1981-82 Girls Swimming and Diving Team

The 1981-82 girls swimming and diving team certainly made a splash when they captured Swimming World’s inaugural mythical national prep school championship. Capping a perfect dual meet season at 10-0, the Falcons walloped their biggest nemeses, Mercersburg Academy 103-69 and Germantown Academy 111-61. There was a lot to celebrate as Peddie ran away with Easterns at the Clinton I. Sprout Pool. Peddie reeled in 339 points, bettering Mercersburg (265) and Germantown (189). In all, eight program marks fell, with the quartet of Tracey Dew ’83, Tracy Winfree ’82, Joan Franz ’83 and Diane Makarewicz ’82 clocking a 3:32.36 in the 400-yard free relay – eclipsing the independent school record set back in 1975.

What solidified Peddie’s mythical crown was its freestyle depth. The team demolished the field in the 100 and 500 free events. In the 100, Dew claimed second, Makarewicz earned fourth and Diana Hattler ’82 took 11th. Similarly, in the 500 free, Franz notched third, followed by Hattler in fourth and Lynn Haggerty ’82 placing 10th. The dominance continued when Franz and Haggerty went second and fifth in the 200 free. The multi-talented Terri Querubin ’83 picked up the gold in the 200 individual medley, and Winfree ’82 grabbed seventh in the 50 free.

A huge boost came from divers Shannon Walsh ’83 and Dina Hulsizer ’85, who finished first and sixth on the one-meter board at Easterns. The Falcons built their uncatchable lead using a total team effort. Mary Ellen Claffey ’82 touched sixth in the 200 free; Liddy Allee ’82 took fifth in the 200 IM; Sallie Cinco ’82 placed fourth in the 500 free and fifth in the 100 fly; Jennifer Pierson ’84 was fifth in the 500 free and Robin Fischer ’83 added a fourth-place finish in the 100 back.