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Swimming News 2010-2011

SWIMMING, WRESLTING & FENCING TEAMS WRAP UP THE SEASON WITH MIXED POSTSEASON EFFFORTS

Feb. 27, 2011

The wrestling and swimming teams completed their respective seasons this past weekend, just days after the fencing team saw their season wrap up in the State Prep Championships.

The wrestling team finished its year in the National Prep Championships, and as has been the case all year, Jawan Jones and Terrell Forbes led the way.

Jones and Forbes each became National Placewinners for the second straight year by virtue of a top eight finish in the National Preps at Lehigh University. Jones, a sophomore, placed 6th at 113 pounds, while Forbes, a junior, came in 7th at the Stabler Arena.

"Jawan and Terrell both produced a mix of successes and near-misses," said St. Benedict's coach Solomon Fleckman. "The near-misses were heart wrenching, but did reveal that there is truly not much distance between where the two of them are at this stage in their careers, in terms of overall ability, and the very top placewinners."

Jones, who placed 7th last year at Nationals, lost to the eventual champion, Corey Huntley of Archbishop Curley (Md.), in the quarterfinals on the first day of competition. He came back in the wrestlebacks and one won bout that same day before winding up in 6th place after three bouts on the final day of competition.

Forbes, who also upped his position by one on the podium as compared to last year at Nationals, lost in the quarterfinals, like Jones, on Friday night. He came back the second day and posted a 9-5 verdict over Colton Dempsey of Phillips Academy in the consolations to earn his 7th-place finish.

Jones and Forbes were among nine Gray Bees wrestlers who qualified for Nationals. Eli Feliciano (182 pounds) and Prince Okafor (220) each fell one victory short of medaling.

"It was an impressive performance for Eli, who can clearly see now, that he is fully capable not only of placing, but competing nose-to-nose with the best prep school wrestlers in the country," said Fleckman. "As tough as it was emotionally to see Prince just miss placing this weekend, it was nevertheless gratifying to see him demonstrate clearly throughout the tournament the huge leap in competitiveness that he has made since his late start to the season this winter ."

The Gray Bees, however, weren't nearly as competitive as a team. After placing 7th in the team standings in 2011, Fleckman's club, which was devastated by injuries this season, placed 19th this time around, something that coach Fleckman and his staff hope to improve on drastically in the future.

"Without question, I personally need to make adjustments that will, in turn, help the team function more effectively," admitted the coach.

The swimming team wrapped up its season in the Eastern States Championships in Philadelphia.

The best performance for the Gray Bees in the two-day event at LaSalle University was in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team just missed qualifying for the finals after registering a time of 3:51.54. Three of SBP swimmers swam their best 100 splits in the race. David Philemon swam a 52.71 (bettering his time by 2 seconds); Gavin Mulholland posted a 52.33 (almost a 1/2-second better); and Dennis Tassie posted a time of 50.62 (1.28 seconds faster).

"Overall a good season," said Cassidy's of his team, which finished with a 4-2 regular season record. "I was somewhat disappointed with the final times at the end of the season. We are looking forward to the future of the team as several young guys have shown tremendous promise."

The Gray Bees fencing team failed to defend its title in the state Prep Championships on Feb. 22 at Princeton Day School.

Coach Jeff Austin's team, which won the title last year for the first time since 2008, finished this year's tournament in fourth. Newark Academy won the overall Championship.

SWIMMERS POST A RESPECTABLE SHOWING IN THE STATE PREP MEET
Mulholland leading the way after long road to recovery

Feb. 9, 2012

The St. Benedict's Prep swimming team continued its postseason by placing fourth in the state Prep A Championships on Wednesday.

Coach Glenn Cassidy's young team, which finished 8th in the Essex County Championships on Jan. 29, posted a total of 74 points to not only finish fourth among its division, but came in sixth out of 14 schools in the overall prep race at the Lavino Field House on the campus of the Lawrenceville School

"The kids generally swam pretty well with some very good performances by the younger members," said Cassidy. "Many of the underclassmen swam one or more of their best times with a couple of seniors having some success, too."

The Gray Bees placed in two relay events, the 200- and 400-yard freestyle races. The 200 team of Gavin Mulholland, David Philemon, Andrew Caetano and Dennis Tassie earned fourth-place with a time of 1:37.52. The 400 contingent of Philemon, Mulholland, Zach WojcIk and Tassie come in sixth with a combined effort of 3:43.86.

Mulholland returned to the lineup last month after missing the entire water polo season due to blood clots in his arm. The senior, who underwent corrective surgery in order to compete again, also took a more than a second off his previous best in the 100-yard freestyle when his swam a 52.82.

"Gavin was given clearance to compete in January," said Cassidy. "His return to the team has been influential. Not only has he been able to pick up almost where he left off time wise, but he has provided an enormous emotional lift for his classmates."

The Gray Bees, which went 4-2 during the regular season, had a number of other swimmers see improvements in their times, including two personal bests each from junior Brian Baez and sophomores Zach Wojcik and Andrew Altamirano.

Baez swam a 2:13.65 in the 200-yard freestyle and a 1:08.95 in the 100-yard backstroke, while Wojcik went 53.73 in the 100-yard freestyle and 1:06.23 in the 100-yard breaststroke. Altamirano bested his times by over four seconds in both the 500 freestyle, where he swam a 6:44.53, and the 100 breaststroke, when he posted 1:19.64.

"The overall level of the team is higher than in years past," explained Cassidy, "but we don't have the big names to score the points in championship style meets."

The Gray Bees also saw four other swimmers post personal records, including Mulholland's younger brother, Jonathan, a sophomore, who bettered his time in the 50 free with a 24.87.

Cassidy is excited about the prospects in the future, especially with likes of Wojcik and the younger Mulholland leading the way.

"I am very proud of the guys," said Cassidy, who praised his assistant coaches, Irving Cenatus and Andy Happe. "Despite the lower finishes at county's and states, I do believe that we have a solid core of younger students, especially 9th and 10th graders who will quickly change that tide over the next couple of years."

The Gray Bees wrap up its season in the Eastern States Championships on Feb. 24-25.

BASKETBALL, SWIMMING TEAMS REMAIN UNBEATEN

Dec. 14, 2011

The basketball and swimming teams each eked out close victories in front of their home fans on Wednesday in the HAB building.

The basketball team avenged a loss from a year ago by fending off a feisty challenge from the Hun School, 53-48, in its first home game of the young season in Dalton Gymnasium.

Melvin Johnson, who struggled from the floor all evening, made a key steal that led to two free throws and subsequently converted a lay-up just before the final buzzer sounded to hold off a furious rally by Hun in the fourth quarter.

Hun, which trailed by 10 entering the final stanza, closed the gap to 48-46 on a long three-pointer before the Gray Bees' Kamal Richards sank one-of-two from the line to extend the lead back to three. Hun was denied another chance for a trey that would have tied the game when Johnson picked a player clean at mid-court and was fouled going in for the lay-up.

Johnson, who connected on only 5-of-18 shots from the field, buried both free throws to give the Gray Bees some much needed breathing room at 51-46. Hun, however, responded with a bucket underneath with 9 seconds left and had a chance for a three-point play to cut the lead to two, but missed the free throw.

Richards hauled down the rebound and quickly unleashed a long pass down court to a breaking Johnson, who sealed the outcome with an uncontested lay-up. The senior guard, despite the poor showing from the field, still managed to finish with a team-high 16 points.

"I had to forget about the night I was having and needed to something to get the game back for my team," said Johnson of his crucial steal and lay-up that led to the game's final four points. "I can't worry about the shots I miss. I know eventually it will all pay off and tonight I was able to help my team in the end."

The Swimming team had a slight lead heading into the final event of the meet against New York's Horace Mann. But a victory by coach Glenn Cassidy's club in the 400-yard Freestyle Relay helped wrap up a 90-80 victory in the HAB natatorium.

"Another great performance," said Cassidy of his 2-0 squad. "The team is interesting this year because we have no real superstars. We have a team full of guys who are not the strongest, but we have more depth that is carrying us through."

The meet clinching 400-yard Freestyle Relay team, which posted a winning time of 3:47.83, consisted of David Philemon, Antonio De Sousa, Dennis Tassie and Eric Enriquez. De Sousa posted one of his 4 personal bests on the day with his 58.77 in his 100-yard, second leg of the relay.

Also establishing their best times during the meet were Dennis Tassie (1:54.22 - 200 Freestyle), David Philemon (2:07.81 - 200 Freestyle & 55.74 - 100 Freestyle), Eric Enriquez (2:20.71 - 200 Individual Medley & 1:06.94 - 100 Butterfly), Andrew Caetano (24.18 - 50 Freestyle), Zach Wojcik (54.48 - 100 Freestyle), Andrew Altamirano (1:24.31 - 100 Breaststroke), Brian Baez (1:02.99 - 100 Freestyle) and Donald Stokes (1:03.43 - 100 Freestyle).

SWIMMING & BASKETBALL TEAMS POST VICTORIES

Dec. 8, 2011

The swimming team opened its season with an impressive victory, while the basketball team continues to put up solid numbers in the early going.

Coach Glenn Cassidy's swimming team kicked off the season by winning every event except one during a 100-64 victory over Riverdale (N.Y.) in a home meet in the HAB natatorium.

The Gray Bees swept the top three places in the Backstroke with Antonio DeSousa, Bruno Coimbra and Oliver Brillant taking the top 3 spots, respectively. SBP also went 1-2 in the Medley Relay in the 200-yard IM, the 100 Butterfly and the 100 Freestyle.

"We lost a lot of talent in last year's seniors, so we are really looking to some younger guys to step it up and fill in the void," said Cassidy. "The kids swam very well, especially for their first meet"

The basketball team made it 3-for-3 to start the season with an 80-56 victory over Academy New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pa. Melvin Johnson dropped in 23 points, Isaiah Briscoe netted 17 and Tyler Ennis hit for 15 to lead coach Mark Taylor's squad.

Briscoe and Ennis combined for 15 assists, while Denzell Taylor dominated the boards with 11 rebounds. The Gray Bees led 34-21 at the half and outscored Academy New Church, 26-14, in the fourth quarter.

"We're getting better each game," said Taylor. "We just have to get more consistency throughout the entire game. We're just not putting it together for all four quarters right now."

SWIM TEAM CAPS SEASON IN PHILADELPHIA

Feb. 28, 2011

The Gray Bees swimming team wrapped up its season at the Eastern States Championships on Feb. 26-27.

Coach Glenn Cassidy's squad, which was plagued all season by cancellations due to the weather, figured in the team scoring for the first time since 2002.

The Gray Bees wound up 18th out of 44 teams at two-day meet at LaSalle University in Philadelphia.

"It's been a rough season, especially because of the weather through January when three meets were canceled," said Cassidy. "The kids worked hard at staying motivated and I'm very proud of all of their accomplishments."

The 400-meter relay team was the only finalist for Cassidy's club at Easterns. The team of Dennis Tassie, Gavin Mulholland, Kieran Lenahan and Gio Urquilla posted a 3:27.28 in the finals, but finished out of the running for a medal. They did, however, manage to post their best time in the preliminaries with a 3:26.24.

In the prelims, Tassie led off with a 100 swim with a personal best of 51.90, while Lenahan and Mulholland did likewise with splits of 52.06 and 52.88, respectively.

A number of other swimmers also finished off the season with personal best times. Jacques Leslie took almost three seconds off his 100 freestyle clocking with a 57.49, just .07 behind the best time of teammate David Philemon's 57.41.

Mulholland also registered his top time in the 500 freestyle with 5:28.64.

On the first day of the meet, Urquilla (50 freestyle) and the 200 freestyle relay team were the first races in which the Gray Bees qualified for a final since '02. Urquilla wound up 16th in the 50 Free with a 22.69, while the 200 relay team took 11th with a 1:32.10 - their best time of the season. Tassie (23:28) and Lenahan 22.87 had their best splits to date during that relay

The 200 Medley Relay, which includes Antonio DeSousa, Isaiah Del Rios, Andrew Caetano, and Jacques Leslie, did not qualify for the finals, but posted their best time of the season with a 1:55.95.

In the 50 freestyle, Caetano (25.29), Leslie (25.44), DeSousa (25.73) and Philemon (25.76) also swam personal bests, while Tassie registered a PB in 200 free (1:56.32).

"Overall a decent performance," said Cassidy. "It is nice to be back in the scoring column and having our team show up on the results sheet after a nine-year absence. "We have a lot of talented swimmers returning for next year, so I am hopeful that we can continue to build on the success that we've had this year."

URQUILLA LEADS A GREAT EFFORT BY SWIMMERS IN COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Showing caps a busy sports weekend for Gray Bee athletes

Jan. 23, 2011

Gio Urquilla was so sick on Friday night that he had to be scratched from a race for the Gray Bees swim team.

"I was mad at myself, but I knew I could make up for it," said Urquilla, who blamed his sickness from eating too much before the Gray Bees 89-81 setback to Pennington. "I owed it to my teammates to get ready mentally and physically. So I settled down that night and relaxed."

Less than 24 hours after getting nauseous, Urquilla was back in the pool on Saturday and competing in the Essex County Championships.

The senior, who last year became the first Gray Bees swimmer to hold a county title since Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones dominated in 2002, claimed two more Essex crowns in the pool at Seton Hall University.

Urquilla, who doubled in last year's county's by claiming the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke, won the 50-yard freestyle this time around by swimming a personal-best 22.64. He was the lone swimmer to break the 23-second mark.

He then went out later in the meet and swam a 50-split of 21.97 as the anchor for the Gray Bees 200-yard freestyle victory in 1:33.67. Dennis Tassie, Gavin Mulholland and Kieran Lenahan joined Urquilla in SBP's upset over Seton Hall, which was kept from sweeping all three relays in the meet for the first time since 2006.

The victory in the relay, a time that beat their previous personal best by two seconds, was the first relay crown won by the Gray Bees since Jones anchored the same race back in '02. Jones is still the country record holder in the 50-free with a 21.17.

Jones, in fact, sent a text to coach Glenn Cassidy congratulating Urquilla and the team of their efforts afterwards.

"I'm so happy because I got my best times and I helped my school win a relay for the first time in nine years," said Urquilla in an interview with The Star-Ledger. He also took second place in the 100-free with another personal best (49.75).

Urquilla, Tassie, Mulholland and Lenahan also took third in the 400-yard relay with a clocking of 3:29.60.

The Gray Bees finished fourth in the team scores, just 1 1/2 points behind Millburn for third place. All told, Cassidy's club posted 29 personal records out of 40 swims, which is incredible considering most of the same swimmers established records the day before against Pennington.

"I was hopeful that we would have a great day, but even I wasn't prepared for everything that the kids accomplished," praised Cassidy. "Many of the times they were trying to beat were the ones they set the day before. To see times drop on both days is crazy."

The track team was up in Connecticut competing in the Yale Invitational on Friday and Saturday and had both Tahlief Jackson and All-American Edward Cheserek in the lineup for the first time this winter.

The Gray Bees were expecting a much better outcome for its Distance Medley and 4x800-meter relay teams. But coach Marty Hannon called it a "learning experience."

The DMR team finished fourth in 10:28.50 with Tahlief Jackson (3:12.1 in the 1,200), Kalonji Foster (52.1, 400), Garland Miller (2:03.5 for 800) and Cheserek (4:19.2, mile) carrying the baton on Friday.

On Saturday, the same contingent came back in the 4x800 and picked up another fourth-place effort with an 8:05.24. Cheserek ran an anchor leg of 1:52.5 in that race.

The basketball team was in West Virginia over the weekend and split a pair of games in the Prime Time Shootout. The Grays Bees dropped a 62-49 effort on Friday to Florida's Arlington Country Day, USA Today's 15th-ranked team in the nation.

Coach Roshown McLeod's team, which combined for only 6 assists in the opener, came back on Saturday and put forth a much better team effort in beating Huntington Prep, 62-53.

Jamel Artis led four players in double figures with a season-high 17 points. Tyler Ennis also posted a season-best with 15 points, while Jaylen Reid and Philip Nolan hit for 11 points apiece. Nolan's trey with 3:21 left in the game gave the Gray Bees the lead for good at 51-49.

The Gray Bees fencing team got the sports action going over the weekend with a convincing, 20-7, victory over Moorestown Friends on Friday in Shanley Gym.

Tashon Little, Idris Mitchell and Jamar Victor opened the match with three straight victories in Sabre and wound up with a combined 8-0 ledger on the day.

Mike Daniel and Nick Walker in Foil, and Khris White in Epee, also went unbeaten for SBP, which upped its record to 6-1 on the year.

The wrestling team has a busy weekend, traveling to Pennsylvania on Friday for a tri-match before headed to Baltimore to compete in the Gilman Duals. Read more...

FENCING TEAM VICTORIOUS IN HOME OPENER IN SHANLEY GYM
Hoopsters beat team from Canada in Dan Finn Memorial Classic
Swimming, Track and Wrestling teams also in action

Jan. 15, 2011

The Gray Bees fencers may not have taken Hun too seriously and lost a tough decision the last time the team from Princeton visited Shanley Gymnasium.

St. Benedict's coach Jeff Austin, however, wasn't about to let his team to overlook the same opponent again.

"I told my guys Hun would make up for lack of skill with a lot of heart," explained Austin of his pre-match advice. "It was frustrating the last time they were here and I didn't want us to make the same mistakes again."

The Gray Bees heeded their coach's advice and came out focused and never relented in Hun's return visit to Shanley and posted a convincing 20-7 verdict last Friday.

In their first home match of the season, the Gray Bees won the first four bouts of the day and nine of the first 10. Austin's Sabre contingent went 8-1 on the day, the Epee team boosted a 7-2 mark, while the Foilists fashioned a 5-4 record.