2019 – 2020 ACADEMIC YEAR
Michaels ’20, Earns End-of-Season Honor It was a memorable end to the girls’ swim team’s first season in the Skyland Conference, as senior Becca Michaels was named the Skyland Conference Valley Division Swimmer. Michaels made school history this winter, becoming the first GSB swimmer to ever claim a title at the Somerset County Championships – taking gold in the 50 freestyle in a time of 24.85 seconds. The two-time captain’s season came to an end at the prestigious NJSIAA Meet of Champions, where she placed 41st in New Jersey in the 50 freestyle. Michaels leaves GSB with every single school record and four-straight all-conference first-team selections.
2020 WINTER SPORTS GIRLS’ SWIMMING
It was a historic winter for the girls’ swim team, going 6-1 in its inaugural season in the Skyland Conference’s Valley Division while earning its highest finishes ever at the Somerset County and Prep Championships. At those county championships, the girls’ 200 freestyle relay of Rebecca Michaels ’20, Laura Howard ’21, and Maddie and Olivia Soultanian ’22 had a remarkable showing, shattering the school record while also recording Gill’s first-ever top-six finish in a relay event. At the extremely competitive Prep Championships, Michaels claimed third place in the 100 backstroke, the highest finish ever by a Gill girl swimmer, while Maddie Soultanian also had a remarkable swim, finishing sixth in the 50 freestyle. The Knights ended their season on its highest note, upsetting Moorestown Friends in the NJSIAA state tournament to advance to their firstever Non-Public B State Semifinals.
BOYS’ SWIMMING
The boys’ swim team showed incredible resilience during its first season in the Skyland Conference’s Valley Division. After losing its first five meets of the year, the Knights rebounded by earning wins over Warren Hills and Belvidere to finish with a regular-season record of 2-5. The squad of eight swimmers continued to defy the odds by qualifying for the Non-Public B State Tournament for the second-straight season. The boys also displayed some of the fastest swimming in school history, with the 200-medley relay team of Jonathan Osma ’20, Adrian Massuet ’20, Robert Brandl ’20, and Jake Baber ’21 breaking the school record at the Somerset County Championships. Individually, Osma re-broke his school records in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke, while Brandl set the school record in the 50 freestyle.
FENCING
It was another strong year for the fencing programs, as both the boys’ and girls’ squads continued to show improvement and dedication throughout the season. The first major competition of the season took place at Regionals in late January. The boys’ fencing team placed tenth in épée, ninth in foil, and ninth in sabre. Caroline Solondz ’21 earned a third-place finish in district individuals, and that qualified her for the state individual tournament. Zoe O’Connor ’21 also qualified for the district individual tournament in women’s épée. The program’s best showing of the season came at the Prep Championships. The girls’ team placed second overall in the “B” Division, and the women’s sabre squad earned gold in their event, with all three of the fencers, Maggie Kistner ’20, Caroline Solondz ’21, and Grace Crimi ’23, qualifying for the individual round. Kistner went on to win the consolation final, finishing third overall. Solondz pulled off a thrilling victory to earn the individual sabre title. The women’s épée squad also had a terrific showing, placing second overall. Zoe O’Connor ’21 and Sophia Mariano ’23 both qualified for the individual round, with O’Connor being crowned the individual épée champion after winning a tough bout.
EMILY RAIA ʼ20
J oy f u l
I always looked forward to being able to walk on campus and be with friends. My most memorable moment was in my junior year soccer season, specifically the Rutgers game. The game was home with the crowd all wearing pink for cancer awareness. With the victory at the end and everyone cheering, it made it one of my fondest memories.
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