WAYNE – Ridgewood has finally cracked the championship code.
And in the end, Isabel Lee didn't let it get any closer.
Columbia had a stellar performance, winning four races, and the Maroons overcame the hurdle by defeating Passaic Tech 100-70 in the North 1 Group A girls swimming final on Thursday.
It was the program's first sectional title in 13 years and the first under coach Kyle Schulke. After starting 0-5 in the championship round, it was the first time in a while that they ventured into enemy waters.
“If you come and watch the other team win, it just adds fuel to the fire,” Schulke said. “I think they came back every season wanting to do a little bit more, and that helped them.”
Passaic Tech showed plenty of firepower, winning the 200-meter medley relay and setting the first of five school records. It still wasn't enough to stop the top-seeded Maroons (7-1), who appear to be peaking at just the right time.
Lee won the 50 and 100 freestyles and pulled off a miraculous turnaround in the 200 freestyle relay that turned the tide for Ridgewood about halfway through the meet. The senior sprinter set a high school best time of 23.32 seconds on the final lap, regaining more than a second lead.
Her speed and the early efforts of Josie Marino, Esme Hendrickse and Nicole Koltsoff gave Ridgewood a commanding 72-52 lead.
“I was so excited, but I was like, come on, Isabelle, we got this,” Lee said. “I can catch up to that kid. It felt good to touch the wall and beat the other team. I was excited because I knew that would be a key point in leading the team to victory.”
One of the other top races was when Marino faced Passaic County champion Francesca Cordero in the breaststroke. Marino said it was a little scary to face such a tough challenge with the goal in sight, but the highly competitive sophomore had enough speed to meet the moment. Marino won in a photo finish (1:08.20), giving Ridgewood a commanding lead going into the final event.
“It was great to play against them,” Marino said. “In the end, I kept pushing myself. I seemed to have the same mindset as her. We have to win for the team. I definitely felt good about my times and performance. I was satisfied.”
“She's able to carry out her will through events,” Schulke said. “I feel like you saw that in the breaststroke today. She's doing everything she can to win and I think that's pushing the other girls on.”
Ridgewood reached the sectional final in each of the past two years before reaching the summit this winter. Schulke pointed to the team's narrow loss to IHA and the silver medal at the Bergen County Tournament as turning points that inspired confidence throughout the lineup.
Winning another title will only boost morale as the Maroons prepare for Wednesday's Group A semifinals at the Raritan Bay YMCA. The remaining four teams in each group will be seeded and combined based on the PowerPoint.
“I told the girls on the bus that no one could beat us as fast as we swam on Monday,” Schulke said. “Today confirmed that. It was a fun tournament.”
fight till the end
Leonia/Palisades Park came closer than ever to its first sectional win, but just fell one step short.
The top-seeded Morris Knolls bounced back to 1-3 in the final relay and narrowly overtook the second-place Lions in the North 1, Group B championship, 86-84.
The Lions trailed by 14 points a little more than half the game, but gradually closed the gap during a five-game winning streak. Iris Kim earned her second solo win in the 500 freestyle, Rebecca Jung added another top time in the backstroke, and Sophie Dahiya led the Lions in the breaststroke with a 1-2-3 finish.
Leonia/Palisades Park finished the season as NJIC Conference Champions with a 9-2 record.
