
New year, New team
Last year was a great season for Caldwell Swimming, with both the boys and girls teams having a very successful season. The boys team had a very successful regular season, while the girls went on to win the sectional championship against Glen Ridge by a very slim margin. This year, both teams lost a lot of seniors from the class of 2024. However, both teams’ seasons have been going very well. Boys’ captains Trevor Mescia, Chris Mattesky, Mark Wyrovskey, and Matt Egan, as well as Girls’ captains Alania Conderelli and Sophia Mastice are determined to make this season as fun and rewarding as possible. According to the Girls’ captain Alainia: “It is less about winning and more about swimming together as a team.” Coaches Trevino and Coogan-Russell share this sentiment, as the cheer they lead the team in at every meet is: “Winning isn’t everything! It’s a chief thing!”
Getting back in the pool
During the first week of practice, it was definitely hard to get back into the groove, especially since the Chiefs now practice at the NJIT pool in Newark, so they have to drive about 30-45 minutes to practice everyday, and the pool is not always the warmest. Many other teams practice there too, such as West Orange,a school with much larger numbers. Due to this, sometimes the Chiefs are confined to a small number of lanes. However, by the first meet, the Chiefs were able to pull off a decisive win against Saint Benedict’s, a team with a lot of talent. The team suffered their first loss of the season against Newark Academy, which has a much bigger team. While losing so many great seniors last year was tough, many new swimmers have joined. New freshmen like Jenna Calebrese, Lilliana Swanson, Lilliana Mills, Kevin Egan, Hannah Swift, and Quinn Cori are some of the fresh new faces who have brought lots of hard work and dedication to the team. Other new swimmers are Brielle Butler, Lucia Rama, Will Swift, and Anxhi Caci.
Interview with a Rookie
Anxhi Caci started at JCHS his junior year, and has joined the swim team this year. To get a perspective from someone who is newer to the team, I decided to interview him.
Q: What is your favorite part about being on the swim team?
A: The team spirit. We are an energetic team with a great attitude.
Q: How has your experience been so far? Has it been challenging to swim almost everyday?
A: I take six AP classes, so it is hard to keep up with everything, but I was on a swim team before so it’s not a totally new challenge.
Q: What’s your favorite stroke?
A: Breaststroke. I think it’s so fun to swim.
As an amazing team player, Anxhi brings a lot of hard work and spirit to the team. He is also a very important part of the relay team. The girls team ended their season with a winning record, but the boys team is moving onto the state playoffs, so come out to the next meet to support the team!