NB swim teams get off to fast starts
Boys and girls defeat Metuchen
BY GEORGE ALBANO Staff Writer
It seems only fitting that Gregg Anderson teaches history at North Brunswick High School (NBHS).

Because when it comes to the Raiders' boys and girls swim teams, Anderson, for all intents, is the de facto "historian" of both programs.

In fact, he is swimming at NBHS.

Anderson, now in his 34th season, started both the boys and girls swim programs, and is the only coach either team has ever had.

He kicked off another season last week with a pair of opening-day victories at Metuchen as the North Brunswick girls won 69-25, while his boys team outpointed its counterparts 59-35.

Anderson hopes it's the start of a successful season for each of his teams.

"The girls want to be in the top three in the GMC," the veteran coach pointed out. "They finished third last season."

The Lady Raiders, who went 6-3 and qualified for the state tournament, last won the GMC championship in 2001. The win over Metuchen was certainly a good start to the season since Metuchen, Bishop Ahr, East Brunswick and North Brunswick are usually the four teams that annually battle for top honors in the GMC.

The North Brunswick girls were scheduled to swim another big dual meet on Wednesday against their rivals from Bishop Ahr.

Meanwhile, the NBHS boys team is trying to bounce back from a 3-6 season last winter when they finished fifth at the conference championship meet, won once again by perennial champ St. Joseph- Metuchen.

"The boys' goal is to improve on our team record," Anderson said, "and move up in the GMC."

Last week's season-opening win by the Raiders was a big step toward achieving the first half of their goal. Leading the way were juniors Andy Rose and Kevin Chibbaro, who were both double winners and part of two winning relay teams.

Rose won the 200 IM in 2:10.79 and the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:05.30, while swimming a leg on the victorious 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams. Chibbaro captured first place in the 50 (22.28 seconds) and 100 (53.15) freestyles, and swam on the winning 200 free and medley relays.

"Kevin and Andy qualified for the state meet last season and both have their eyes on school records; Andy in the 100 breaststroke and Kevin in the 50 free," Anderson noted. "And they can do it this year."

Other swimmers to watch include senior James Decicco (distance freestyle) and juniors Joe Smoot (breaststroke), Ian Holubiak (sprints) and Ocean Tang, an allaround swimmer who will swim primarily breaststroke and freestyle.

"We have a light senior group. It's a young team," Anderson said. "I've got a couple of interesting freshmen on this year's team."

That would be Matt Burke in the freestyle and butterfly, and Matt Lu in the distance freestyle and IM.

In fact, Burke won the 100 fly in 1:01.30 and joined Rose and Chibbaro on the winning medley relay team (1:52.08), and Decicco, Smoot and Rose on the winning 400 free relay (3:49.99).

The North Brunswick girls, meanwhile, were led by double winner Rachel Lu, a sophomore who touched the wall first in the 200 freestyle (2:06.54) and 500 free (5:35.15).

Tanya Witlen (200 free, IM, breaststroke) and Angel Pagliaro (fly, back) are the two co-captains, while two more seniors to watch are Nicole Van Avery (50 and 100 free) and Gabby Alicino (fly, back). Against Metuchen, Witlen won the 100- meter breaststroke (1:13.77) while Van Avery took first in the 50 free (26.51).

Junior Nikita Nadkari added a win in the 200 IM (2:24.70), while Ashley Chibbaro and Vicky Borbas join Lu to make up a solid sophomore trio.

The Raiders also have a trio of freshmen who could make some serious noise come postseason time with Jean Park in the IM and any of the freestyles, and Ascia Johnson and Nicole Gibbons, both in freestyle events and the butterfly.

Park won the 100 free against Metuchen in 1:00.65, while Johnson and Gibbons were both part of the winning 400-meter free relay (4:14.97). The Lady Raiders swept all three relay events.

Add it all up and it was a successful debut for both the boys and girls swim teams, and hopefully the first of several wins for each.

Even better new is Gregg Anderson, North Brunswick history teacher and swimming historian, has no plans to stop anytime soon.

"I still enjoy it," the 59-year-old coach said. "The kids keep me going."