By Warren Rappleyea
North Brunswick Township High School’s boys’ swimming team is off to a 3-1 start this winter, and coach Carrie Ann Ragavas said she is looking for the team to peak in time for the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament in late January.
The Raiders have been dominant in victories over Piscataway Township High School, 124-46, South Brunswick High School, 96-74, and John P. Stevens High School, 97-73, with their lone loss coming against East Brunswick High School.
“They’ve been phenomenal so far,” the coach said. “We have a lot of depth this year, and that enables more of our swimmers to score points. We also have a lot of versatility, so we have talented swimmers filling every event and everyone has been contributing.”
Last season, North Brunswick’s boys posted a 6-4 mark, and several of that squad’s top competitors are back, including captains Jordan Leonardo, Andrew Ackerman, Nilay Sharma and Humza Khawaja.
Leonardo swims the backstroke, freestyle sprints and relays. The senior finished sixth in both the 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke at last year’s GMC Tournament. Ackerman, meanwhile, is a threat in any breaststroke event and also competes in the individual medley (IM). Sharma is a butterfly and backstroke competitor, while Khawaja swims sprint freestyle races.
Other key seniors include Thomas Bugkowski, Jake Donofrio and Akhil Yetuki. All three compete in freestyle events, and Bugkowski also handles the backstroke.
Jesse Gibbons is poised for a strong season. The junior is particularly versatile, and Ragavas often inserts him where needed in the lineup. He excels in the 100 butterfly, the backstroke, 200 IM and just about any freestyle distance. At last year’s GMC event, Gibbons brought home third place in the 500-yard freestyle and fifth-place in the 200-yard freestyle.
Junior Rishi Patel; sophomores Ashwin Gokil and Robbie Neumann; and freshmen Eric Ackerman, Thomas Kaldan, Ryan Kappes and Daniel Simposon have all been scoring regularly for North Brunswick.
“We’re really excited about the boys this year,” Ragavas said. “We had an excellent base, and we picked up a strong freshman class.”
Meanwhile, North Brunswick’s girls, with just 15 swimmers on the roster, are 1-3, but the future appears bright as there are many strong swimmers who will be coming out of middle school over the next few years, Ragavas said.
Nonetheless, the Raiders have talent. Melanie Fosko is a threat in almost any event, and the coach uses the Providence College-bound senior in different spots depending on the opponent. Fosko, a tri-captain, will be one to watch in this year’s GMC Tournament after winning the 100-yard freestyle (53.77) and taking second in the 200 IM.
Erin Welsh and RaeAnna Seanz also serve as captains. Welsh is a factor in the 100 backstroke and freestyle and relay events, while Seanz is strong in the 100 breaststroke. Junior Heather Gilmore is a solid backstroke competitor.
The Raiders have a solid group of sophomores in Mariel Cortez, Rachel Carrion, Nicole Demato, Megha Vankadha and Kiera Welsh.
“The girls don’t have a lot of numbers, but they continue to impress me with their hard work and dedication to the team and each other,” the coach said. “They’re really a swim family. In fact, both teams are.”
