Here is the story by PJ Potter of NJ.com
Westfield somehow finds a way to outdo themselves in the water every season.
At the Union County Championships last season, the Blue Devils boys collected the trophy behind six race wins to ready up for an eventual run that earned them the NJSIAA Group A state championship.
On Sunday at Rutgers, Westfield dug deep and found a new level to their prowess.
The Blue Devils placed first in seven events and shattered four county records to garner 462 points in front of a packed natatorium to repeat as champions of Union County.
“The county meet always has so much energy. We wanted to set the tone for the rest of the year that we mean business and want to keep winning,” Westfield’s Danny Pierce said.
In the greatest single performance in Union County history, All-State superstar Owen Waibel swam in all four races that set a new record.
Waibel, who won the 50 freestyle and 100 breast last winter, followed that up with one more first-place tally in the 50.
In the blink of an eye, he catapulted to a 20.74 timestamp.
“Owen is the best. He’s an unbelievable teammate; it’s so nice to have a guy like him on your team because he’s going to make you work harder. It makes all of us better,” Pierce said.
Waibel nabbed another individual record in the ensuing event, going for gold in the butterfly at 50.97. The previous record was held at 50.98, dating back to 2022.
Waibel knows that the Union County meet is a tremendous stepping stone in the postseason and did not miss out on the opportunity to make some noise.
“We were psyched about this meet today. The fans were amazing and it’s surreal that it all came together this way,” Waibel said.
He was part of a pair of relay records, too. Alongside Pierce, Dylan Lagrimas, and Logan Swenson in the 200 medley relay, the Blue Devils spotted a 1:34.62 finish with Waibel as the anchor. He fired off a 20.30 split in his 50 freestyle leg.
To close the evening, Westfield broke the 400 freestyle record at 3:08.01, gliding by the previous 3:11.92 time from Westfield in 2017.
Michael Fisher (48.13), Logan Swenson (47.41), and Pierce (47.10) started things off strong for Westfield.
Waibel anchored one last time, polishing off a 45.37 stamp to erupt the Blue Devils faithful.
Following a day like this one, we must reflect on the storied program of Westfield swimming.
The Blue Devils are the most decorated swimming team in New Jersey, which means there are dozens of fantastic swimmers who have passed through the team.
It begs the question: Where does Owen Waibel, a state champion, stand among the greatest swimmers in Westfield history?
“In terms of the all-time greats here at Westfield, he is way up there. Owen is in the Pantheon with the guys who have gone on to the Olympics. He is a special talent and an even better person,” Westfield head coach Jeff Knight said.
Owen Waibel of Westfield Matt Kipp | For NJ Advance Media
Westfield also saw a victory in the 200 freestyle relay at 1:28.93 from Swenson, Fisher, Charlie Jeckell, and Danny McGann.
Pierce notched the 2.5-second win in the backstroke for a personal-best time of 52.15.
“Oh man, what a way to end this. In a meet like this one, I couldn’t have asked for a better day,” Pierce said.
Lagrimas had room for one more Westfield individual victory. He posted a 59.48 stamp in the breaststroke.
“Danny and Dylan know how to build momentum. We have seen tremendous improvement from both of them and it’s all thanks to their incredible work ethic. It was a huge day for them,” Waibel said.
Danny Pierce of Westfield Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media
Westfield, having beaten Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Summit, and Bergen Catholic this season, knows there is still plenty ahead to make it back to the state championship – but the display shown on Sunday has only revved them up even more.
“Our main goal is still ahead of us. This meet sets standards for us, knowing that we can be even better. Who knows what we are really capable of when we jump in for a big dual meet,” Knight said.
“I know Bruce was watching this one and is looking down smiling.”
Four other teams collected one individual victory apiece.
Summit’s Will Moon clocked out at 1:42.72 for the win to help the Hilltoppers to 299 points for second place.
Will Moon of Summit Matt Kipp | For NJ Advance Media
Caden Wong of Gov. Livingston beat Danny Pierce in a sub-one second race in the 200 IM, timing out at 1:56.29.
Linden’s Peter Jarzab placed first in the 100 freestyle at 47.83.
The 500 freestyle was the most intense affair of the night.
New Providence’s Vincent Terzo and Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s Harrison McClure were neck-and-neck for the long-distance journey.
Terzo held a slight lead for the majority of the race and held off McClure with a 4:40.73 victory. McClure finished at 4:41.25 ahead of Will Moon’s 4:43.86 clip.
SPF placed third at 236 while Oratory went for 221 points for fourth place.
Gov. Livingston rounded out the Top 5 with 190 points.
| Boys Scores, Union County Championship |
| 1-Westfield 462 |
| 2-Summit 299 |
| 3-Scotch Plains-Fanwood 236 |
| 4-Oratory 221 |
| 5-Gov. Livingston 190 |
| 6-New Providence 182 |
| 7-Union Catholic 101 |
| 8-Linden 91 |
| 9-Cranford 85 |
| 10-Elizabeth 69 |
| 11-Union 64 |
| 12-Johnson 56 |
| 13-Plainfield 22 |
Top 3 Finishers
200 MR
- 1-Westfield 1:34.62
- 2-Scotch Plains-Fanwood 1:39.12
- 3-Summit 1:39.75
200 Free
- 1-Will Moon, Summit 1:42.72
- 2-Michael Fisher, Westfield 1:44.88
- 3-Harrison McClure, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 1:45.44
200 IM
- 1-Caden Wong, Gov. Livingston 1:56.29
- 2-Danny Pierce, Westfield 1:57.18
- 3-Vincent Terzo, New Providence 1:58.31
50 Free
- 1-Owen Waibel, Westfield 20.74
- 2-Charlie Moon, Summit 21.91
- 3-Peter Jarzab, Linden 22.14
100 Fly
- 1-Owen Waibel, Westfield 50.97
- 2-Caden Wong, Gov. Livingston 51.03
- 3-Troy Mayer, Gov. Livingston 53.78
100 Free
- 1-Peter Jarzab, Linden 47.83
- 2-Michael Fisher, Westfield 48.34
- 3-Charlie Moon, Summit 48.36
500 Free
- 1-Vincent Terzo, New Providence 4:40.73
- 2-Harrison McClure, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 4:41.25
- 3-Will Moon, Summit 4:43.86
200 FR
- 1-Westfield 1:28.93
- 2-Summit 1:29.65
- 3-Gov. Livingston 1:30.69
100 Back
- 1-Danny Pierce, Westfield 52.15
- 2-Richard Fadeev, New Providence 54.46
- 3-Aaron Frank, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 54.87
100 Breast
- 1-Dylan Lagrimas, Westfield 59.48
- 2-Ethan Kwon, Summit 1:00.17
- 3-Filip Salek, Linden 1:00.19
400 FR
- 1-Westfield 3:08.01
- 2-Summit 3:18.10
- 3-Scotch Plains-Fanwood 3:23.47
