Westfield Swimmers Compete at Y Nationals

So, the fact that Westfield Y swimmer and Westfield High's Suzanne Lemberg finished 22nd overall in the 100-meter freestyle and 21st in the 50 freestyle and Abby Pires was 18th in the 50-meter breast stroke were very special achievements.

The two were the only Westfield swimmers to make the finals. 

Lemberg, a 17-year-old, was in a field of 158 in the freestyle. She finished with a 1:00.92 in the final. The winner was 16-year-old Emily Lloyd of Anne Arundel, Md., who swam 56.79, breaking her own national record of 57.07. Lemberg went 27.89 in the 50 final. Lloyd broke another national record—held by herself—with a 25.74.

Lemberg, who also swam in the 50-meter butterfly, and backstroke, set a personal best in the freestyle, assistant Westfield Y coach Jackie Whitty said.

"She's been there before, it's her fourth year,'' Whitty said. "It's really hard to do this meet. I don't think the intensity is there for most of the kids, there's so much going on, so for her to make the finals was great."

The 15-year-old Pires, who'll be a sophomore at Governor Livingston, swam a 34.93 in the finals.

Other Westfield swimmers to compete were: Pires (100 and 200 breast stroke), 17-year-old Mike Oster (50 and 100 backstroke, 50 and 100 freestyle), 14-year-old Max Shin (backstroke), 16-year-old Meredith Smith (100 and 200 freestyle and 50-meter back), 14-year-old Oria Alexander (backstroke), 18-year-old Max Blum (50, 100, 400 freestyle and butterfly), 18-year-old Matt Morgan (50, 100 and 200 breast stroke, 200 IM), 16-year-old Jack Lorentzen (breast stroke and 50 and 100 freestyle) and 16-year-old Meg Kaveney (50 butterfly and 50 freestyle).

Lorentzen, Blum, Oster and Morgan also swam in the 800-meter, 400-meter and 200-meter medley relays and the 400 and 200 freestyle relays. Smith, Pires, Kaveney and Lemberg competed in the 400-meter and 200 freestyle relays.