MORRISTOWN – Charlie Kulp looked around, smiling wide. He had just won the butterfly at the Morris County Championships. And Kulp, a Chatham junior, wanted to share it with his teammates – whether club or school.
He knew five of the six swimmers in the final heat. They even posed for a photo on the Morristown High School pool deck.
“I saw Femi (Oshodi) right there, and I had to push that last 25,” said Kulp, who also swims for Life Time in Florham Park. “It makes it fun. Yesterday, I was racing Femi in practice. We’re doing a set, all butterfly. Femi wants to beat me. I want to beat Femi. It makes for a good time.”
Oshodi, a Delbarton sophomore, was second, followed by Ryan O’Day and Tirian Chang of Chatham, and Park Regional senior Thien Tran.
The Cougars were able to pile up multiple points from every event en route to their fourth straight boys swimming championship. The Chatham girls, meanwhile, won their 15th in a row on Saturday.
Senior Alison Barton noted that the Cougars’ winning streak is older than some of the freshmen on the team.
“It’s cool to be connected with people,” Barton said. “It’s definitely amazing what the team has done.”
Sophomore Madeline Crawford defended her distance freestyle titles, and led off Chatham’s winning 200 and 400 free relays. Another Cougars sophomore, Gloria Jeng, defended her 50-meter freestyle crown.
Senior Jack Bigham won the breaststroke, swam breast on the first-place medley relay, and was part of Chatham’s record-setting 200 free relay. The Cougars – Ransom Chang, Chip Powers, Bigham and Charlie Kulp – erased their own mark from a year earlier.
Charlie Kulp led a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 free, with his brother Jack in second and Simon Stryszak third. Jack Kulp won the 400 free, with Stryszak second and Andrew Gaba fourth.
The Chatham boys had multiple finishers in the top six of all but two of the individual events.
In between races, the swimmers bonded by watching a live feed from the pool deck on big TVs in Morristown’s gym – dashing back and forth across the hall to compete.
“It’s kind of different, because last year I was swimming with my sister,” Crawford said. “The team is still great.”
Sophia Yousuf had simple goals for the county meet. She wanted to win her third straight Morris County IM title.
But first, the Morris Knolls senior had an even bigger race in mind. She swam the breaststroke leg of the Golden Eagles’ winning medley relay to start off the meet.
Yousuf got that coveted IM crown – and added the backstroke for the first time.
“It hurt a lot but we got there. That was my goal,” said Yousuf, who has signed a National Letter of Intent with Illinois. “I’m happy to have (Mountain Lakes freshman Serena Dickey) next to me, because she pushed me.”
Mendham senior Raaghav Reddy had never won an individual county title. He drew motivation from his teammates, particularly junior Kenny Barnicle, who brought home a pair of championships.
Reddy finally met his goal, winning the 100-meter freestyle in 54:37 seconds. The girls champion, Mountain Lakes freshman Serena Dickey, is also a first-time champ.
“It’s my senior year. I have to give it my all,” said Reddy, who had placed second in the 100 free and backstroke last winter.
“Swimming is very much a team sport. It’s good to have the backing of your teammates. Me and my teammates excel because we’re pushing each other in and out of the pool. … (Barnicle) can’t be the only one. I have to get something for myself as well.”
The reigning NJSIAA Meet of Champions IM winner, Barnicle wasn’t feeling 100% on Saturday, and was at a challenging point in his club training. The Mendham teammates faced off in the backstroke – and finished 1-2, with Barnicle four seconds ahead.
“It was more of a practice for me,” said Barnicle, who has verbally committed to join Delbarton alumni Jack and Rob Alexy at Berkeley.
“I didn’t get rest or anything, just the best swimmers in the county. I wanted to see what I can do.”
∎ Thi Tran from Park Regional broke the butterfly meet record for the second year in a row – but this time, it was her own. Tran, a Hanover Park sophomore, defended her fly title but was “really surprised” by her time of 1:02.17. She doubled back for a second championship, this time in the breaststroke.
“That race is so much fun. It’s the best race ever,” Tran said of the breast. “I’ve never had pressure in it. … I wanted to live in the moment when I race. I want to represent my team, because I know it means a lot to them.”
∎ Jack MacMillan and Lincoln Stuek of Morristown grew up swimming together at the Greater Morristown YMCA. They dove into the Morristown High School pool side by side for the 50-meter freestyle. And while Stuek, a senior, tied the school record – MacMillan broke it.
MacMillan won his first county title in 23.94.
“I did a taper set yesterday, because I wanted to go fast,” said MacMillan, a Colonials junior. “Our (medley) relay was really good. I was really happy with that. I knew this 50 was going to be a good one.”
Owen Breslin had set the record at 24.17 seconds in 2017. The Morristown record board looms over the pool.
“He needed someone to pace off the first 25,” Stuek joked. “It’s nice knowing we have someone who can come through and break all these records. Freshman year, all the fast guys were here, and they thought it was going to be me. But it’s going to be him.”
Team scores: Chatham 258; Morristown 141; Morris Knolls 130.5; Mountain Lakes 110; Kinnelon 106.5; West Morris 82; Park Regional 77; Randolph 75; Mount Olive 74; Parsippany Hills 49; Madison 46; Pequannock 38; Roxbury 29; Morristown Beard and Morris Hills 24; St. Elizabeth 22; Montville 14; Mendham 2
Medley relay: 1. Morris Knolls (Lily Discala, Sophia Yousuf, Bridget Rynkiewicz, Kari Mindrebo) 2:05.28; 2. Kinnelon (Ellie DeKeukelaere, Zoe Davies, Grace Bohan, Kylie Papendick) 2:08.18; 3. Morristown (Isabella Tapkas, Mary Gillen, Lilia Ushiki, Mariah Quad) 2:10.63; 4. West Morris (Jillian Weinberger, Taylor Weth, Abby Ford, Sofia Goncharuk) 2:11.84; 5. Mount Olive (Danielle Cabsaba, Hailey Tiu, Kellie Carpentier, Katelyn Mans) 2:12.62; 6. Chatham (Molly Newman, Brynn Patarozzi, Sarah Thomas, Emilie Feldstein) 2:12.89.
200-meter freestyle: 1. Madeline Crawford (Chatham) 2:06.65; 2. Bridget Rynkiewicz (Morris Knolls) 2:11.67; 3. Molly Newman (Chatham) 2:15.14; 4. Orianna Jaimes-Drayer (Morristown) 2:15.96; 6. Haley Grow (Morris Hills) 2:19.72; 6. Elizabeth Duffy (Parsippany Hills) 2:20.55.
200-meter individual medley: 1. Sophia Yousuf (Morris Knolls) 2:22.39; 2. Serena Dickey (Mountain Lakes) 2:25.89; 3. Ellie De Keukelaere (Kinnelon) 2:28.27; 4. Alison Barton (Chatham) 2:28.46; 5. Erin Barisonek (Madison) 2:30.32; 6. Mariah Quad (Morristown) 2:34.31.
50-meter freestyle: 1. Gloria Jeng (Chatham) 27.05; 2. Jessica Tsang (Mountain Lakes) 28.31; 3. Danielle Cabsaba (Mount Olive) 28.7; 4. Sydney Wright (Randolph) 29.06; 5. Kylie Papendick (Kinnelon) 29.19; 6. Layla Knoll (Madison) 29.43.
100-meter butterfly: 1. Thi Tran (Park) 1:02.17* (old record: 1:02.34, Tran, 2023); 2. Kiera Harkins (Chatham) 1:02.91; 3. Mary Gillen (Morristown) 1:05.32; 4. Mackenzie Glenn (Pequannock) 1:08.25; 5. Elizabeth Duffy (Parsippany Hills) 1:08.67; 6. Jessica Tsang (Mountain Lakes) 1:09.95.
100-meter freestyle: 1. Serena Dickey (Mountain Lakes) 59.69; 2. Gloria Jeng (Chatham) 1:00.21; 3. Taylor Weth (West Morris) 1:01.52; 4. Abby Ford (West Morris) 1:01.81; 5. Sydney Wright (Randolph) 1:02.83; 6. Juliana McGrath (Chatham) 1:04.66.
400-meter freestyle: 1. Madeline Crawford (Chatham) 4:24.59; 2. Isla Johnston (Morristown Beard) 4:37.27; 3. Bridget Rynkiewicz (Morris Knolls) 4:39.64; 4. Ellie De Keukelaere (Kinnelon) 4:45.29; 5. Molly Newman (Chatham) 4:45.99; 6. Mariah Quad (Morristown) 4:46.98.
200-meter free relay: 1. Chatham (Madeline Crawford, Kiera Harkins, Alison Barton, Gloria Jeng) 1:49.05; 2. Morris Knolls (Eva Critchley, Sophia Yousuf, Kari Mindrebo, Bridget Rynkiewicz) 1:55.15; 3. Kinnelon (Kylie Papendick, Charlotte McNamara, Zoe Davis, Ellie DeKeukelaere) 1:56.53; 4. Mountain Lakes (Serena Dickey, Yasmine Lalani, Jessica Tsang, Emily Samay) 1:57.71; 5. Morristown (Mariah Quad, Isabella Tapkas, Orianna Jaimes-Drayer, Mary Gillen) 1:58.3; 6. Parsippany Hills (Charlotte Feng, Shreya Kamath, Taylor Wong, Elizabeth Duffy) 1:59.98.
100-meter backstroke: 1. Sophia Yousuf (Morris Knolls) 1:04.82; 2. Kiera Harkins (Chatham) 1:05.48; 3. Danielle Cabsaba (Mount Olive) 1:06.49; 4. Erin Barisonek (Madison) 1:06.82; 5. Abby Ford (West Morris) 1:09.79; 6. Isabella Tapkas (Morristown) 1:11.04.
100-meter breaststroke: 1. Thi Tran (Park) 1:12.95; 2. Taylor Weth (West Morris) 1:14.57; 3. Alison Barton (Chatham) 1:14.73; 4. Zoe Davies (Kinnelon) 1:16.2; 5. Mary Gillen (Morristown) 1:17.08; 6. Victoria Zjawin (Montville) 1:18.13.
400-meter free relay: 1. Chatham (Madeline Crawford, Kiera Harkins, Alison Barton, Gloria Jeng) 3:59.74; 2. Mountain Lakes (Serena Dickey, Yasmine Lalani, Jessica Tsang, Zoe Wianecki) 4:17.71; 3. Randolph (Alivia Wright, Alba Sanguillo Leppanen, Camila Pena, Sydney wright) 4:22.6; 5. Morristown (Lilia Ushiki, Mariah Quad, Sabrina Carr, Claire Burns) 4:23.73; 5. Mount Olive (Danielle Cabsaba, Kellie Carpentier, Laure Thomas, Hailey Tiu) 4:24.67; 6. Park (Sarah Rossi, Thi Tran, Michelle Zhao, Krystina Zhao) 4:28.13.
Team scores: Chatham 350; Delbarton 173; Mendham 130; Morristown 124; Roxbury 94; Mountain Lakes 82; Madison 67; Pequannock 52; Morris Hills 46; Kinnelon 43; Randolph 36; Parsippany Hills 35; Morris Knolls 17; Park Regional 15; Mount Olive 11; West Morris 8; Montville 5.
Medley relay: 1. Chatham (Ryan O’Day, Jack Bigham, Tirian Chang, Chip Powers) 1:46.52; 2. Delbarton (Cominick Narduzzi, Dalton Brooks, Femi Oshodi, Jonah Kim) 1:49.24; 3. Morristown (Sebastian Canosa, Lincoln Stuek, Jack MacMillan, Owen Barone) 1:49.85; 4. Mendham (Raaghav Reddy, Kenny Barnicle, Matthew Barnicle, Dimitri Fedorov) 1:52.06; 5. Pequannock (Brandon Sutherland, Will Hyde, Chas Messina, Alex Frame) 1:55.09; 6. Mountain Lakes (James Brantner, Ryan Lalani, Shane Tucker, Gus Hann) 1:56.2.
200-meter freestyle: 1. Charlie Kulp (Chatham) 1:55.56; 2. Jack Kulp (Chatham) 1:58.87; 3. Simon Stryszak (Chatham) 2:01.36; 4. Gus Hann (Mountain Lakes) 2:01.66; 5. Michael Fialcowicz (Delbarton) 2:02.74; 6. Dimitri Fedorov (Mendham) 2:04.
200-meter individual medley: 1. Kenny Barnicle (Mendham) 2:03.81; 2. Jack Bigham (Chatham) 2:11.62; 3. Dalton Brooks (Delbarton) 2:13.61; 4. Anuthra Abeysinghe (Madison) 2:16.39; 5. Aidan Saladino (Roxbury) 2:19.52; 6. Cooper Moffatt (Parsippany Hills) 2:19.83.
50-meter freestyle: 1. Jack MacMillan (Morristown) 23.94; 2. Lincoln Stuek (Morristown) 24.17; 3. Chip Powers (Chatham) 24.61; 4. Ransom Chang (Chatham) 24.85; 5. Jonah Kim (Delbarton) 25.07; 6. Dominick Narduzzi (Delbarton) 25.25.
100-meter butterfly: 1. Charlie Kulp (Chatham) 56.03; 2. Femi Oshodi (Delbarton) 56.9; 3. Ryan O’Day (Chatham) 58.37; 4. Tirian Chang (Chatham) 59l09; 5. Thien Tran (Park) 59.73; 6. Will L’Estrange (Morristown Beard) 59.96.
100-meter freestyle: 1. Raaghav Reddy (Mendham) 53.16; 2. Chip Powers (Chatham) 54.64; 3. Dominick Narduzzi (Delbarton) 55.21; 4. Lincoln Stuek (Morristown) 55.27; 5. David Zoltek (Kinnelon) 55.78; 6. Jonah Kim (Delbarton) 55.93.
400-meter freestyle: 1. Jack Kulp (Chatham) 4:09.69; 2. Simon Stryszak (Chatham) 4:15.31; 4. Michael Fialcowitz (Delbarton) 4:20.22; 4. Andrew Gaba (Chatham) 4:23.6; 5. Gus Hann (Mountain Lakes) 4:26.56; 6. Jacques Chemaly (Madison) 4:28.25.
200-meter free relay: 1. Chatham (Ransom Chang, Chip Powers, Jack Bigham, Charlie Kulp) 1:36.31* (old meet record: 1:37.56, Chatham, 2023); 2. Morristown (Jack MacMillan, Owen Barone, Sebastian Canosa, Lincoln Stuek) 1:37.76; 3. Mountain Lakes (Anthony Wu, James Brantner, Shane Tucker, Gus Hann) 1:41.29; 4. Delbarton (Michael Fialcowitz, Jonah Kim, Merrick Hu, Femi Oshodi) 1:41.63; 5. Roxbury (Aidan Ochoa, Mathew Milun, Matthew McKenna, Aidan Saladino) 1:43.73; 6. Pequannock (Chas Messina, Brandon Sutherland, Will Hyde, Alex Frame) 1:45.42.
100-meter backstroke: 1. Kenny Barnicle (Mendham) 54.54; 2. Raaghav Reddy (Mendham) 58.08; 3. Ryan O’Day (Chatham) 1:02.02; 4. Sebastian Canosa (Morristown) 1:02.02; 5. Tirian Chang (Chatham) 1:04.01; 6. Jacques Chemaly (Madison) 1:04.39.
100-meter breaststroke: 1. Jack Bigham (Chatham) 1:03.48; 2. Ransom Chang (Chatham) 1:07.19; 3. Jack MacMillan (Morristown) 1:07.46; 4. Aidan Ochoa (Roxbury) 1:07.58; 5. Cooper Moffatt (Parsippany Hills) 1:08.28; 6. Andrew O’Day (Chatham) 1:08.66.
400-meter free relay: 1. Chatham (Ryan O’Day, Simon Stryszak, Jack Culp, Charlie Kulp) 3:36.93; 2. Mendham (Raaghav Reddy, Dimitri Fedorov, Matthew Barnicle, Kenny Barnicle) 3:38.46; 3. Delbarton (Michael Fialcowitz, Femi Oshodi,, Dominick Narduzzi, Dalton Brooks) 3:41.88; 4. Roxbury (Aidan Saladino, Mathew Milun, Nathan Milun, Aidan Ochoa) 3:43.38; 5. Randolph (Michael Diaz, Gavin Drazek, James Lachica, Matthew Shortino) 3:54.61; 6. Madison (Spencer Rosenbaum, Kaden Chou, Anuthra Abeysinghe, Jacques Chemaly) 3:58.84.
NJ swimming: Morris County Championships 2024 story, photos, results – Daily Record
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