Long Beach swims to conference title

For the first time in more than 15 years, Long Beach got the best of Garden City to capture the Conference I title in girls’ swimming. The Lady Marines won a thrilling meet before a jam-packed crowd at home on Oct. 21, 98-88.

“It’s a huge win for the program,” Long Beach coach John Skudin said. “We’ve come close to beating them a couple of times in the past six or seven years. It took a total team effort.

“There are 16 points in one event, and when you win by 10 it’s less than one event that decided it,” he added. “It was close the whole way. We saved our top relay for the end and the girls came through. They were really jazzed to finally beat Garden City.”

Long Beach led 88-84 going into the final event of the evening, the 400 Freestyle Relay. The foursome of senior Morgan Harrington and juniors Maggie Aroesty, Kristen Romano and Caroline Farrell already established a new school record in the event earlier in the season and came up big under pressure, completing the relay in 3:37.65, which was nearly six seconds faster than Garden City. The Lady Marines also took third in the event.

“It was just a great high school sporting event,” Skudin said. “Each team had a large cheering section. Garden City always travels well. We had so many former swimmers there supporting us. It was tremendous.”

Long Beach completed the regular season with a 7-0 mark. Next up is the Nassau County championship meet this Saturday at the Aquatic Center at Eisenhower Park. Skudin said the Lady Marines project to be one of the top three contenders along with Garden City and Manhasset. “The postseason is another animal,” he said. 

Leading the team’s chances to make a lot of noise are Aroesty, a three-time state champion, and Romano, a transfer from Buffalo who Skudin said blended right in with her new teammates. Both Aroesty and Romano won two events in the Garden City meet.

Aroesty, who qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials and also competed in the world Junior Nationals in Singapore during the offseason, is the defending state champion in the 200 Individual Medley and the two-time defending state champ in the 100 Breaststroke. She holds the school record in both events. “Maggie continues to get better and is a real team player,” Skudin said. “She’s a sensational swimmer and kid.” 

Romano, who competed for Lancaster High School last season and was state runner-up to Aroesty in the 200 IM, has speed and great range like Aroesty. Romano broke Long Beach records in the butterfly (57.77 seconds) and backstroke (58.52).

Farrell captured the 100 freestyle against Garden City, while Harrington took the 500 free. Other key contributors throughout the campaign have been senior diver Megan Maquet, senior Kaylee Callahan, juniors Lindsay Kranitz and Megan Sofield, sophomore Emma Levin, freshmen Brooke Waller and Kaley Skarren, eighth-grader Isabella Defonte, and seventh-grader Joan Cash.