ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills High School senior Sarah Wagner brought home a medal by placing eighth in the championship final of the 100-yard backstroke at the NJSAA Girls Swimming Meet of Champions held Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Sewell.
Wagner posted a time of 1:00.63 in Sunday’s race, a little more than three seconds off the winning time of 57.47 posted by first-place finisher Emily O’Neill of Freehold Boro High School.
Wagner qualified for the championship round by finishing in a tie for seventh place with Cori Michibata of West Windsor South when both swimmers posted a time of 59.4 in the preliminary races held on Saturday.
Senior Hailey Growney, swimming in Sunday’s consolation final of the 100 back, placed 13th overall in the state as she posted a time of 1:00.74. Growney also placed 13th with a time of 1:00.47 in the preliminaries on Saturday.
The top eight finishers in Saturday’s prelims moved on to the championship medal round on Sunday while the next fastest eight swimmers on Saturday came back the next day for the consolation final.
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Wagner wins NJAC title in backstroke
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills High School senior Sarah Wagner repeated her county meet championship performance in the first Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Girls Swim Championships as she won the conference title in the 100-meter backstroke.
The meet was held on Friday, Feb. 6 at the Morristown High School pool.
Wagner touched first in 1:06.81, more than two seconds faster than runnerup Molly Higgins of Randolph.
Wagner won the only medal for the Lady Knights, who finished with 42 team points and in 11th place in the 21-team field.
Chatham won the team title with 229 points with Mountain Lakes second with 154 points.
Following in order, were: 3. Mendham (147 points), 4. Morristown (106), 5. St. Elizabeth (104), 6. Kinnelon (80), 7. Pope John (78), 8. Randolph (76), 9. West Morris (71), 10. Morris Knolls (62), 11. Morris Hills (42), 12. Madison (36), 13. Montville and Sparta (29, tie), 15. Villa Walsh (19), 16. Pequannock (14), 17. Roxbury and Vernon (8, tie); 19. High Point and Wall-Tech (4, tie), and 21. Park (2).
The boys conference meet was rescheduled to Sunday, Feb. 7, at Sussex Vo-Tech staring at 9:30 a.m.
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Wagner, Growney win as Knights fall to Kinnelon
ROCKAWAY - County backstroke champ Sarah Wagner won her specialty and Hailey Growney won one of the long-distance freestyle races as Morris Hills lost a 111-61 decision to Kinnelon in a high school girls swim meet at the County College of Morris in Randolph Township on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Wagner won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:05.50 and Growney won the 500 free in 5:41.21 for the only wins of the day for the Lady Knights.
Wagner finished second in the 100 fly and Growney was second in the 200 IM. Paige Fox finished second in the 50 free and was third in the 100 free; Hadleigh Kindberg was third in the 500 free; Corin Marshall and Sam Petruzzi finished 2-3 in the 100 breaststroke.
The Knights placed second in each of the three relay races as Growney, Marshall, Wagner and Fox finished second i the 200 medley relay; Petruzzi, Anne Mennen, Aly Slezak and Amanda Fiorenzo placed second in the 200 free relay; and Fox, Growney, Marshall and Wagner finished second in the 400 free relay.
Morris Hills is 4-7 on the season after the defeat; Kinnelon is 7-3.
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Wagner, Growney finish 1-2 in county backstroke
ROCKAWAY - Their coach calls them the “dynamic duo” ... their AD calls them “outstanding athletes and great friends” ... their teammates call them Sarah Wagner and Hailey Growney.
And all the two Morris Hills High School seniors did was finish 1-2 in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2010 Morris County Swim Championships held at Morristown High School on Saturday, Jan. 30.
Sarah Wagner won the race with a time of 1:07.30 with her teammate and good friend Hailey Growney second in 1:08.03.
Last year, the two also finished 1-2 in the race, although last year Growney won the gold and Wagner picked up the second-place silver.
"“It was an adrenaline rush," Wagner was quoted as saying after the meet. "Hailey and are such good friends ... we’re supportive of each other ... it doesn’t matter who gets it."
Their coach, Heather McDonald, sees the pair doing well in the post-season, even headed for the Meet of Champions, where the best swimmers in the state compete in the season’s final meet.
"They are phenomenal athletes ... our dynamic duo," McDonald says. "We are so thrilled that they have brought this recognition home to Morris Hills for two straight years."
Morris Hills athletics director Rob Haraka sent out his thoughts to the local media via a Monday morning e-mail that said, in part:
"“What a great accomplishment for two outstanding student-athletes and great friends," Haraka wrote. "Congratulations to Hailey, Sarah and head coach Heather McDonald for making the Morris Hills community proud."
Wagner and Growney accounted for the only two medals won by the Lady Knights as well as 29 of the 44 team points scored as Morris Hills finished in 11th place in the 18-team field.
Chatham edged Mountain Lakes, 215-196.5 for the team title with Mendham third with 130 points, St. Elizabeth was fourth with 118 points and Morristown rounded out the top five with 106 points.
The remainder of the field, in order of finish: 6. West Morris (97 points); 7. Randolph (77), 8. Kinnelon (66), 9. Morris Knolls (53), 10. Madison (50), 11. Morris Hills (44), 12. Villa Walsh (32), 13. Jefferson (31), 14. Pequannock (29), 15. Montville (28), 16. Roxbury (20.5), 17. Park Regional (6) and 18. Parsippany Hills (2).
Medals went to the top six finishers in each race and team points were scored by the 12 fastest swimmers or teams in each event.
Growney swam the lead leg and Wagner the third leg on the Lady Knights 200 medley relay that finished eighth with a time of 2:12.70. Corin Marshall swam the second leg for the Lady Knights while Paige Fox was the anchor as the foursome added 10 points to the team total.
Fox, Growney, Fiorenzo and Wagner finished 11th in the 400 relay for four team points. And Growney picked up a team point for the Lady Knights when she placed 12th with a time of 2:20.66 in the 200 free.
In other events: Amanda Fiorenzo was 37th and Marshall 38th in the 200 free; Fox placed 30th in the 50 free; Wagner was 15th and Samantha Petruzzi 38th in the 100 fly; Fox was 27th, Fiorenzo 47th, Katie Lin 57th and Anne Mennen 58th in the 100 free; Hadleigh Kindberg was 35th in the 400 free; the team of Marshall, Petruzzi, Mennen and Fiorenzo were 17th in the 200 free relay; and Marshall was 21st in the 100 breaststroke.
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Wagner, Growney win as Lady Knights fall to Mendham
ROCKAWAY - Seniors Sarah Wagner and Hailey Growney, fresh from their 1-2 finish in the backstroke at the county meet, scored victories on Monday, Feb. 2, when Morris Hills lost a 106-64 decison to Mendham in a high school girls swim meet held at Morristown High School.
Wagner won the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 1:08.26 with teammate Paige Fox second in 1:10.46.
Growney took the 100 back with a time of 1:10.38.
The only other first-place finish for the Lady Knights was in the 200 free relay when Sam Petruzzi, Anne Mennen, Aly Slezak and Amanda Fiorenzo touched first with a time of 2:44.99.
Morris Hills (4-6) finshed 2-3 in the 200 IM with Wagner finishing second and Amanda Fiorenzo third. The Lady Knights also had a 2-3 finish in the 200 free with Corin Marshall second and Fiorenzo taking another third.
Fox finished third in the 50 free; Growney placed third in the 400 free; and Slezak finished third in the100 breast stroke.
Other third-place finishes were turned in by the 200 medley relay team of Growney, Marshall, Wagner and Fox and the 400 free relay team of Fox, Fiorenzo, Marshall and Growney.
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Lady Knights bow to county-power Chatham
ROCKAWAY - County-power Chatham won all 11 races on the card to hand Morris Hills a 129-47 defeat in a girls high school swim meet held at the County College of Morris in Randolph.
The victory boosted Chatham’s season record to 11-1; the loss saw Morris Hills’ record slip to 4-5.
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Growney, Wagner, Marshall win in loss to Mtn. Lakes
ROCKAWAY - Hailey Growney doubled and Sarah Wagner and Corin Marshall each won individual races as the Morris Hills High School girls swim team lost a 114-56 decision to county-power Mountain Lakes at the County College of Morris in Randolph Township on Thursday, Jan. 21.
Growney won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:12.63 and came back to take the 500 free with a time of 5:34.04.
Wagner won the 100 back in 1:02.97 and also finished second in the 100 fly with a time of 1:06.13 that was .07 off the winning time posted by Megan Kiely of Mountain Lakes.
Marshall won the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:17.09.
Paige Fox had a second-place finish in the 100 free when she posted a time of 1:06.65.
The loss put Morris Hills' season record at 4-4; Mountain Lakes improved to 5-1 with its victory.
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Wagner doubles in loss to sister-school Morris Knolls
ROCKAWAY - Sarah Wagner won two individual races and and Hailey Growney and Corin Marshall each won one race when the Morris Hills girls swim team lost a girls swim meet to sister-school Morris Knolls at the County College of Morris in Randolph Township on Thursday, Jan. 14.
Wagner won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:21.73 and then captured the 100 fly in 1:06.40. Growney won the 100 back in 1:05.26 and Marshall took the 100 back in 1:17.11.
Three three Lady Knights also teamed with anchor Paige Fox to win the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:59.62.
Morris Hills (4-3) got a 2-3 finish in the 500 free when Growney finished second in 5:42.65 and Kindberg Hadleigh placed third in 6:26.23.
The Lady Knights added two more individual third-place finishes when Fox swam a 27:39 in the 50 free and Amanda Fiorenzo was timed in 2:20.62 in the 200 free.
Morris Hills also placed third in the 400 free relay when Fox, Giorenzo, Growney and Wagner finished in 4:14.97 and had another third in the 200 free when Samantha Petruzzi, Marshall, Anne Mennen and Fiorenzo finished in 1:58.8.
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Lady Knights edged by Park, 88-82
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills won seven of 11 races, but Park’s abundance of second- and third-place finishes led to an 88-82 decision for Park in a high school girls swim meet held at Morristown High School on Monday, Jan. 11.
The loss was the first in four meets for the Lady Knights, who are now 4-2 on the season.
Sarah Wagner and Hailey Growney each won two individual races and swam on two winning relay teams for the Lady Knights
Wagner won the 200-meter individual medley in 2:47.32 and then came back to take the 100 fly with a time of 1:15.04. Growney touched first in the 500 free in 4:59.24 and also won the 100 back in 1:10.99.
The pair joined Corin Marshall and Paige Fox to win the 200 medley relay in 2:17.41 and then Fox, Growney, Amanda Fiorenzo and Wagner won the 400 free with a time of 4:32.45.
Marshall won the 100 breaststroke, topping the field with a time of 1:28.26.
Fiorenzo had a second-place finish in the 200 free in 2:47.33 and the 200 free relay team of Marshall, Samantha Petruzzi, Anne Mennen and Fiorenzo finished second in the 200 free relay with a time of 2:09.20.
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Lady Knights win fourth straight meet
ROCKAWAY - The Morris Hills High School girls swim team won its fourth straight meet on Wednesday, Jan. 6, when the Lady Knights swept the card in a 105-65 victory over Pequannock at the County College of Morris in Randolph Township.
Hailey Growney, Corin Marshall, Paige Fox and Sarah Wagner each won two individual events for the Lady Knights, who finished 1-2 in each of the eight races to improve their season record to 4-1.
Growney won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:12.28 with Hadleigh Kindberg second in 2:26.90. Growney and Katie Lin were 1-2 in the 500 free with Growney posting a winning time of 5:54.32 and Lin finishing in 7:27.78.
Marshall won the 200 IM in 2:41.33 with teammate Alyson Slezak second in 2:46.00. The same pair finished 1-2 in the 100 breaststroke with Marshall touching first in 1:17.45 and Slezak second in 1:25.19.
Fox won both freestyle sprints, taking the 50 in 27.77 with Anne Mennen second in 30.12 and winning the 100 in 1:05.01 with Amanda Fiorenzo second in 1:07.28.
Wagner and Sam Petruzzi were 1-2 in the 100 fly with Wagner winning in 1:07.42 and Petruzzi second in 1:17.53. Wagner then came back to win the 100 back in 1:03.72 with Kindberg second in 1:15.63.
In the relays, Growney, Marshall, Wagner and Fox won the 200 medley relay in 2:04.77 with teammates Kindbert, Slezak, Petruzzi and Mennen second with a time of 2:16.29.
The 200 free relay team of Petruzzi, Marshall, Mennen and Fiorenzo won in 1:59.69 before the 400 free relay team of Growney, Fox, Fiorenzo and Wagner completed the sweep of the card by touching first in 4:10.32.
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Knights improve to 3-1 with victory over Parsippany
ROCKAWAY - Sophomore Corin Marshall and senior Paige Fox each won two events as the Morris Hills girls swim team made it three-for-three since an opening-season loss with a 112-57 victory over Parsippany in a high school meet held at the County College of Morris pool in Randolph Township on Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Marshall won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:30.00 and the Lady Knights made it a 1-2 finish when junior Aly Slezak placed second in 2:38.44. Marshall led a 1-2-3 Morris Hills finish in the 100 breaststroke, winning the race in 1:18.69 with Slezak second in 1:23.02 and senior Sam Petruzzi right behind in third place with a time of 1:23.04.
Fox won the two freestyle sprints, taking the 50-yard event in 27.44 and the 100 in 1:03.59 as the Lady Knights won all 11 races on the card.
Junior Amanda Fiorenzo won the 200 free in 2:23.10; senior Sarah Wagner touched first in the 100 fly in 1:06.50 with Petruzzi in second with a time of 1:14.61; Senior Hailey Growney won the 500 free in 5:58.63; and freshman Hadleigh Kindberg won the 100 back in 1:16.16 with sophomore Katie Line second with a time of 1:18.68.
Wagner, Marshal, Growney and Fox led a sweep in the relays by combining for a victory in the 200 medley relay in 1:02.94 as well as the 200 free relay in 1:54.62.
In the 400 free relay, the Lady Knights finished 1-2 with senior Anne Mennen, Petruzzi, Slezak and Fiorenzo winning the race in 4:38.78 and Lin, freshman Bianca Brattoli, junior Kaylee Gangaware and freshman Lauren Shultz finishing second with a time of 4:55.22.
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Lady Knights sweep card in 109-61 win over Par Hills
ROCKAWAY - The Morris Hills girls swim team finished first in all 11 events in beating Parsippany Hills, 109-61, in high school meet held at Morristown High School's pool in Morristown on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
The win was the second in as many meets for the Lady Knights.
Sophomore Corin Marshall and junior Amanda Fiorenzo doubled for Morris Hills with Marshall winning the 200-yard individual medley in 2:57.57 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:27.27 and Fiorenzo taking the 50 free in 31.70 and 500 free in 6:16.56.
Senior Hailey Growney won the 200 free in 2:32.87; senior Sam Petruzzi took the 100 fly in 1:23.40; senior Paige Fox won the 100 free in 1:13.90; and senior Sarah Wagner won the 100 back.
In the relays, Growney, Marshall, Wagner and Fox combined to win the 200 medley relay in 2:17.99 and also teamed up to win the 200 free relay with a time of 2:10.51.
In the 400 free relay, senior Anne Mennen, Petruzzi, junior Aly Slezak and Fiorenzo combined to touch first with a time of 5:06.32.
The Lady Knights had several 1-2 finishes in the meet as junior Kaylee Gangaware placed second in the 200 free in 2:58.16; Slezak was right behind Marshall in the 200 IM with a time of 2:58.55; Fox was runnerup to Fiorenzo in the 50 free with a time of 34.70; and Petruzzi was second in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:33.41.
The Lady Knights also placed second in the 200 medley relay when freshman Hadleigh Kindberg, Slezak, Petruzzi and Mennen finished in 2:31.08.
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Lady Knights open season with 109-61 win over Mount Olive
ROCKAWAY - The Morris Hills High School girls swim team opened the 2009-2010 season with a strong showing as the Lady Knights won 10 of 11 events on the card to defeat Mount Olive, 109-61, at the County College of Morris pool in Randolph Township on Thursday, Dec. 3.
Junior Amanda Fiorenzo was a double-winner for the Lady Knights, winning the 200- and 100-yard freestyle races. The Lady Knights were 1-2 in the 200 free with Fiorenzo touching first in 2:25.07 and junior Aly Slezak second in 2:30.10. Fiorenzo's winning time in the 100 free was 1:05.46.
Senior Sarah Wagner led a 1-2 Morris Hills finish in the 200 IM with a winning time of 2:29.40 with sophomore Corin Marshall second in 2:41.98.
Seniors Paige Fox and Anne Mennen were 1-2 in the 50 free with Fox touching first in 28.02 and Mennen turning in a time of 29.40.
Senior Sam Petruzzi and freshman Bianca Brattoli put together another 1-2 finish in the 100 fly for the Lady Knights. Petruzzi won the race in 1:13.84 and Brattoli was second in 1:24.93.
Another senior-freshman combo was 1-2 in the 100 back with senior Hailey Growney winning the race in 1:06.85 and freshman Hadleigh Kindberg second in 1:15.20. Slezak won the 100 breaststroke in 1:22.81.
In the relays, Growney, Marshall, Wagner and Fox combined to win the 200 medley relay in 2:01.87 with teammates Kindberg, Petruzzi, sophomore Katie Lin and Mennen second in 2:15.45.
Mennen, Petruzzi, Slezak and Fiorenzo won the 200 free relay in 2:02.38 and Mennen, Lin, Kindberg and Fiorenzo captured the 400 free relay with a time of 4:40.81.
