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11/06/2016 12:00 AMThe East Haven-Wilbur Cross co-op girls’ swim team took part in the SCC Championship at Southern Connecticut State University on Nov. 3 and finished in 14th place by scoring 215 points. The Yellowjackets were 9.5 points away from Hamden, which finished in 13th place.
East Haven saw three different relay squads compete at conference meet, along with two individuals. The competition offered great exposure to championship swimming, especially for the club’s younger swimmers, according to Head Coach Dave Oshana.
“For some girls, it’s the first time that they have been to a large SCC event with hundreds of other swimmers. It was great for them to experience the atmosphere and the energy,” Oshana said. “It’s also great to see how kids swim faster in big events. I think it’s the excitement that makes them faster. We did really well in the finals and I’m proud of my girls.”
The Yellowjackets came through with just about everyone dropping times and setting personal bests at SCCs. All three relays performed well with each one cutting time off their personal-best mark. The 200 medley relay of Ellyn DiVerniero, Syreena Melendez, Laura Rosado, and Gina DiVerniero placed 16th with a time of 2:11.42 and dropped three seconds from its best time. The 200 freestyle relay of Ellyn DiVerniero, Alaiana Robert, Iryiana Rivera, and Jennyfer Jarrin took 16th at 2:13.68, which marked a whopping 13-second drop from its previous top mark. East Haven’s 400 freestyle relay squad of Melendez, Gina DiVerniero, Jarrin, and Rosado finished 10th at 4:03.18, trimming 10 seconds off its best time.
“The girls have continued to swim faster throughout the season and are continuing to improve now in the postseason,” Oshana said. “Since the beginning of the season, [assistant coach Rabecca Florio] and I could tell that we have a tight team. The girls all get along well with each other, too, so it was nice to see friendships form during the season.”
In the individual races, Rosado, a junior, made the All-SCC Team in her two events. In the 100 backstroke, Rosado finished in second place with a time of 58.19 seconds, Then in the 100 butterfly, she took third place at 58.89. Rosado was less than a second off the leader in both events and has a great meet to build off in preparation for the upcoming Class LL State Championship.
East Haven’s other individual racer was the freshman Melendez, who finished 29th in the 100 breaststroke at 1:20.27.
“She’s a very experienced swimmer. Has been doing so for many years and is very comfortable in the tournament atmosphere. I think her not having a bunch of nerves because she swims club and has been in these big tournaments before, she’s more relaxed,” Oshana said of Rosado. “Syreena is another one. I think she’s still 14, but she’s very composed in swim meets. She’s very mature and doesn’t get nervous with the crowd. They’re both from Cross and have been strong all season for us.”
Rosado’s performance at the conference meet showed the league that she’s a force. After mostly competing against SCC Tier 2 squads during the regular season, Rosado displayed that she can compete with the elite swimmers in Tier 1.
“The girls Laura competed against are in the top division,” Oshana said. “She was right there with them and kicked butt. She is a very fast swimmer and is very composed.”
Although East Haven was unable to get a win this year, Coach Oshana accentuated the positive by noting how his team improved with each and every meet and then placed higher than a few schools at the SCC Championship.
“Yeah, nobody likes to lose, however, if you can grow from your losses, then you are better for it,” he said. “In fact, during the SCC Championship, we scored 14th out of 18, beating [North Branford, Guilford, West Haven, and Law]. I think this is due to our girls’ ability to never give up and to keep on training to improve.”
East Haven only has the state meet remaining this season, starting with the Class LL Qualifier in East Hartford on Saturday, Nov. 12. The Class LL Championship takes place at Southern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, Nov. 16. Coach Oshana is looking for Rosado to stay on a roll and qualify for the championship meet in her two events.
“State qualifiers are November 12,” Oshana said. “I am hopeful that one of my swimmers will qualify in both the 100 fly and 100 back.”