By John Lohn
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, February 25. FOR much of the winter, there’s been considerable hype surrounding the girls from Germantown Academy. Then again, when a program is a dynasty at the high school level, significant hype isn’t unusual. Really, it comes with the territory.
Yet, for every ounce of Germantown Academy’s rich history, one that includes four national titles from Swimming World Magazine, what the Fort Washington (Pa.) school accomplished Friday night was of mind-boggling proportions. Simply, the Patriots lit the pool ablaze at the Eastern Interscholastic Championships, held at La Salle University’s Kirk Natatorium. The meet is considered the premier prep-school competition in the nation.
From start to finish, Germantown Academy put on a show for the packed house, which was treated to the first six events of the 11-event swimming program. The action concludes Saturday with the final five events, including the Patriots’ run at the national-scholastic record in the 400 free relay. For now, though, enjoy the opening-night exploits, which were jumpstarted by an historic performance.
Behind the quartet of Katie Riefenstahl, Alicia Aemisegger, Teresa Crippen and Sara Coenen, Germantown Academy opened the meet with a National Independent Schools record in the 200 medley relay. The foursome clocked 1:43.84, well under the former standard of 1:45.03, set by The Peddie School in 2004. Peddie was second Friday night with a first-rate mark of 1:45.34.
Prior to the start of the evening session, legendary coach Dick Shoulberg opted to adjust the order of his medley relay, as he moved Riefenstahl to the backstroke leg and Crippen to the fly leg, opposite of the order from the morning prelims. The change obviously worked to perfection. A sophomore, Riefenstahl opened with a split of 26.45 and was followed by Aemisegger’s blistering contribution of 28.72 in the breaststroke. Crippen followed in 25.08 for the fly and Coenen anchored the squad home with a freestyle split of 23.59.
“We knew what we wanted to do,” Aemisegger said. “We knew we were capable of something special. To get that record was great, especially because Peddie is our biggest rival. We were so pumped up.”
The medley, though, was just the start for Germantown Academy as it transferred momentum into the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley races. In the 200 free, the Patriots boasted the top four finishers, led by Riefenstahl (1:48.16) and Crippen (1:48.22). Laura Sylvester delivered a splendid effort of 1:50.98 and Abaigeal Reilly checked in at 1:54.84. Thanks to Riefenstahl and Crippen, the Patriots have three swimmers under the 1:49 mark. Earlier in the campaign, Aemisegger uncorked a 1:47-and-change outing.
Bound for Princeton University, Aemisegger piggy-backed the 200 free with the swim of the night on an individual basis. One of the United States’ rising stars in the individual medley disciplines, Aemisegger smoked a time of 1:58.55 in the 200 I.M., good for the third-fastest swim ever produced by a high school athlete. The senior was overwhelming from the time she hit the water and finished just shy of the 1:58.29 national standard of Julia Smit from Mount Sinai High in New York. Aemisegger also scared the national prep record of 1:58.45, held by Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin.
“I felt really good,” Aemisegger said. “I knew I had to take it out faster in the fly and I really tried to get on it in the backstroke. The last half, I was trying to pull it through. The crowd really helped.”
While Katie Hoff currently has a stranglehold on the I.M. events in the United States — and the world — Aemisegger is quickly making her name known on the main stage. In a little more than a month, Shoulberg’s latest I.M. standout will take off for Shanghai and the World Short Course Championships in China. Pretty good stuff for someone who is only six years into big-time training.
“I found her in fifth-grade gym class,” Shoulberg said of Aemisegger, an A-student. “She did easy swimming for fifth and sixth grade and in seventh, I told her if she was willing to pay the price that I’d be willing to work with her. She’s paid the price every day since. In 2003, Maddy (Crippen, a 2000 Olympian) was her role model. Then, when Erika Hansen came back to train for the Olympic Trials, she fell in love with her. Erika really helped with her dryland. Between Maddy and Erika, my job became easier. Alicia always does the extra work and is always the first to the pool in the morning. She sets an example of excellence for the team.”
Aemisegger led a one-through-four showing for the Patriots in the I.M. She was followed in second place by Claire Crippen’s dynamite swim of 2:04.48 and third and fourth place went to Kate Magee (2:08.26) and Danielle Visco (2:09.90), respectively. En route to first place in the team standings with 342 points, Germantown Academy was second in the 200 free relay as Coenen, Claire Crippen, Magee and Sylvester touched the wall in 1:37.15. The Peddie unit of Annie Fittin, Sophia Sequeira, Alexis Jordan and Amywren Miller took first in 1:35.67. Peddie is second in the team scoring with 288 points and Miller prevailed in the 50 free (23.81). GA’s Eliza McDevitt and Caitlin DeFusco were sixth and eighth.
The other female winner on the first night of competition was Pennington’s Lauren Smart in the 100 butterfly. Smart went 58.22 to edge Riverdale Country School’s Sophie Staskiewicz (58.25). Germantown was represented by Jen Kopenitz in third, Sarah Ladley in fourth and Michele Palopoli in seventh.
“We had a wonderful night,” said Shoulberg, whose team is expected to contend for its fifth national crown. “It was beyond our expectations.”
On the male side, the team standings are tight with Mercersburg Academy in the lead with 200 points. Germantown Academy is second with 191 points, followed by La Salle College High (183), The Peddie School (156.50) and Malvern Prep (143).
In claiming first place after Day One, Mercersburg won both relays. After going 1:37.68 in the 200 medley relay, Mercersburg zipped 1:27.29 in the 200 freestyle relay. Both units were aided by Jack Curran and Basil Kaaki. Sam Goldsmith and Jay Ovenden contributed in medley action while Nick Moore and Ryan Colby helped the free relay’s cause.
The Pingry School’s Brian Wilson was a double winner as he bested the competition in the 200 I.M. (1:51.65) and 100 fly (49.48). Curran claimed top honors in the 200 free with a winning time of 1:42.28 and Fork Union Military’s Will Trainor was swiftest in the 50 free (21.54). Germantown Academy’s Tom Henninger won the one-meter diving event with a score of 512.90.