool after the 500 and swam the anchor leg for the 200-yard freestyle relay team that took second. “She’s been at the top all season,” Kaefer said. “She’s our best freestyler. She has so much heart and does not want to lose, but she’s also fun, too. She has a great turnover ratio and she’s strong.”

The team finished up its third consecutive undefeated regular season (8-0) and second consecutive runner-up finish in the County’s. Calhoun senior Jessica Arana took first place in the County meet in the 100-yard backstroke (57.93), just ahead of Mepham freshman — and teammate — Elizabeth Walsh (58.53). “Jessica’s times have come down a lot and at that meet she peaked for the season,” Kaefer said.

Paige Kaplan, a senior at Kennedy, captured first in the 100-yard butterfly (56.42 seconds) with Arana taking second (57.61s). A strong technical swimmer, Kaplan is also extremely fluid and efficient in the water.

As individuals, the Bellmore-Merrick team made a big splash, but none may have been bigger than the performances of its 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams. The two relays not only finished first, but did so in school-record breaking fashion. Following Walsh, Calhoun sophomore Georgeanne Zimmerman and Kaplan as the anchor of the medley team, senior Jaimie Kaefer, a six-year varsity swimmer, finished the freestyle leg by cutting more than a half-second off her previous personal best and the group turned in a time of 1:48.7. Walsh opened up a lead in the backstroke, followed by Zimmerman in the breaststroke with Kaplan opening up a bigger lead in the fly stroke leading up to Kaefer’s blazing finish.

In the 400-yard freestyle relay, the final event of the County meet, Walsh, Arana, Kaefer and Giovanella broke their own school record with a time of 3:34.34, more than 11 seconds ahead of the second place Garden City team (3:45.49.)