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Overcast Hewlett girls’ swim team makes a splash
Captain represents school at state championships for first time since 2001
The Hewlett High School girls’ varsity swim team had their best year in almost a decade. This season, the team broke two school records and sent a swimmer to the 2009 State Championships in Rochester last weekend.
These eventual accomplishments were on the minds of many team members, according to Cary Epstein, head coach of the Hewlett High School swim team. “We had our eyes set on the records from the beginning of the season and we just had to find the perfect meet to do it at and, in the end, we were successful,” Epstein said.
The swim team broke two records that stood for nearly a decade at the Nassau County Championships at Eisenhower Park on Nov. 6. Three seniors, Julia Milch, Rachel Brent and Rebecca Larris, were part of the squad that broke both. They broke a record that stood for 8 years (1:52.04) by more than two seconds (1:49.69) in the 200 Freestyle Relay with junior Sydney Elder. Then later in the meet, the school's 400 Freestyle Relay record was broken by more than eight seconds with a time of 3:55.97 by the three seniors and sophomore Melissa Usdan.
“I couldn't be happier with our team's results this year,” Epstein said. “We broke two outstanding high school records, which was extremely exciting, and qualified in one event in the State Championships. I am so pleased with how hard all of the girls worked and how they continue to strive for nothing but the best.”
Milch, a senior and the team's captain, had what her coaches called “the swim of her life” at the county championship finals, where she swam a 101.80 in the 100-yard Butterfly, qualifying her for a spot on the state team. “It feels amazing that my hard work has paid off after all these years,” Milch said. “I am just really happy that I had the opportunity to compete with girls that swim all year round. It was awesome.”
This is only the second time in Hewlett High School history that a member of the girls' swim team qualified for the State Championship, which was held last weekend at Webster Aquatic Center in Rochester, NY. Thirty-nine girls from across Nassau County qualified for the Section 8 state team.
“I owe a lot to my two coaches, Coach Epstein and Coach [Betsy] Tilin,” Milch added. “With their support, I was able to accomplish beyond my goals.”
