Brunswick girls swim team enjoyed finest season in nearly a decade

Sami Guadagnino’s 14 first-place finishes during the regular season helped the North Brunswick High School girls swim team capture the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division title with an undefeated record.

While the sophomore may be the team’s top swimmer, North Brunswick’s depth and balance enabled the Raiders to follow up their division crown with a third-place finish earlier this month in the Greater Middlesex Conference Championships.

North Brunswick, which placed seventh in the 2022 Greater Middlesex Conference Championships, made the biggest jump of any league member in this season’s meet, scoring 143 more points than it did a year ago.

“We have built a team of girls who have so much heart towards the sport but also towards the team,” North Brunswick head coach CarrieAnn Egan-Ragavas said. “Every girl is dedicated and works hard during practice but most importantly they work together as a team. They are always helping each other out, supporting each other, cheering, and motivating.”

The Raiders qualified for the prestigious NJSIAA Tournament with a 6-2 conference record including their unblemished 5-0 division mark.
After opening the state tournament with an impressive victory over Marlboro, North Brunswick fell to Hunterdon Central, one of the Central Group A favorites.

North Brunswick’s only other losses this season were to reigning conference meet champion East Brunswick and runner-up South Brunswick.
Senior captains Anjali Gupta and Siri Yenamandra provided valuable leadership for the Raiders, who finished just 23 points shy of second place in the conference championship meet.

With seven wins this season, the Raiders recorded the most dual meet victories they have since finishing the 2014-15 campaign with a 7-4 record.
North Brunswick features a strong nucleus of underclassmen including Guadagnino, who paced the Raiders in the conference championship meet, finishing third in the 100 breast (1:09.59) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:19.32).
Guadagnino also swam the third leg of North Brunswick’s 200 medley relay, which placed fifth (2:02.74). The unit featured Paige Simpson, Saloni Agshiker and Gupta, all of whom also fared well in individual events.

Gupta placed sixth in the 200 IM (2:26.39) and seventh in the 100 fly (1:08.02). Agshiker was sixth in the 50 free (27.13) and eighth in the 100 back (1:11.27). Simpson finished 10th in the 100 breast (1:17.77).

Nikhita Gadde, who swam the opening leg of the 200 free relay, partnered with Gupta, Guadagnino and Agshiker to post a time of 1:48.42, good enough for fifth place in the event.

Lasenki Wijegunawardhana placed ninth in the 100 back (1:11.81). She anchored North Brunswick’s seventh-place 400 free relay (4:19.90), which also featured Vivien Tirpak, Anuva Kota and Simpson.

Flexing its depth, two of North Brunswick’s B relay teams also placed in the conference championship meet, finishing ninth in the 200 medley (Wijegunawardhana, Kota, Gadde and Nisha Patel combined to swim 2:08.24) and 14th in the 200 free relay (Mia Chonillo, Patel, Samantha Borge and Tirpak clocked in at 2:03.90).

North Brunswick’s senior class, which helped rebuild the program, has been pushed by a strong crop of swimmers, all of whom will be returning next season.

The Raiders, who are clearly built for the future, will benefit from the postseason experience they received in the NJSIAA Tournament.