Victory Over JFK Sends Swimmers to 12-0

This update provided by assistant coach Colleen Donnelly. If you see a game we were unable to cover, please feel free to send over the score and photos.

The Cranford High School swim team took home their 12th straight victory, 51-43, over John F. Kennedy High School on Friday at the Woodbridge Community Center. 

Swimming a meet run as a four lane pool competition, each team only had the utilization of two lanes. This made the competition more intense as it became imperative to place first, or second and third.

The Cougars 200 Medley Relay team consisting of Christian Woo, Nick Kalafatis, Eric Walano, and Connor Harkins went out hard to win the first event. Kalafatis followed suit by winning the 200 Yard Freestyle. Kathleen French kept the Cougars on the board with a second place finish in the 200 Yard Individual Medley.

After the third event, Cranford and JFK were tied 13-13. Walano sprinted past his competition in the fourth event and won the 50 Yard Freestyle followed in third by senior Connor Harkins, putting the Cougars up 18-16.

The pressure was on. If either team was able to capture a first and second place finish in one event, they could drastically increase their score by six more points. 

Kalafatis easily captured first place in the 100 Yard Freestyle event with a time of 54:23 while Harkins finished a strong second in 56:83. They put the Cougars ahead 29-21.

Feeling the adrenaline and excitement of their teammates' victory, senior captain Katie Pijanowski and junior Kelly Miller dove into the 500 Yard Freestyle event. Pijanowski won in 6:27:75, shaving almost 12 seconds off of her previous best time.
Miller was on her teammate's toes finishing in second place at 6:27:93.  The score was now 36-22.

"I am amazed and shocked that I was able to take so much time off of my previous best in the 500 free," said Pijanowski, a veteran ocean lifeguard for Long Beach Island. "I am really proud of what our team has accomplished today and having such an improvement in my time."

"Katie is a great distance swimmer and has been working hard all season on her 500 yard freestyle time," said head coach Barbara Kolesa. "Her turns going into the wall are fast and she is consistent on her splits during the event. I am really proud of her achievement today."

The Cougars pushed the JFK swim team one more time in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay. Kalafatis, Robert Lento, Harkins, and Walano swept past their competition to first place.  Finishing in third were French, Zach Fried, Peter Gallo, and Brian Leu.

Now 12-0 in the season, the Cougars look to use next week to continue their quest for their first conference championship and to prepare for the Union County Championship meet on January 30 at Rutgers University.