Warner wins three races as Hightstown beats Nottingham
HIGHTSTOWN » Mention the potential of the Hightstown High girls swim team and Rachel Warner’s eyes light up. Mention Rachel Warner, and coach Cheryl O’Connor’s eyes do the same thing.
The Rams are a confident bunch this year, and Warner is one of the key components.
“She swims under the radar,” O’Connor said after Tuesday’s 117-52 win over Nottingham. “She’s one of my Peddie (Swim Club) girls. I think Allie (McDaid) and Brynn (Peterson) are always in the limelight; but she contributes just as much. She really picks it up when we need her.”
Warner even picks it up when they don’t need her, as she claimed three victories against the Northstars. The junior won the 100 back and 200 IM, with the backstroke being one of her newer events.
“You can put her anywhere, she can swim any event,” O’Connor said. “She’s doing the IM and 100 back today. She can swim fly. She does phenomenal in breast, she took fifth in counties last year, so she’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s one of those utility swimmers, she comes up big for you wherever you put her.”
And while breast is her top event, the coach said, “Now she’s telling me she wants to do back and she’s coming in first place, so it’s good stuff.”
While breast is her top event and the 200 IM most likely her second best, Warner loves trying them all.
“This is the first year I’m doing a lot of different events,” she said. “I haven’t done the fly yet; but I guess that’s coming up. It’s fun, I like it, it helps out the team.”
And Warner lives to help the team, as she is excited by the Rams’ prospects this season. Hightstown is 3-1 with big wins over Notre Dame and Princeton.
“I love it, I’m so excited,” Warner said. “In the past we’ve had some issues with depth. This year we’ve had so many freshmen come in. It’s not about who gets first, it’s about getting the second and third and fourth people, too. It’s really great.”
Getting first is also nice, of course. McDaid did that three times in the 200 medley relay, 50 free and 100 breast; as did Peterson (200 MR, 100 free, 200 free relay) and Fiona Misiura (200 MR, 100 fly, 200 free relay). Crystal Raines won the 400 free and was part of the winning 400 free relay.
Lara Pavlovic was in the 200 MR and 200 free relay; and Morghan Fleisher, Mary Gazaleh and Kendra Power rounded out the 400 free relay. Nottingham, which was without its top swimmer in Nikita Kouznetsova, got a firstplace finish from Rachel Soto-Garcia in the 200 free.
“I’m really blessed,” O’Connor said. “I have a wonderful team, they have such a good attitude and good work ethic. That meet against Notre Dame was the highlight of my career, I’d never beaten them before. I’ve been at this for 17 years, 10 with the girls. And beating Princeton in our first meet was good stuff.”
Having a “secret” weapon like Warner certainly doesn’t hurt, although she feels everyone is more concerned with the team than themselves.
“I think it’s good everyone can share the attention here,” she said. “We all have different strengths. I’m so excited, our goal this year is to win counties. We got second last year, hopefully we can really pull it out.”
FIRST-PLACE FINISHES
200 medley relay: Hightstown (Pavlovic, McDaid, Misiura, Peterson) 2:08.20 200 free: Soto-Garcia (N) 2:35.97
200 IM: Warner (H) 2:56.38
50 free: McDaid (H) 29.11
100 fly: Misiura (H) 1:14.64
100 free: Peterson (H) 1:00.87
400 free: Raines (H) 5:30.88
200 free relay: Hightstown (Misiura, McDaid, Pavlovic, Peterson) 1:58.47
100 back: Warner (H) 1:23.18
100 breast: McDaid (H) 1:13.80
400 free relay: Hightstown (Raines, Fleisher, Gazaleh, Power) 4:59.09