Colonia's Burzynska and Bishop Ahr's Hardy are the HNT Girls Co-Swimmers of the Year
When Bishop Ahr’s Sarah Hardy saw that Colonia’s Monika Burzynska entered the 100 backstroke at the Greater Middlesex Conference meet, she figured, well, there goes the gold medal.
“I expected her to win,” Hardy said. “I just thought like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll be within a second of her time.'”
This, coming from a Meet of Champions winner in the 200 IM. But the duel was on between two of the best swimmers in the state in one of their secondary events. Hardy wound up beating Burzynska en route to setting a meet record.
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“It was an honor to beat her because of how incredible she is,” Hardy said. “I always love to be pushed by other swimmers. I don’t think swimming would be what it is if we just raced and … there’s no competition. The best part about these meets is when you have the competition. And most of the times, they bring out the best.”
Both Burzynska and Hardy had such great seasons that they’re the 2016-17 Home News Tribune Girls Co-Swimmers of the Year. Burzynska, a junior won the MOC title in the 100 butterfly and set a GMC record in the event.
Hardy, a sophomore, repeated as the state 200 IM champ in her second try and also set a GMC record. Additionally, Hardy placed 11th in the 100 backstroke at the MOC.
This season, she didn’t come in under anyone’s radar. But Hardy said she didn’t feel any extra pressure. Simply, she swam and had fun.
“She’s a great kid,” Colonia swimming coach David DeGraw said. “I talked to her at both meets. Nice kid. Respectful. To me, that’s the best thing about this sport. That I’ve seen, honestly, is that you have kids generally that are really, really good kids.”
At the MOC on March 5 at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Hardy finished in 2:04.26 ahead of Trinity Hall’s Caroline Gmelich’s 2:04.93 to take first.
“I did feel really good in the race, but I didn’t want to jinx it,” Hardy said. “So I waited until I looked up before I was like, ‘I got it.’ It felt really good and I was really proud of myself.”
Hardy actually had a better time when she reset the GMC meet record in 2:02.43 on Jan. 27 at the Raritan Bay YMCA in Perth Amboy. It takes a complete swimmer to succeed in the 200 IM, which consists of two laps each of the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.
“I think it depends on the day, what stroke I like more,” Hardy said. “But I can definitely tell you what I do not like the most.”
And that, for Hardy, is freestyle.
“I think it’s just because I always die at the end,” she said. “It’s like a piano fell on my back. That’s how it feels.”
Despite being held down by Beethoven, Hardy has done just fine.
She can also appreciate what Burzynska has accomplished in the butterfly. Hardy said she’ll chat with the Colonia swimmer at big meets and they wish each other luck.
“I love watching her swim,” Hardy said. “I can’t even tell you how incredible she is at that race. It’s so cool because she goes so fast.”
Burzynska won the MOC in 55.05 ahead of Sparta’s Alexis Faria, her best time in high school. She also beat her own record in the event at the GMC. In 2016, Burzynska was in first place after the preliminary round, but took second in the final heat.
DeGraw said that was partly because Burzynska spent too much energy in the prelims. This season, she conserved some of that firepower for the finals.
“This was her goal from when she started high school was to get this,” DeGraw said. “So she progressively has gone up every year there. And she definitely stands out. She was very focused on winning. She wasn’t overconfident. She wasn’t arrogant, but this is the reason why she goes to this meet. That’s her event, and that’s what she’s wanted for the past three years. So this year, she was able to get it.”
As far as the GMC 100 backstroke race, DeGraw said that he expects his swimmer to try to get back her title next season. In 2016, Burzynska won the event, but Hardy didn’t race in it. Instead, she opted for the 100 breaststroke, taking second.
“I think the biggest asset she has is that she’s never satisfied with the status quo,” DeGraw said. “She got first this year (at the MOC), and I’m sure next year she’s going to try to beat her time. So that says a lot about a person when they achieve their goal and now they’re already planning on their next goal.”
And that’s what helps make both Burzynska and Hardy so great.
2016-17 All-GMC Girls Swimming
Julie Stankiewicz - Metuchen; Sarah Jeney - Metuchen; Macie Schaper - Metuchen; Courtney Little - Metuchen; Elizabeth Borges - Piscataway; Sarah Hardy - Bishop Ahr; Stephanie Chiu - J.P. Stevens; Monika Burzynska - Colonia; Amaya Renzulli - East Brunswick; Megan Tang - East Brunswick; Sabrina May - East Brunswick; Sara Park - East Brunswick; Jenna Yan - J.P. Stevens; Darby VanDeVeen - East Brunswick; Emily Louie - Bishop Ahr; Melanie Fosko - North Brunswick; Antonia Simunek - Piscataway; Gianna Policari - Old Bridge; Cecilia Bailey - J.P. Stevens; Michelle Kong - J.P. Stevens; Brianna Tang - J.P. Stevens; Libby Snyder - South Brunswick.
Coach of the Year: David DeGraw - Colonia
Sportsmanship: Robert Weiss Jr. - Old Bridge