2023 NJSIAA Meet Of Champions
- March 4, 2023 (prelims) to March 5, 2023 (finals)
- Gloucester Institute of Technology, Sewell, New Jersey
- Full Results
- SCY (25 yards)
On Sunday, the finals of the NJSIAA meet of champions took place, and individual state champions on both the girls’ and boys’ side were crowned.
After posting a major 1:32.97 200 free in prelims that was 0.12 seconds off Aaron Shackell’s national high school record, Haddonfield High School senior and Stanford commit Henry McFadden produced a similar time in finals, going 1:33.01. He had 45.32/47.69 100 splits in his race, going out 0.15 seconds slower than yesterday but coming home 0.11 seconds faster. Despite adding from prelims, his finals time was still faster than his personal best of 1:33.07 coming into the meet, and is well under Destin Lasco‘s previous meet record time of 1:35.17 set in 2019.
McFadden also won the 500 free by over eight seconds, posting a 4:22.19 that took down Nathan Borges‘s meet record time of 4:23.92 from 2020. His best time in the event is a 4:16.99, which he clocked at the Speedo Winter Juniors—East meet last December.
In addition to winning two individual races, McFadden also helped the Haddonfield boys to wins in the 200 and 400 free relays while setting two new best times. He led off his school’s 200 free relay in a 20.34, as he, Charles Derivaux (21.75), Quinn Clancey (22.15), and Trever Cottrell (21.14) combined for a time of 1:25.28. On the 400 free relay, McFadden clocked a 43.75 leadoff, and he, Derivaux (47.88), Clancey (48.06), and Cottrell (46.44) put up a 3:06.13 to win by over a second. McFadden’s 50 and 100 free best times coming into this meet were 20.86 and 44.27 respectively.
The other meet record breaker on the boys’ side of the meet was Tenafly senior and Northwestern commit Aaron Baltaytis, who clocked a 47.08 to win the 100 fly. He took down his old meet record time of 48.30 from last year by over a second, and was just 0.04 seconds off his personal best from Winter Juniors. Baltaytis also won the 100 back in a time of 47.16, dropping from his best time of 47.28 set nearly a year ago.
Baltaytis also split a 20.42 50 fly on Tenafly’s 200 medley relay, which Hayoung Choe (24.00), Jason Yi (25.85), Baltaytis, and Andrew Lee (21.47) won and combined for a time of 1:31.74. That 20.42 fly split is over a second faster than the 21.49 split that Ben Miller clocked on Northwestern’s 200 medley relay at Big Tens this year.
Though McFadden’s 43-point 100 free was a major swim, it wasn’t the fastest 100 free from the meet—that swim came from Delbarton senior Rob Alexy, who won the individual 100 free in a time of 43.72. Alexy dropped a significant amount off his best time of 44.39, marking his first time getting under the 44-point barrier. He was also just a few tenths off his future Cal teammate Lasco’s meet record time of 43.44.
This year marks the fourth year in a row (not counting 2021, when Meet of Champions was cancelled due to COVID-19) that the New Jersey boys’ 100 free title has been won by a future Cal swimmer, as Lasco won in 2019, Cal sophomore Jack Alexy won in 2020, and then Rob Alexy won in both 2022 and 2023.
Alexy also took second in the 50 free, dropping 0.24 seconds from his best time to go 20.35. That event was won by yet another future Cal swimmer, Pingry senior Roman Jones. Jones clocked a 20.12 to finish first, slightly slower than his prelims time of 20.07 and his best time of 19.92. He also took first in the 100 breast, swimming a 54.43 and being the only swimmer in the field under 55 seconds. His best time in the event is a 53.82.
The one meet record broken on the girls side was in the 100 back, where Westfield junior and Duke commit Clare Logan put up a 53.14. She took 0.69 seconds off her own meet record time of 53.83 set last year, and dropped 0.01 seconds from her personal best. Logan also swam a PB in the 50 back leading off Westfield’s 200 medley relay, as she put up a 24.54 to imrpove from her previous fastest swim of 24.72 in the event. She, Emily Constable (28.49), Abby Bebel (26.05), and Brooke McAndrew (24.61) combined for a time of 1:43.69 in that relay.
Logan also swam a 23.37 to win the 50 free, and anchored Westfield’s 200 free relay with a 22.65 split.
Emily Thompson, SwimSwam’s #15-ranked recruit in the high school class of 2024, took two wins at this meet. She swam a 1:59.63 to place first in the 200 IM, and later on clocked a 54.62 in the 100 fly. Her personal bests in the events are a 1:57.67 in the 200 IM, and a 53.06. In addition, she is also the meet record holder in the 200 IM with her time of 1:58.03 swam last year.
A swimmer that saw a big drop at this meet was Summit sophomore Sidney Arcella, who swam a 1:47.44 200 free to win her race by over a second. She came into Meet of Champions with a best time of 1:48.58, dropped to a 1:48.51 in prelims, and broke 1:48 for the first time in finals. In addition, Arcella also won the 100 free in a time of 50.02, being just 0.09 seconds away from her best time.
Other Event Winners:
- Girls’ 500 Free: Maddie Waggoner, Moorestown — 4:48.69
- Girls’ 200 Free Relay: Cherry Hill East (Elizabeth Cohen 23.90 leadoff, Emily Fekete 24.14, Alicia Albuquerque 24.62, Emma Dimter 23.12) — 1:35.78
- Girls’ 400 Free Relay: Ridge (Eszter Kiss 53.99 leadoff, Giulia Beverini 53.26, Emily Wang 51.46, Emily Thompson 50.38) — 3:29.09
- Girls’ 100 Breast: Emily Constable, Westfield — 1:02.05
- Boys’ 200 IM: Kenneth Barnicle, Mendham — 1:48.92
This was a super fast meet and many weren’t tapered due to upcoming Y champ meets. Roman Jones also posted a 21.91 (50 back) to lead off the 200 medley relay.
I remember swimming at MOCs in 2013. Crazy how fast it’s gotten!
With the talent that has come out of NJ, its gotta be a top ten swimming state at the club level
Fully agree. Just on the boys’ side in the last four years, NJ swimming has produced David Curtiss, Jack Alexy, Destin Lasco, Dare Rose, Matt Fallon, and Henry McFadden—who were all once US National teamers or junior national teamers.
On the girls’ side, three of the top 20 recruits in the class of 2024 are from New Jersey (Anna Moesch, Emily Thompson, Clare Logan). That’s more than any other state.
Not super suprising. Swimming’s all about the $$$$