A 78-78 deadlock going into the final event meant that the fourthseeded Cranford High School girls swim team needed to take first in the final event, the 400-freestyle relay, to pull out a victory over the fifth-seeded Hopewell Valley Bulldogs in the Central Jersey, Group 2 semifinals at Cranford on February 8. However, it was the 9-6 Bulldogs, who touched first to nip the Cougars, 86-84, to advance to the championship to face top-seeded Governor Livingston.

Although the 5-7 Cougars placed first in only one individual event and one relay, their team depth was able to keep them in the meet right up until the final event.

Lyla Wilhelm was the sole Cougar to win an individual event when she touched first in the 50-freestyle with a time of 26.31, followed by Bulldog Grace Kunkel at 26.49 and Cougar Ava Dreyer at 27.24. Wilhelm, Eliana Ruan, Addison Freeman and Natalie Oliviera finished first in the 200-free relay at 1:51.43, followed by Bulldogs Molly Galgano, Julia Szymanik, Riley Kerr andAnna Wurtz at 1:57.24, and Cougars Ava Morrison, Kristen Shave, Adelena Paine and Meredith Ruple at 2:01.62.

In the 200-medley relay, Bulldogs May Hartog, Amelie Bass, Galgano and Kunkel took first at 1:56.9, while the Cougars took 2-3 with Kianna Riera, Wilhelm, Kyla Virata and Dreyer at 1:57.8, and Ruan, Morrison, Sasha Paulyson and Oliviera at 2:12.26. Wurtz took first in the 200free at 2:10.89, followed by Cougars Riera at 2:14.19 and Shave at 2:16.33. Hartog won the 200-Individual Medley with a time of 2:24.67, followed by Freeman at 2:31.32, Galgano at 2:37.03 and Ruan at 2:37.49.

The Bulldogs took 1-2 in the 100butterfly with Bass at 1:02.65 and Galgano at 1:09.25, followed by Virata at 1:11.13 and Paulyson at 1:13.04. Kunkel finished first in the 100-free at 58.5, followed by Dreyer at 1:00.45 and Oliviera at 1:03.28. Wurtz won the 500-free in 5:54.69, followed by Bulldog Sonia Tenbarge at 6:16.25 and Cougar Paine at 6:17.08. Hartog won the 100-backstroke in 1:03.86, followed by Riera at 1:04.17 and Paulyson at 1:10.21. Bass took first in the 100-breaststroke at 1:10.34, followed by Willhelm at 1:11.57, Freeman at 1:17.57 and Morrison at 1:24.74.

Hopewell Valley won the meet when Hartog, Wurtz, Kunkel and Bass touched first in the 400-free relay at 3:57.18, followed by Dreyer, Virata, Freeman and Riera at 4:00.11, and Shave, Paine, Paulyson and Gemma Grande at 4:26.99.