Whether the boat is sinking or enjoying smooth sailing, both the boys and girls swim teams at Hopewell Valley Central High are on board with each other.
“Our program emphasizes toughness and effort as well as a ‘Row the Boat’ mentality — doing whatever it takes to be successful while continuing to move forward together as a team through ups and downs,” said Denny Atkinson, the program’s co-coach along with former Bulldog standout Olivia Kochis. “We believe that if we can do those two things, we will be successful.
This year’s boat cut through the water quite nicely, as both teams shocked the state by reaching the semifinals of their sectional meets. The boys advanced to the semis in the NJSIAA North 2 Group B meet by stunning Summit, ranked No. 20 in the state; while the girls made it by handing Metuchen its first lost of the season in the quarterfinals.
Both meets were thrillers, as the boys won 86-84 when the 400 relay teams took first and third place; and the girls won 91-79 when the 400 teams did the same thing.
“On paper the boys looked outmatched,” Atkinson said. “We kept at it throughout the meet and were able to give ourselves a chance at the end and win the 400 relay by 0.14 second. Bryson Himmelheber had a spectacular final leg in the relay to come back and win.
As for the girls, Atkinson said “Metuchen was very top-heavy. We had some really good swims from our depth swimmers to keep us in the meet. We had to strategize and split the relays at the end to try and get second and third to secure the win, and we end up going first and third. Grace Kunkel (50, 100 free) and Ruby Schuster (100 breaststroke) had key victories.
“Both meets really showed off our toughness. Not having a pool and practicing late at night (at the Pennington School) at a rival school’s facility gives us a little chip on our shoulder. Our kids really buy into that and it benefits us in close meets when we are not favored.”
The similar relay outcomes were not surprising. Even though they were in different towns at different meets, both teams continued to be on the same wavelength. And when they are competing at the same meet, the cohesiveness is obvious.
“Being bonded is one of the most important aspects of being successful,” Kochis said. “Each and every one of our swimmers are excited to jump in the pool late at night, which is a difficult feat. This excitement comes from being able to see their friends and be surrounded by unconditional support and encouragement.
“During difficult races the close bond can be observed in real time. All Hopewell swimmers line up on the sides of the pools, stand behind the blocks, or behind lanes to cheer for their teammates in the water. This support drives our swimmers to try harder, swim faster, and win.”
The result was a 7-5 record for both teams, including some stellar individual performances.
For the girls, the medley relay team of seniors Jinrie Liu, Schuster, Stubbs, and Grace Kunkel won the 200 medley relay in the Colonial Valley Conference Championship, swimming a time of 2:10.18.
““These women are not only incredible swimmers, but (also) amazing people displaying strong character,” Kochis said. “With their success they show their team the importance of accountability and dedication in success. They have a drive to give Hopewell Swimming a name not only in Mercer County, but on the state level as well.”
They also help figure out what lineups may work against certain teams.
“Usually coaches just do scouting, but these girls do the research themselves,” Kochis said. “They are consistently scouting potential competition and talk to coaches about what needs to be done in order to win. When it comes time for their race, they leave everything in the water, always trying their hardest to help their team be successful.”
For the boys, Himmelheber, a junior, took second at the CVC meet in the 400 free (4:12.79) and third in the 100 back (1:02.53) while also qualifying for the Meet of Champions.
“Bryson Himmelheber is probably our best all-around swimmer on the boys side,” Atkinson said. “He’s extremely versatile and can be put in almost any event to give us a chance to win.”
Other front-line swimmers for the boys were junior Niall Brogan, senior Colin Subhan (200, 500 free), sophomores Alex Horowitz and Jack Kerr and freshmen Jason Jaffe and Ryan Liu.
“Niall became reliable in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke and Colin is extremely competitive which makes him tough to beat in longer races,” Atkinson said. “The others are very impactful younger guys looking to take the next step next season.”
Senior Matt Helmrich got consistent thirds in the demanding 50 free and 100 fly and “has worked incredibly hard to improve his technique, which has paid off,” according to Kochis. She also praised Finn Stover in the same two events, while noting that Liu dropped times consistently throughout the season and Jaffe “pushed himself incredibly hard every meet.”
When it came to the relay teams, the boys medley squads included Jason Jaffe, Kerr, Stover, Horowitz, Helmrich, Liu, Kevin Mac, Finn Boric, Judd Horowitz, Logan Kao, Guilhem Gourion Arisquauad and Mason Tramontana.
In the freestyles, the 200 featured Alex Horowitz, Kerr, Mac, Himmelheber, Stover, Helmrich, Subhan, Brogan, Judd Horowitz, Gourion Arisquauad, Ethan Li, Tramontana, and Lucas McGoldrick. The 400 teams consisted of Jaffee, Subhan, Brogan, Himmelheber, Finn Boric, Kao, Tramontana, Liu, Li, Gourion Arisquauad, Jackson Lawler and Judd Horowitz.
It was a young team with a bright future.
“Over the last few years, our upperclassmen have created a culture where kids want to sign up for the swim team and want to get better,” Atkinson said. “Our numbers have increased each year and it has really helped us develop athletes into good high school swimmers.
“We return 19 (boys) swimmers next year, plus some talented eighth-graders that we hope join our program. It is all about getting kids to buy-in to the program, the expectations, and what we are about at Hopewell swimming.”
Conversely, the girls team included nine seniors that comprised the majority of the roster. Along with major point producers Liu, Schuster, Stubbs and Kunkel, Kochis said Molly Galgano was “a critical piece in the puzzle in two incredibly challenging events (200 IM, 100 fly). She was consistently providing the team with critical points.”
Grace Corveleyn was strong in the 200 free, 100 fly and 500 free, prompting Kochis to note “the 500 free is a rather scary event for high school swimmers and Grace always stepped up with a smile on her face ready to race.”
The small but mighty underclassman group included sophomore Katie Yadamiec, “the definition of versatile,” according to Kochis because she does the 200 IM, 100 and 500 free and 100 fly.
The medley relay teams included Liu, Schuster, Stubbs, Kunkel, Yadamiec, Teagan Loveland, Zoe Prood, Corveleyn and Emily Simpson.
For the free relays, the 200 teams were Liu, Schuster, Stubbs, Kunkel, Loveland, Keira Verdino, Zoe Prood, Avery Thomsen, Erica Li and Simpson; while the 400 teams featured Yadamiec, Kunkel, Galgano, Corveleyn, Stubbs, Simpson, Thomsen and Verdino.
“The girls (senior) class is unique because it is so big and we had some transfers come in junior year that have made a big impact both in and out of the water,” Atkinson said. “What’s special about this graduating class is that they truly care about the program. They are committed not only during the season but during the off-season as well. They are always looking for ways to improve the program and help take our team to the next level. They are also all really good kids that have a super bright future going forward.
“Next year for our girls will be a challenging season losing so many seniors but our freshmen and sophomore girls are really bought in and are excited to become leaders of the program going forward.”
For Kochis, a 2018 grad who also played tennis, partnering with her former coach has been extremely satisfying. She recalled Atkinson coming on board during her senior year and praised her co-coach for growing the program in a positive manner.
“The team has become a community; there is a culture based on dedication, perseverance and love,” she said. “When I was swimming, club swimmers would almost exclusively choose to go to their club practices. This team is so connected that club swimmers are choosing to come to Hopewell practice. Coach Atkinson has done an incredible job shifting the culture of the team to encourage engagement and inspire each of our athletes to work hard not only in the water but in life.
“Being back on the deck as a coach has been a full circle experience, and an incredibly special experience. I am forever grateful to coach Atkinson for inviting me back. When I was in high school, swim season was my favorite time of the year. Hopewell Swim provided me with a place where I could forget the woes of the day and be surrounded by people who supported me and wanted me to thrive.”
And now, she and Atkinson are providing the same atmosphere for the current team, which helped produce the stellar season.
“Our goal each year is to get the most out of each and every swimmer, and I think we accomplished that,” Atkinson said. “In order to be successful, we need all of our athletes to fully buy-in and be a part of the program. Our kids were able to do that and this allowed us to reach our goals.”
And keep the boat churning full speed ahead.
Hopewell Valley’s CVC 200 Medley Relay champions Jinrie Liu, Ruby Schuster, Caitlin Stubbs and Grace Kunkel.,
