Swimming: Preseason rankings, athletes to watch in 2021-22 in North Jersey
With the high school swimming season beginning this week, it's time to look at the top teams and athletes in North Jersey.
Katherine Lawrence
Indian Hills freshman
Few swimmers around the state are better in the sprint and butterfly events than Lawrence, who transforms the Braves into an elite team. One local coach dubbed her the best freshman in Bergen County.
Isabel Lee
Ridgewood sophomore
Lee went undefeated in eight individual races as a freshman while landing a spot on the All-North Jersey team. The sprint events are her specialty.
Rachel Kim
Leonia/Palisades Park senior
Kim is a big reason why the Lions have won seven straight conference titles. She set the NJIC meet record in the 100 freestyle and also excels in the backstroke.
Meghan Rourke
Northern Highlands junior
The Highlanders have league and sectional title aspirations with Rourke leading the charge. She established herself as one of the county's best freestylers with a pair of top-five finishes in 2020.
Sydney Severini
Immaculate Heart senior
Severini is the top swimmer on an Immaculate Heart team that always leads the pack in North Jersey. The Duquesne commit holds the Bergen breaststroke record and brings versatility to the lineup.
Grace Weaver
Wayne Valley senior
Weaver has taken home plenty of Passaic County hardware with six PCT titles, including three individual crowns between the 200 and 500 freestyles. She's a returning state qualifier in both events.
Aaron Baltaytis
Tenafly junior
He's a Northwestern commit whose credentials are second to none in North Jersey. Baltaytis enters the year as the only Bergen boys swimmer with an individual state medal or county title.
Jack Casavant
Ridgewood senior
The Colgate signee rejuvenates the Maroon lineup after a year away from the high school game. Casavant can rack up points in any event as a former county fourth in the individual medley.
Chris Jackson
Hackensack junior
Jackson will be at the forefront of a swimming revival in Hackensack after earning All-North Jersey, second-team honors. He picked off a 25-year-old school record in the backstroke and will now challenge for the county mark.
Doyee Kim
Bergen Catholic sophomore
Kim was arguably the top freshman in North Jersey last season, sparking the Crusaders to the No. 1 final ranking. He posted the fastest times in the county in the breaststroke and IM.
Jack Krause
Northern Highlands senior
Krause is a standout in the butterfly and freestyle events who a year ago led the Highlanders to a perfect season. He is committed to swim at Lehigh.
Eric Lee
Demarest sophomore
Lee is the top-ranked sophomore in the state and debuts on the high school scene this season. He's posted club times that are faster than the Bergen meet record in four events: the 100, 500, backstroke and medley.
Girls Top 10 rankings
Immaculate Heart 3-1
Northern Highlands 8-0
Passaic Tech 4-0
Indian Hills 0-2
Leonia/Palisades Park 8-0
Ridgewood 5-1
Pascack Regional 3-1
Wayne Hills 4-2
Ramsey 6-0
Fair Lawn 2-2-1
Boys Top 10 rankings
Bergen Catholic 5-2
Tenafly 7-1
Northern Highlands 6-0
Ridgewood 3-1
Demarest 4-1
Passaic Tech 3-2
Hackensack 1-3
Don Bosco 1-3
River Dell/Westwood 7-0
Rutherford 6-0
Sean Farrell is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.
Email: farrells@northjersey.com
Twitter: @seanfarrell92
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ swimming: preseason rankings, swimmers to watch in North Jersey
