Lady Marines set for big meets

With a roster stocked with more than 30 underclassmen, Long Beach completed the Nassau girls’ swimming regular season Oct. 21 with a 98-80 victory over visiting Wantagh.

Freshman Kellie Cannon set the pace for the Lady Marines (6-4) by winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events and anchoring the first-place 200 freestyle relay that included senior Jackie Demerest and juniors Nicole Morrison and Zoe Papetti. Cannon finished the 50 free in 26.81 seconds and the 100 in 57.82.

“We’re two touches away from being 9-1,” said Long Beach coach John Skudin, referring to narrow defeats to Jericho and Manhasset. “We’re a young team. We’ve been reinventing ourselves as we go.”

With defending Nassau County champion Garden City a prohibitive favorite to repeat, the Lady Marines will be part of a wide-open battle for second place. Long Beach was the county runner-up in 2009. “We had a great county meet last year,” Skudin explained. “This year is a little different in that we’re younger and there will be nerves to contend with. The key is to turn the nervousness into a positive and be confident at the same time.”

With the Division C meet on Thursday at Eisenhower Park’s Aquatic Center, the Lady Marines will have every opportunity to prepare for the following week’s big stage. The leadership of senior captains Demerest, Mallorie Larson and Danielle Danowski is sure to come in handy. The county championships are set for Nov. 3, 5-6.

Leading Long Beach’s effort is junior Cady Zawatson, who placed third in the county and qualified for the state meet in both the 200 and 500 freestyle last fall. She established new school records in the 200 (1:57.24) and 100 (56.01) this year. “Cady’s mostly a distance freestyler, but there’s nothing she can’t do well,” Skudin said. “She’s our most talented overall swimmer and a contender for the county title in the 200 and 500.”

Cannon is another versatile swimmer with her eyes on reaching the state meet after finishing sixth in Nassau in the 500 as an eighth-grader. In addition to the 200 and 500, she has excelled in the 200 Individual Medley, the 100 freestyle and butterfly, and relay events.

Skudin expects the 400 freestyle relay to be the most competitive event at the county championships and believes Long Beach’s foursome of Zawatson, Cannon, Papetti and sophomore Jennifer Nash has a shot to attain the state qualifying time.

As has been tradition, Long Beach boasts one of the top divers in the county. Freshman Emma Harris, fifth last year when her sister Kim, now at LSU, won the county title, has been sharp all season and is in line for another top five finish.