Moorestown Crowned Central Group B Champions with Dominant Final Victory over WW-P South

West Windsor-Plainsboro South found itself in a tough spot when facing defending sectional champion Moorestown on Thursday. The Pirates were already at a disadvantage because their top swimmer, Helen Chen, didn't make the trip to The College of New Jersey for the Central Group B final. Chen had fallen ill and was unable to compete. However, the real challenge for South came from the fact that Moorestown did arrive and was ready to dominate.

The Quakers proved their strength by repeating as sectional champions. They showcased their talent across all events, winning all three relays and securing five individual victories in a decisive 112-58 victory. This overwhelming margin made it clear that no single swimmer could have turned the tide in favor of West Windsor-Plainsboro South.

Moorestown coach John Battersby praised his team's performance after the meet, saying, “The girls swam out of their minds tonight. There were a lot of best times. Before the meet, we went over the lineup, we went over what we thought their lineup was going to be and we challenged the girls. We said, ‘Listen, you’ve worked so hard all year. You put in the time. You put in the effort. It’s time to put up the numbers.’ And they did that tonight.”

Battersby also highlighted the team's depth, which played a crucial role in their success. “We’ve been very fortunate this year. We lost a lot of great seniors last year but we had a really strong freshman class coming in that not only solidified our center lanes, but allowed us to have more depth in the outside lanes as well. When you get this far in the tournament, you need the depth to keep moving forward. So we were fortunate to have that.”

Moorestown's success was fueled by standout performances from several athletes. Freshman Ellie Breeding won two individual events: the 200 free in 1:57.70 and the 500 free in 5:10.42. Elena Kavney also excelled, taking first in the 100 free in 53.80 and the 100 breast in 1:08.11. Molly Lawson added another win in the 100 fly with a time of 1:04.79.

Breeding expressed her pride in the team's performance, stating, “Even if we didn’t get first, we really put a lot of heart into all of our races. And I saw a lot of really great finishes. They put there all into it. Our depth is amazing. It’s so important.”

Kavney echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of teamwork. “It was a team effort, definitely. We’re all putting the work in at practice. We’re all close, helping each other, cheering each other on. All the hard work comes out in the end.”

Behind every championship win are countless hours of training. Moorestown's coach Battersby and his staff have managed to maintain a balance between rigorous training and an enjoyable environment for the swimmers. “We’re spread out between club and high school,” Battersby explained. “We have about 20 of our 28 at high school every day. And we do make it fun. The girls make it fun, Coach Pringler and I try to make it fun.”

Battersby also emphasized the importance of the program's culture. “We really value the culture of the program over anything else. And I think, creating that positive culture, the girls want to come back every day. It does make it fun, it makes them be great teammates. They want to work for each other, they want to support each other, they want to show up for each other. I think that’s kind of what we saw tonight.”

While Chen was unavailable for West Windsor-Plainsboro South on Thursday, she remains eligible for the Meet of Champions and plans to compete in that event. Despite the loss, the Pirates showed resilience with standout performances from other swimmers. Melisa Kocak won the 100 back in 1:00.85, Isabela Saldivia took the 200 IM in 2:14.69, and Nava Brenner-Witten claimed the 50 free in 26.53.

Coach Jess Bidwell praised her team's efforts, saying, “They swam phenomenally. We just bumped some kids up. We got super close to Meet of Champs cuts, we had some qualify for the last chance meet.”

She also reflected on the significance of the achievement. “We haven’t been at a sectional final meet since 2017. We were talking about that on the bus. That was a huge goal of ours, to even get this far. We’ve not made it to this point in nine years, so let’s be really proud of that. And we’re really proud of how they swam today.”