The weekend was beautiful, and the Lady Friars were shining as bright as the sun! So far the season was filled with personal goals and achievements met, but the final team goal was right in front of them. To raise the giant plaque over their heads and be called: Champions!

Is it a Dream Team? Well one thing is for sure… they had me chewing my gum at lighting speed that I bit lip once or twice so I was happy for the reassurance that I wasn’t dreaming! I tried my best to instill in every swimmer on the team this year to not take their talent for granted. Our Juniors and Seniors know all too well that winning isn’t just handed to you. You must work for it and earn it. They remember their first year or two when they proudly walked off the deck after another team won. Then last year it was finally our turn again. (801 points and an undefeated championship).

Then on September 6, 2011 a new group of Friars were added to our Veteran team of superstars. The makeup of the team immediately had the entire coaching staff smiling. We were running on all eight cylinders right from the start. Through every dual meet, the focus on creating our best Champs lineup never faltered. They always swam their best, even when they had to swim each other, for there will be a weekend in November that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

“800 team points in a Championship”? I used to believe it to only be in a dream. But just a few years ago, I remember Sacred Heart hitting about 815. I was in awe as I applauded them while I embraced my team for proudly earning 769 points. Our highest team total at the time. Then in 2010, what I’ve titled “The Perfect Year” as both the men’s and women’s teams were undefeated in that calendar year, the Friars did what I once thought improbable. They broke the 800 barrier with 801 Team Points and carried home to St. Anthony’s another Championship plaque.

But this year… This Year… was OFF THE CHARTS! I knew this team was deep. Coaches Annie, Liz and Scott knew it was deep. Heck, every swimmer, parent, and Friar swimming fan out there knew it was going to be deep. And after seeing Saturday’s Trials performance, we definitely had our sights on our team goal: To break that all-time high score and be the top team that our League has ever seen!

** Grab a snack and a comfortable chair… this is going to take you awhile to read through!

The entire coaching staff was happy with our Saturday Trials performance. The “circle seeding” of Trials many times is tough for some swimmers to perform at their best. But not this year, and certainly not with this team. The pedal was to the metal right from the first “Take Your Mark”. Event after event, everyone swam their best times already! Coach Scott and I drove home together and discussed every detail of Trials as we do every year. We shook our heads in disbelief that we had a team with this much talent. Then at one point I said “I actually asked them to come back tomorrow [Sunday’s Finals] and do better. To dig down deeper, and really show everyone what this team has.” Then I looked over at Coach Scott and asked him, “Is there something wrong with me? How could I do that?” He didn’t answer me. I think he was just sorting through all the thoughts that go round and round in that brilliant swimming head of his. Then after a 2-3 minute dead silence in the car he finally said: “Do you think they can hit 1,000 ‘cause this team is ridiculous!” The conversation concluded with us just laughing and smiling because Finals just couldn’t come fast enough.

Sunday afternoon… it’s Finals! And even before our first swimmer hits the water, we hear our own Lauren Kneessy with her beautiful voice sing the Star Spangled Banner. Even with mic trouble, Lauren’s talent was just shining! (Is there anything these Friars can’t do?)

The 200 Medley Relay… for some teams it feels like the stars have to align to wait for 4 swimmers, superstars in their respective strokes, to fill each leg of the exciting relay and compete with the best. For the Lady Friars… all it took was that amazing start and kick-out from our sophomore Melissa Bischoff and it was all eyes on her! For those who haven’t seen it yet were probably thinking “where is Melissa?”, until she popped up at that 15 yard mark way out in front of her heat! After her turn, we saw another Bischoff Blastoff (no, I did not just rip off the Berkoff Blastoff, I thought of that all on my own) with a 27.0 split that just got the remaining three swimmers psyched to go. Then it was Callie Vacchiano (or Callie Vac as I shorten it to) who battled the toughest breaststrokers in the league. No doubt they were coming on strong… but Callie’s determination held them all off as she turned out her best ever 50 breast split at a 31.0! A team of screams let out behind me on the Friar bench… and everyone is pointing at lane 6. It seems everyone is as excited as I am to watch our freshman sensation Kylie Danin swim her butterfly! With a kick of pure power and backed by her fiery determination, Kylie swam a blistering 26.1! Kylie’s two hands hit the touchpad… and with perfect timing, Shannon Lulley’s big toe left the front of the block. I think my arms were raised in the air for the entire 24.36 seconds, because as Shannon was ripping up the pool, I already knew that the record formerly held by 4 awesome swimmers, wasn’t just being broken… it was being smashed! Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, the stars have aligned over Eisenhower Park, as the Lady Friars set a new All-American Consideration, League Record, State Qualifying, 1:48.54! And this is only the first event.

** Added: This relay went on to be the 5^th fastest Relay in NY State!

Some points to note: This is Champs. It’s a team effort, and everyone plays a part. Whether you are swimming, timing, screaming, or cheering from the stands… it ALL matters! With that said, due to how the meet was seeded in Trials, that relay was set up with Jessica Zoine swimming fly (personal best 29.97) and anchored by senior Jenna Vacchiano’s freestyle (28.53) and seeded third heading into Finals.

Nicole Mejia kicked off our 200 freestyle event with her personal best 2:11.82 and placing 10^th. She then passed the baton to her three teammates following her in Finals. Always stepping it up in Champs and tough as nails, Emma Guastella swam multiple best times and finished with a 2:06.01 in 7^th. We [the coaches] were waiting all season for Fitz to just bust out! And the fact that she was seeded 4^th after Trials and swimming a tough heat set it up perfectly for her because that’s exactly what she did. Her amazing personal best 1:58.58 swim landed her a 2^nd place overall finish! But guess what, that’s not our highest finish in the event! That’s right… we also finished first with our veteran leader Chandler Lulley doing what she does best; amazing us every time she hits the water! Her incredibly strong freestyle won the event with her personal best, State Qualifying, 1:55.51!

Ok, are you ready for this one? I’ll let you in on a tip. If you ever want to really show your competition what an amazing team you have… sweep the 200IM! What! That’s right, we are jumping straight to the Final heat… because that the only heat that the Friars are in! Our fearless four, freshman sensation LeeAnn Santore (2:17.54), junior Amanda Barry (2:15.76), Freshman Kylie Danin (State Qualifying 2:09.02), and senior Shannon Lulley (State Qualifying 2:07.78) finished 1-2-3-4, sweeping the 200 IM! I’ve been coaching 26 years. I’ve never seen that. And I just might have to coach 26 more before I see it again.

Our 50 freestyle was first dominated in the final heat of the timed final event by Katie Rogers, Senior Marisa Brandt, Jessica Zoine, and won by Danika Sess! Emily Dunn shook off the nerves in her Trial/Final event debut and gave her team two quality swims for a 15^th place finish in the tightest event of the meet. Since 1999, I have always had a “Krause” on my team (Kaitlin ‘02, Colleen ‘06, Billy ‘09, and Morgan ‘12). Whether it was the boys or girls team, I haven’t been without a swimmer from this incredible family for a decade. When you finally arrive at the end of this Champs Review, you’ll notice that we earned half a point on our total. That little “.5” that will forever be linked to our point total is credited to my final “Krause”, Morgan. Thank you Morgan for your 13^th place “tie” (12.5 points) that will always remind me of you and the Krause Family legacy! A second swimmer on the end of a Family Legacy (Jackie ’08, Drew ’11, Gennie ’12) is Gennie Cohen. She is the perfect example how the Friars swim as a TEAM. Every year she has been called on at Champs to do whatever event possible to give the Friars their highest point total. From the 100 fly to 100 free to 200 free and finally this year the 50 free where she finished with her personal best 27.27 and in 11^th place! This brings us to our powerhouse… Marielle Pavek. For the past two years she has been our top 50 freestyle sprinter, and she continued her legacy breaking her own record multiple times throughout the season, but finally ended up with a record setting, State Qualifying, 24.79 3^rd place finish in the 50!

At this point of the meet there is a 20 minute break. Awards are handed out; the pool is open for warm-up for 10 minutes, so go ahead… Stand up, rub your eyes a bit, maybe stretch or grab another snack; we have awhile to go here!

Our 50 Flyers kept up with our pace with all four in the middle lanes of the top heat! (hmm… really starting to see a pattern here!) Great swims were turned in by Marisa Brandt, Grace Tonna, Meaghan Harley, and the event was won by Sophomore Jess Zoine! (I know you know all about the inside joke, so Merry Christmas Jess!)

Coach Scott is pacing. The look of intensity on his face: mumblings of chants under his breath, “This is gonna be sick!” It’s at that point that one must remember that the 100 Butterflyers are ready to step on the block. (and let’s face it, Coach Scott wishes he is swimming it with them). OK, remember the result of the 200 IM? The 1-2-3-4 finish that never happens? How about it happening TWICE! That’s right Friar Fans… it happens again! An absolute show was put on by: Sophomore Melissa Bischoff (1:01.05), Freshman LeeAnn Santore (1:00.44), Freshman Kylie Danin (State Qualifying 57.68!) and Senior Shannon Lulley, with her State Qualifying NEW Team Record 56.92!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Holy cow… we were all hugging each other and “high fives” all around! I glanced over at Faith whose eyes were as wide as mine as she was saying, “Oh my God, that is so fast!” as we both appreciated what we just witnessed.

As we head into the 100 free… the timed final event consisted of: Wait, should I really have to type this? By now you know where they are. Of course, all four in the top heat! Dominating the heat was Freshman Cassie Gharnit, Senior Jenna Vacchiano, Junior Danika Sess, and won by our own Freshman Caroline Hughes (1:02.90). Generally, over our past champs entries, the 100 free has been a weaker event for us. But NOT this year! I was thrilled on Saturday when all four made it back to Finals, but a 1-2-3-6 finish… INCREDIBLE! Callie Vacchiano has just been having a break out season, and started hitting 57’s in her 100 free. Her 57.0 in trials bought her a seat into the top heat. But a 55.98 swim! I’m speechless! (Just kidding, I’m never speechless) And we didn’t stop there. Our fierce competitor Breann Lydon finished third ripping up the pool with a 55.51! Our sprinting powerhouse Marielle Pavek was second with her State Qualifying 54.30! And that‘s our supporting cast for our reigning Champion and record holder Chandler Lulley. With a win already in the 200 free, Chandler swam to a new Record Breaking, State Qualifying, 52.88! No, that’s not a typo… a 52 baby!

Because swimming is a sport of speed, as fans, we tend to easily recognize the fastest swimmers in a meet. But sometimes it’s the smiles of the swimmer who goes way beyond their own expectations that just make a moment so special. Ashley Jiran only swam the 500 once in the season. But everyone knows how important that “once” just might be. She earned the 4^th entry in the event and embraced the challenge! With an outstanding Trials swim, she made the top seed in consols. Her Friar Cap was blazing out in front for her entire 5:46.41 swim and her smile of accomplishment was priceless!

Our distance veterans took over the Finals heat. And that’s right… three of them! Emma Guastella and Erica Swartwout… stand them next to each other. One looks about 4’5”… the other looks about 6’5”, but boy do they make a great team! Throughout the season they flip-flop times, even in Champs. But the end result that counts is two teammates that support each other and constantly bring the team to victory in the grueling event. Emma finished 8^th in Finals (5:39.47) and her teammate Erica in 6^th (5:39.23)! Remember in the 200 free we were looking for Fitz to bust out? Well, did she ever! Racing Bridget Moody of OLMA with everything she had, she paced herself perfectly for her 2^nd place overall finish! Her 5:15.26 may have just been 21/100’s off the State cut… but that personal achievement was shining brighter as she ran to her teammates awaiting with open arms. It gives me “chills” when I see pride like that!

Our 200 Free Relay was set up to perfection by Freshman Sabrina DeGoias (who battled mono to help her team), sophomore Nicole Mejia, veteran Senior Gennie Cohen, and with an awesome 25.00 anchor split was Kaitlin FitzGerald! Heading into Finals the Friars put up our best relay we’ve ever had. I can say that because Marielle Pavek, Breann Lydon, Chandler Lulley, and Kaitlin FitzGerald finished in first place and once again broke our Team Record with a State Qualifying 1:40.32!

The Lady Friars step up (well, its backstroke, so they technically jump in) four 50 backstrokers in the top heat. Surprised yet? All Black and Gold in the middle and turning in outstanding swims were Seniors Meaghan Harley and Jenna “JayVee” Vacchiano, and Freshmen Grace Tonna and winner Caroline Hughes with an awesome 32.2! At this point Team Scores get announced. And the Friars aren’t just out in front… they already have 643 points! I remember when that was once our team high and enough to win the meet, and we have three exciting events to go! The cheers just roll us right into another meet highlight… our 100 backstroke event. Ashley Jiran was shining bright again as she crushed another consol heat and had the meet of her life with her 1:05.12 personal best! In Finals, Jackie Theal worked her butt off all season and again rose to the occasion as she finished 7^th with an awesome 1:02.95. Our top two backstrokers were up against Sacred Hearts top two swimmers, talented seniors Kayla Kuzneiwski and current league record holder Megan Brady. Taking down the best with a meet highlight 1-2 finish, Junior Breann Lydon and Sophomore Melissa Bischoff were a dynamic duo! Breann celebrated her 59.63 personal best by hugging her teammate in the lane next to her, Melissa Bischoff. Melissa not only beat the Catholic High School league record, she crushed it by a second with a monumental State Qualifying 58.01! Holy cow… goose bumps again just thinking about it!

Do you want to talk about a deep team? Remember way back in paragraph one? We are not only deep out to our forth entry, we are deep to our eighth, as the Lady Friars once again put four 50 breaststrokers in the top heat. Senior Rebecca Cruz, singing sensation Lauren Kneessy, tough freshman Cassie Gharnit, and finishing her senior career with her personal best 36.39 was Gabi Cannon! The 100 breaststroke has been a top team scoring event for the Friars for years now. And this year was no exception. All four of our swimmers were in the Final heat. Powerhouse swims were turned in by senior Kim Corso (1:15.30) and sophomore Erica Swartwout (1:16.04) with a 6-7 finish! And another awesome breaststroke duo for the Friars were chasing down the awesome Tara Mulligan from TMLA. Giving her one heck of a race, our thrilling to watch fighters, Senior Callie Vacchiano (1:09.13) and strong finisher Junior Amanda Barry (1:09.08) put both hands on the wall as their teammates cheered their 2-3 finish!

All faces were smiling. All heart rates were racing. And the anticipation of the Granddaddy of all relays, the 400 Free Relay swimmers began shaking out their legs and swinging their arms behind block number 5. Kayla Bianco, Faith McCallion, and all their teammates were on their feet. We on the sidelines were loose and ready to party, but our top relay was intense. Nothing but determination on their faces, as they set to give everyone in the Nassau Aquatic Center something to talk about on the ride home. The “Friar Relay” chants turned into the “Marielle Pavek” chants as we watched her get ready: putting her leg up on the block and Blessed herself as she stares into the depths of lane 5. Her best kickout/breakout she’s ever done set up her 54.44 split that already put her relay out in front. Shannon Lulley’s starts were “on” all weekend, and she was perfect again here. Her 54.28 split gave the Friars a commanding lead… and the cheers from the stands were already becoming loud! Kylie Danin looked as if she was shot out of a cannon! She ripped up the pool and used that awesome kickout of hers for an incredible 54.0 split! Our anchor this year is none other then our top 100 freestyler of all time, Chandler Lulley. At this point, I’m cheering myself to exhaustion… but Chandler is all business. With every stroke she took, the Friars got louder… they knew what was coming. The sea of Friar parents dressed in Black and Gold were on their feet, arms raised in celebration just like their daughters! Chandler Lulley’s final touch of the touchpad (54.86) made it official… The St. Anthony’s Friars are Champions! The 3:37.74 Friar relay finished more then 10 seconds ahead of the second place team.

** Added note: This same relay went on to be the third fastest relay in NY State breaking the former All-American St. Anthony’s Team Record with an astounding 3:34.71!!

Yes, the sun may have been bright, but the Lady Friars were brighter. The entire team leapt into the air as one, as we listened to meet announcer Ray Yeager enthusiastically announce not only the first place finish, but the All-Time High Catholic League Team Point Total of 879.5 points! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!

If you were in the Nassau Aquatic Center on the weekend of Nov, 11-12, and witnessed the performance of the 34 members of the 2011 Friars Swim Team, consider yourself lucky as it is one that will be talked about for years and years to come!

** Adding on: This years State Team qualified back for Finals, all three relays, and everyone who swam in trials made it back to swim in finals. They scored 142 points, becoming the top CHSAA team in the State, Number One on Long Island, and 3^rd overall in New York State!

. It’s now been 22 seasons for me, cheering for the St. Anthony’s Girls Swim Team. Each of them is special and memorable in their own way. You all know me very well, and how I brag about my teams and swimmers. I can tell you all, you will never be forgotten and I will forever brag about you! Speaking on behalf of myself and my three colleagues, we thank you for your 110% effort, attention, and the fun you brought to each and every practice and meet. You outworked every team out there and deserve every bit of praise. You truly earned your place in history in your school and your league. Yes, you are CHAMPIONS, and you are bonded for life.

I Congratulate each and every one of you on your monumental accomplishments! I’m Blessed to be a part of your incredible team!

-Proud to be called your coach:

Coach Dan