The men and women’s swim teams blew their competition out of the water at the annual New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships, where freshman Adam Wright and junior Alazne Sudupe each broke two program records. The swimmers began the four-day swim meet on Thursday, Feb. 13 in Hampton, Va., and said goodbye to the 2025 season on the following Sunday.
The men’s swim team placed eighth overall at the NJAC Championships, finishing the four days with 275 points. Many athletes on the team came to deliver, placing in six events across the entire meet. Wright and fellow freshman Doruk Evcimen each earned one first-place finish in their respective events.
Wright swam a 1:43.80 in the 200-meter freestyle, earning first place in the C-Final division and 17th overall in the entire competition. Wright also broke two school records previously held by himself at this competition. His historic time of 4:38.55 in the 500 free preliminaries qualified him for the B-Final, and his second record-breaking time of 16:05.29 in the 1,650 meter earned him a 6th place finish in the A-Final.
Evcimen also brought home a first-place finish for the Roadrunners in the 200-fly event, winning with a time of 1:57.98. His time earned him first in the C-Final and 17th overall in the competition.
Ramapo also saw many other notable performances from the men’s relay teams. In the 200 free relay event, junior Joe Swede and freshman Tyler Finkle, along with Wright and Evcimen, earned a seventh place finish with a final time of 1:26.37 collectively.
Swede and Finkle swam alongside freshman Matthew O’Brien and junior AJ Guevara in the 400-medley relay. They crossed the finish line in 3:40.92 and took home another seventh-place trophy.
The women’s team placed ninth overall at the NJAC Championships and earned 277 points for the Roadrunners. Three swimmers earned placements in their individual events, as well as earning group placements in multiple relays across the entire competition.
Sudupe accomplished two record-breaking performances during the long weekend in Hampton. Not only did she finish eighth overall in the 1650 event within the A-Final, but she now holds the record for the fastest time ever recorded in that event by a woman’s swimmer at Ramapo. Sudupe also broke her previous Ramapo record with her performance in the 400 Intermediate Medley. She placed 10th overall in the competition after swimming 4:39.85 in the B-Final.
Junior Cami Yovich brought a second place trophy back to the Bradley Center after a dominating performance in the 200 meter breaststroke event, ending with a time of 2:27.88, being her personal best time for this event at her last ever Ramapo swim meet.
Freshman Sovannary Taylor also won fourth place in the C-Final after crossing the finish line in 24.97 seconds, as well as swimming the 100-meter butterfly in 1:01.76 to secure a fifth-place victory.
The women’s medley teams also gave notable performances in the 200 free and 400 medley events. Camila Mercado and Valeria Pages, along with Yovich and Taylor, finished in eighth place with a final time of 1:42.85 in the 200 free.
In the 400 medley, Yovich and Taylor reappeared, this time joined by junior Isabella Hanson and sophomore Grace Korey, to win another eighth-place trophy. The girls finished the race with 4:04.57 on the clock.
The team honored their three graduating seniors–Yovich, Mercado and Caleb Baron–on the final night of the competition, in which all three students participated in a senior walk out to commemorate their time with Ramapo.
Although the 2024-25 season has now come to a close, there is much to be happy about rather than sad. This past year, Ramapo saw spectacular performances from swimmers of both teams. There is much to look forward to for Ramapo’s swimmers for the 2025-26 season, which is only a few months away.
bkeatin1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics
