POSTED: February 4, 2010
It was the last event of the last home meet of their last season.
Gabbi Emore swam the opening leg of the 400 freestyle relay. Allyson Mitidieri swam the anchor.
Emore was first in the pool for the Cherry Hill West girls' swim team. And Mitidieri was the last.
And while lots of good stuff happened in between – including sophomore Courtney Patterson's blazing third leg – it was fitting that the two seniors were the Alpha and Omega of the Lions' dramatic victory.
"I'm refusing to believe that it's over," Emore said after Cherry Hill West defeated Haddonfield, 87-83, last night in a clash of two of South Jersey's best teams at Camden County Tech.
It's not over. The Lions still have the Central Public A tournament, and perhaps a rematch with rival Cherry Hill East and maybe a shot at state power West Windsor-Plainsboro South.
But there was a bittersweet quality to this event for the seniors. They were honored during the break in the meet, their last regular-season competition.
"This program has been such a big part of my life," Mitidieri said. "I've wanted to swim for Cherry Hill West forever. To be able to be a part of it, it's the best ever."
The girls made the most of their final home dual meet.
Mitidieri won the 200 individual medley (2:01.07) and the 100 breaststroke (1:07.05) and swam on two victorious relays. Emore swam the opening leg of two winning relays.
"I'm at a loss for words," Emore said. "I'm just so happy."
Emore and Mitidieri are two of just three seniors on the Cherry Hill West team. Diver Tiffany Ramos is the other. But since diving is no longer a part of dual meets, she had another role last night.
"She was going insane cheering on the sideline," Cherry Hill West coach Scott Sweeten said.
Sweeten said his seniors' leadership was one of the keys to the Lions' steady improvement this season.
"Gabbi is the perfect role model," Sweeten said. "She's quiet as a mouse but she really has emerged this year as a leader. Allyson has grown up before our eyes. She was a key swimmer for us when she was a freshman and she's just kept going."
Mitidieri said the seniors were forced to take on extra responsibility because there weren't many 12th-graders around to share the leadership load.
"At times it was tough," Mitidieri said. "But this team is like a family. It was like we were the parents."
Mitidieri is a top swimmer who plans to continue her athletic career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Emore plans to attend the University of Arizona and study chemical engineering. She suspects her varsity swimming career might be coming to a close.
"I was looking at their times on their Web site," Emore said of the Arizona swim team. "I think maybe I'm swim club."
For both seniors, their final regular-season meet was something special. The undefeated teams were locked in a tight battle and entered the final event with Cherry Hill West holding a 79-77 advantage.
The Lions clinched the victory when Mitidieri touched the wall.
"It was amazing," Mitidieri said.
The magnitude of the moment hit Emore on the pool deck a few minutes after the meet.
"I'm not leaving," Emore said. "I'm going to see if I can get held back and swim again next year."