Madison Gozdan doesn’t know her mother’s best swimming time. Neither does Ava Moyer.
Perhaps it’s because the senior cousins from Camden Catholic High School are getting close to beating each of their mother’s times. Or maybe they already have.
Although they were seven years apart in school, Sisters Kristina (Branca) Gozdan and Vicki (Branca) Moyer both swam at Camden Catholic as the school was making waves toward becoming a perennial power in the pool.
Kristina Gozdan, a 1986 grad, was part of the process, as the Irish would eventually enjoy the glory days of four swimming state championships in five years that her sister Vicki was a big part of.
Moms don’t like to brag, especially about their times in their signature events. Their daughters, who are enjoying a renaissance year of their own for the program in the pool, have no idea how their times stack up with the ones their moms posted in the 80s and 90s.
“It’s funny,” Madison Gozdan said. “She refuses to tell me her times, so I’m guessing I’ve beaten her and she doesn’t want to admit it.”
That’s one way of looking at it. If so, Kristina Gozdan was more of a softball player anyway. She was part of a state championship Irish softball team in 1986 and was inducted into Camden Catholic’s Green and White Hall of Fame for Athletics in 2014. But it doesn’t take anything away from Madison Gozdan, who is having a fantastic season as a versatile swimmer for the Irish. Through the regular season, she was undefeated in the 100 breaststroke with a best time of 1:11.47. She’s also unbeaten in the 200 individual medley, clocking in with a best time of 2:16.66. Gozdan, a Catholic University commit, is part of a team this year that was 8-2 in the regular season, won a division title, and captured its first playoff match in more than 20 years.
“It’s been so much fun,” she said. “The environment has been so great, and everyone has been so supportive. I really looked forward to coming to these meets every week.”
One of those reasons is because she gets to race alongside her cousin. Moyer excels in the 100 butterfly with a best time of 1:01.62 and is a big part of the Irish’s 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.
Moyer idolizes her mother, Vicki, who was a 1993 graduate inducted into Camden Catholic’s Green and White Hall of Fame for Athletics in 2017 as part of the 1993 swim team that won a state championship. During that era, the Irish hung state championship banners in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994.
“My mom was on a state swimming team, so there’s definitely some legacy stuff happening,” Ava Moyer said with a laugh. “But she’s never really told me her times. She’s always the type that just wants me to do my best, and so I don’t really know if I’ve ever beaten her times.”
Regardless, the two high school swimmers have their mothers to thank for getting them involved in the sport they all love.
“As soon as we were able to walk, we were already doing some swimming lessons,” Moyer said.
They swam together for Jersey Wahoos club team and continued their journey all the way through high school.
“We were really close to begin with, almost like siblings,” Gozdan said. “It was so sentimental on senior night with both of us up there on the blocks together. But it’s been a really great bonding thing to be on the same relays and supporting each other.”
Next year, they will part ways. Gozdan plans to study nursing while swimming at The Catholic University of America in Washington. Moyer is undecided on her destination but hopes to swim while studying biology or biochemistry. They are enjoying the last few strokes of their season together.
“It’s been really fun … because our parents and our whole family can come out and see us swim,” Moyer said. Plus, “I have a lot of really close friends on the team.”
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