The keeping of records and milestones is a part of the celebration of sports competition.
The Westmont Hilltop girls swimmers are one team that has labored in relative obscurity during an impressive record run, with a group of seniors that have never had a loss in dual-meet competition.
“We have a pretty good girls team,” said Westmont coach John W. Hicks Jr., whose team topped Cambria Heights 97-70 on Monday. “This is their 57th win in a row dating back to this group before they were freshmen. They haven’t lost a meet in their entire careers so far.
“Even though we are swimming with such a big team this year, we are trying to get every single swimmer to swim. My girls are not getting all their four events, but we are still pretty dominant in the pool, even without our strongest lineup in.”
The Hilltoppers are 8-0 this season thus far and have gained the reputation of being the team to beat in the pool, especially among other girls teams.
The tradition of excellence in the pool has followed this group of swimmers at Westmont and helps them with the mental toughness required throughout the season.
“We all support each other a lot,” said Westmont senior Naofa Noll, who won the
100-yard butterfly on Monday as well as part of the winning 200 freestyle relay. “When you know that all your friends are on the sidelines cheering you on, it’s a lot easier to go even faster.”
Senior Kara Kovach won the 100 freestyle on Monday while senior Marissa Miller claimed the victory in the 100 breaststroke. Other seniors who were part of the Hilltoppers winning relays included Giana DeMarco and Kayla Causer, who were part of the 200 medley relay.
But the Hilltoppers also got victories from several underclassmen including juniors Leah Mercik and Libby Atterbury in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke, respectively, and sophomore Nollaig Noll, the younger sister of Naofa, who won the 50 freestyle.
Sophomore Hannah Dorian was also part of the winning 200 medley relay, as well as the 200 freestyle relay.
Hicks, who is in his eighth season at Westmont, plans to continue the winning tradition that has been established.
He knows that having the bullseye on their backs is nothing new for this group of girls.
“I always tell the kids that we’re the team to beat, that everyone wants to knock us off,” Hicks said.
“They always respond with: ‘That’s not going to happen.’ The tradition is that Westmont is going to improve, work hard and be better than the previous swim.”
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Cory Isenberg | Westmont dominates in the pool
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