Northern Highlands girls repeat at invitational champ

BAYONNE – Northern Highlands overcame Clifton and the calendar.

The Highlander girls repeated as team champions at Friday’s North Jersey Sectional Invitational at Lincoln Community School pool, getting individual wins from three swimmers, to beat the Mustangs by 53 points. Paramus Catholic was third.

For the first time in more than a decade, Bayonne won the boys title with Northern Highlands second.

The Sectional Invitational is a meet that predates the State tournament and has a lot of history, but this year it fell in between last Sunday’s Bergen Meet of Champions and next Saturday’s NBIL championships. Still, that didn’t deter the Highlanders.

"We are always ready to prove ourselves," said Highlanders junior Amanda Distler, who won the 100 butterfly in 1:03.13. "Even though it was so soon after the County meet, it’s another chance for us to get in the water and be with the team. This will only help us for the league."

The Mustangs, whocompete in the NJTCC league meet today, didn’t go down without a fight. Clifton won five races, including two by Charlene Gustafson and two relays, but the Highlanders’ depth was the difference.

"We take a lot of pride in our depth," Highlanders coach Tom Viscardi said. "And we knew this was a meet where they would get credit for being the great swimmers they are."

Perhaps no one epitomizes the Highlanders’ depth like senior Annie Crabill. According to Viscardi, Crabill was the only girl who does not swim for a club team to place at the Bergen Meet of Champions.

Crabill finished eighth in the 100 freestyle Friday, and seventh in the 50 freestyle even though her time was the third best of the night. Meet rules don’t allow B final competitors to place in the top six regardless of time.

"We came off the County and we thought it was a big win. It was a close race for second [with Ramapo in the Bergen meet] and second for us is like winning," said Crabill, noting IHA and its 11 straight County titles. "There was a lot of energy and we all really tried to give it our all."

Danielle Bach won the 50 freestyle for Northern Highlands, and freshman Caitlin Grady won the 200 individual medley.

The Highlander boys were without one of their top swimmer as Andrew Mazen did not compete. That opened the door for Bayonne who won six events .

The Paramus Catholic boys were in the mix all night. Christian Nunez and Jakub Deptula went 1-2 in the 100 butterfly, but the lack of a breast stroker in the final cost the Paladins points down the stretch and they finished fourth.

Clifton took third as a team behind a pair of wins by junior standout Jovany Avendano.