Seniors provide talent and leadership for Notre Dame swim teams
December 22, 2023 at 7:00 a.m.
Coach Henry DeSandre is not certain where his Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, boys and girls swim teams will end up this season, but he’s pretty sure the girls can be good and the boys can be very good.
Senior swimmers (from left) Brianna Graham, Lexi Ramos and Ciara Bates are key performers for Notre Dame this year. Courtesy photo “I like both of them,” the veteran coach said. “I think we’re in a strong position with our men’s team. I kind of have my hand on the pulse a little bit, but I’m still positioning people in my mind with where to put them for champs (Mercer County Championships). There’s a lot of talent, a lot of strong teams out there. Do we have talent with the men? Absolutely, no question about that.
“I don’t quite have a handle on the women’s team as much as I do the men,” he continued. “We’ve got a lot of great swimmers with the women, a lot of natural talent there. … Hopefully we’ll get in the top four of counties and get a round in (state) tournament play.”
Both teams carried a 3-0 record into their dual meet against talented West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Dec. 21. One of the things DeSandre likes best about both is the example set by his seniors.
“All the seniors are leaders on both sides, there’s no captains,” he said. “Across the board, they’re good as a unit. They’re young, they’ll drift a little bit, but you kind of just put your hand on their shoulders and say ‘I need you to tighten up a little bit.’
“It’s all about Notre Dame for them, all about the family and that team that they’re part of.”
The boys team seniors are Gabe Czarnecki, Zach Duck, Brendan Appert, Kevin Scarborough, Talon Arbizu, Finn Schmitz, John Papp, Sean Powers and Matt Weaverling.
Among that group will be several key swimmers. Czarnecki will do medium distance events and relays, which DeSandre said “fits his wheelhouse really well.” Duck can swim any event but is being targeted for “his niche” of the 100 and 200 free and 100 back.
Zach Duck and the Notre Dame High boys hope all signs point to success for the Irish this season. Courtesy photo Appert is probably the most improved performer over the past four years.
“When he came on board as a freshman, swimming was like the moon,” DeSandre said. “He’s developing. This year he’s really focusing. HIs times are coming down every swim.”
While those three “just amplify the men’s team,” there are a few others also being counted on.
Scarborough, a standout kicker on the football team, has looked good in the 500, Arbizu is “an impact swimmer” in short-distance freestyles and Schmitz “will help out big time” in the IM and breast.
“We’ve got some people positioned in individual events right now, and that’s probably gonna stay and not deviate,” DeSandre said. “But then there are a handful that can go multiple ways. I want to get through the first week of January and at that point you gotta really put a target there.”
The coach feels the boys have potential to be a good dual meet team as well as a strong team in county and state meets. As for the girls, he said, “we’re in a growth stage, we’ve got a lot of nice talent all the way around. A lot of young girls came in this year, we’ve had to develop them into the mix for next year.”
Like the boys, much of the scoring will come from the seniors. They include Ciara Bates, Brianna Graham, Elena Abreu, Addie Ihlefeld, Lexi Ramos and Natalie Zamirowski.
Bates, who did not swim as a freshman, came on strong last year and provides flexibility for DeSandre.
“We have some options there as far as where we put her in a meet,” he said. “She’s stepping up and doing a great job.”
Graham is a strong breaststroker “who is very talented and has a great work ethic. She’ll be an impact swimmer for us as we get closer to champs. Ihlefeld is a field hockey standout who has come alive this year in the 500 and “just took it to another level.”
Ramos is a strong breaststroker and “has been phenomenal in distance. You can go with her in the IM a little but breaststroke will be her strong suit.”
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Lexi Ramos: Ciara Bates and Lexi Ramos will try and lift the Irish girls to victories in the same way Bates lifts Ramos onto her back. Courtesy photo
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Coach Henry DeSandre is not certain where his Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, boys and girls swim teams will end up this season, but he’s pretty sure the girls can be good and the boys can be very good.
Senior swimmers (from left) Brianna Graham, Lexi Ramos and Ciara Bates are key performers for Notre Dame this year. Courtesy photo “I like both of them,” the veteran coach said. “I think we’re in a strong position with our men’s team. I kind of have my hand on the pulse a little bit, but I’m still positioning people in my mind with where to put them for champs (Mercer County Championships). There’s a lot of talent, a lot of strong teams out there. Do we have talent with the men? Absolutely, no question about that.
“I don’t quite have a handle on the women’s team as much as I do the men,” he continued. “We’ve got a lot of great swimmers with the women, a lot of natural talent there. … Hopefully we’ll get in the top four of counties and get a round in (state) tournament play.”
Both teams carried a 3-0 record into their dual meet against talented West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Dec. 21. One of the things DeSandre likes best about both is the example set by his seniors.
“All the seniors are leaders on both sides, there’s no captains,” he said. “Across the board, they’re good as a unit. They’re young, they’ll drift a little bit, but you kind of just put your hand on their shoulders and say ‘I need you to tighten up a little bit.’
“It’s all about Notre Dame for them, all about the family and that team that they’re part of.”
The boys team seniors are Gabe Czarnecki, Zach Duck, Brendan Appert, Kevin Scarborough, Talon Arbizu, Finn Schmitz, John Papp, Sean Powers and Matt Weaverling.
Among that group will be several key swimmers. Czarnecki will do medium distance events and relays, which DeSandre said “fits his wheelhouse really well.” Duck can swim any event but is being targeted for “his niche” of the 100 and 200 free and 100 back.
Zach Duck and the Notre Dame High boys hope all signs point to success for the Irish this season. Courtesy photo Appert is probably the most improved performer over the past four years.
“When he came on board as a freshman, swimming was like the moon,” DeSandre said. “He’s developing. This year he’s really focusing. HIs times are coming down every swim.”
While those three “just amplify the men’s team,” there are a few others also being counted on.
Scarborough, a standout kicker on the football team, has looked good in the 500, Arbizu is “an impact swimmer” in short-distance freestyles and Schmitz “will help out big time” in the IM and breast.
“We’ve got some people positioned in individual events right now, and that’s probably gonna stay and not deviate,” DeSandre said. “But then there are a handful that can go multiple ways. I want to get through the first week of January and at that point you gotta really put a target there.”
The coach feels the boys have potential to be a good dual meet team as well as a strong team in county and state meets. As for the girls, he said, “we’re in a growth stage, we’ve got a lot of nice talent all the way around. A lot of young girls came in this year, we’ve had to develop them into the mix for next year.”
Like the boys, much of the scoring will come from the seniors. They include Ciara Bates, Brianna Graham, Elena Abreu, Addie Ihlefeld, Lexi Ramos and Natalie Zamirowski.
Bates, who did not swim as a freshman, came on strong last year and provides flexibility for DeSandre.
“We have some options there as far as where we put her in a meet,” he said. “She’s stepping up and doing a great job.”
Graham is a strong breaststroker “who is very talented and has a great work ethic. She’ll be an impact swimmer for us as we get closer to champs. Ihlefeld is a field hockey standout who has come alive this year in the 500 and “just took it to another level.”
Ramos is a strong breaststroker and “has been phenomenal in distance. You can go with her in the IM a little but breaststroke will be her strong suit.”
Lexi Ramos: Ciara Bates and Lexi Ramos will try and lift the Irish girls to victories in the same way Bates lifts Ramos onto her back. Courtesy photo