Post by admin on Mar 17, 2010 16:42:12 GMT -5
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-03-17/Sports/Gallene_ONeill_win_historic_swim_titles.html
Gallene, O’Neill win historic swim titles
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
The fastest high school swimmer in New Jersey attends Freehold High School in Freehold Borough. That is not a misprint.
Joe Gallene and Emily O’Neill recently won the first state swimming championships by student-athletes at Freehold High School, Freehold Borough. Gallene won the 50-yard freestyle and O’Neill won the 100-yard backstroke in NJSIAA competition. Joe Gallene earned the title of “Fastest Swimmer in the State” by winning the 50- yard freestyle race at the NJSIAA Individual Swimming Championships held on March 7 at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Sewell.
“I am really excited about it,” said Gallene, who also won the 50 freestyle at the Monmouth County and Shore Conference championships. “It’s very rewarding.”
The 50 freestyle in swimming is the equivalent of the 100-yard dash in track and field. It is a test of nerves and flat-out speed. The difference between winning and finishing out of the medal picture is the blink of an eye. One mistake and you’re done. Gallene has described the race as a “burst of energy.”
With so little separating the speedsters, Gallene said he expected the final to be close and to be anyone’s race. And it was.
“Coming off the turn, I saw how close everyone was,” he said.
That was all the Freehold senior needed to know. He let his will take over from there.
“It was a sense of wanting it more than anyone else,” he said. “I just put my head down and pushed hard. I’m a senior and I was going to leave it all in the pool.”
The sense of urgency that goes with being a senior and knowing this is your last chance to win carried the day for Gallene. He touched the wall in 21.67 to become a state champion. Gallene, who was fourth in this event last year, finished 0.06 seconds ahead of Moorestown’s Kevin Steel (21.73).
Gallene may be the fastest swimmer in the state, but his schoolmate Emily O’Neill beat him to the medal podium.
O’Neill officially became the first Colonials’ swimmer to win a state championship when she won the 100-yard backstroke at the March 7 meet. Her race went off before the boys’ 50 freestyle.
“It’s awesome for the school to have two state champions,” said Gallene, who also said that O’Neill’s victory gave him added motivation to win his own race. “I was excited for her.”
O’Neill went into the state championships having put down the fastest time in the state. She backed it up in the final.
“It’s such a great feeling to go in as the top seed and win,” said O’Neill. “No one at the school had done it before. It’s such a big deal.”
O’Neill was third at last year’s state championships and that served as her motivation this time around.
One way she increased her chances for success this time around was by working on her turns off the wall. It is important, she said, to come off the turn strong and to quickly get into her tempo.
The 100 backstroke is a test of speed, strength and endurance. O’Neill said the last 50 yards can be painful.
“You have to push through it,” she said.
Like Gallene, O’Neill was not in the lead coming off the last turn, but it was so close that the race would go to the swimmer who could cover the final 25 yards the quickest. O’Neill fought through the pain to win in a time of 57.47. She won by 0.30 over Delran’s Courtney Sepick (57.77).
Colts Neck High School’s Noelle Klockner also enjoyed a fine day at the state championships. She was fifth in the 100 backstroke and seventh in the 100-yard freestyle (53.95). Klockner is a sophomore and should have more state meets in her future.
Together, Gallene and O’Neill have given a swimming program that was not even an afterthought sudden statewide recognition. Freehold High School was the only school to have two individual champions at the March 7 meet.
Gallene is proudest of how far the boys’ program came in his four years at Freehold. This year the Colonials qualified for the state tournament for the first time, a truly historic achievement.
O’Neill, a junior who will try to make history next year by becoming a two-time state champion, sees the girls team on the upswing.
Gallene and O’Neill compete for the YMCA of Western Monmouth County swim teams. They have qualified for the YMCA state championships and for the YMCA national championships.
Swimming is the sport for both studentathletes.
Gallene was inspired to swim by his father, Paul, who was a swimmer himself. The elder Gallene swam the 50-yard freestyle for Columbia High School. Gallene credits his father and YMCA coach Paul Florio for helping him to become a state champion.
O’Neill gave swimming a try at the age of 10 because of her friends.
“I really loved it,” she said.
The backstroke turned out to be O’Neill’s best event and she used it to carry her to a state championship.
Gallene, O’Neill win historic swim titles
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
The fastest high school swimmer in New Jersey attends Freehold High School in Freehold Borough. That is not a misprint.
Joe Gallene and Emily O’Neill recently won the first state swimming championships by student-athletes at Freehold High School, Freehold Borough. Gallene won the 50-yard freestyle and O’Neill won the 100-yard backstroke in NJSIAA competition. Joe Gallene earned the title of “Fastest Swimmer in the State” by winning the 50- yard freestyle race at the NJSIAA Individual Swimming Championships held on March 7 at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Sewell.
“I am really excited about it,” said Gallene, who also won the 50 freestyle at the Monmouth County and Shore Conference championships. “It’s very rewarding.”
The 50 freestyle in swimming is the equivalent of the 100-yard dash in track and field. It is a test of nerves and flat-out speed. The difference between winning and finishing out of the medal picture is the blink of an eye. One mistake and you’re done. Gallene has described the race as a “burst of energy.”
With so little separating the speedsters, Gallene said he expected the final to be close and to be anyone’s race. And it was.
“Coming off the turn, I saw how close everyone was,” he said.
That was all the Freehold senior needed to know. He let his will take over from there.
“It was a sense of wanting it more than anyone else,” he said. “I just put my head down and pushed hard. I’m a senior and I was going to leave it all in the pool.”
The sense of urgency that goes with being a senior and knowing this is your last chance to win carried the day for Gallene. He touched the wall in 21.67 to become a state champion. Gallene, who was fourth in this event last year, finished 0.06 seconds ahead of Moorestown’s Kevin Steel (21.73).
Gallene may be the fastest swimmer in the state, but his schoolmate Emily O’Neill beat him to the medal podium.
O’Neill officially became the first Colonials’ swimmer to win a state championship when she won the 100-yard backstroke at the March 7 meet. Her race went off before the boys’ 50 freestyle.
“It’s awesome for the school to have two state champions,” said Gallene, who also said that O’Neill’s victory gave him added motivation to win his own race. “I was excited for her.”
O’Neill went into the state championships having put down the fastest time in the state. She backed it up in the final.
“It’s such a great feeling to go in as the top seed and win,” said O’Neill. “No one at the school had done it before. It’s such a big deal.”
O’Neill was third at last year’s state championships and that served as her motivation this time around.
One way she increased her chances for success this time around was by working on her turns off the wall. It is important, she said, to come off the turn strong and to quickly get into her tempo.
The 100 backstroke is a test of speed, strength and endurance. O’Neill said the last 50 yards can be painful.
“You have to push through it,” she said.
Like Gallene, O’Neill was not in the lead coming off the last turn, but it was so close that the race would go to the swimmer who could cover the final 25 yards the quickest. O’Neill fought through the pain to win in a time of 57.47. She won by 0.30 over Delran’s Courtney Sepick (57.77).
Colts Neck High School’s Noelle Klockner also enjoyed a fine day at the state championships. She was fifth in the 100 backstroke and seventh in the 100-yard freestyle (53.95). Klockner is a sophomore and should have more state meets in her future.
Together, Gallene and O’Neill have given a swimming program that was not even an afterthought sudden statewide recognition. Freehold High School was the only school to have two individual champions at the March 7 meet.
Gallene is proudest of how far the boys’ program came in his four years at Freehold. This year the Colonials qualified for the state tournament for the first time, a truly historic achievement.
O’Neill, a junior who will try to make history next year by becoming a two-time state champion, sees the girls team on the upswing.
Gallene and O’Neill compete for the YMCA of Western Monmouth County swim teams. They have qualified for the YMCA state championships and for the YMCA national championships.
Swimming is the sport for both studentathletes.
Gallene was inspired to swim by his father, Paul, who was a swimmer himself. The elder Gallene swam the 50-yard freestyle for Columbia High School. Gallene credits his father and YMCA coach Paul Florio for helping him to become a state champion.
O’Neill gave swimming a try at the age of 10 because of her friends.
“I really loved it,” she said.
The backstroke turned out to be O’Neill’s best event and she used it to carry her to a state championship.