For Alyce Lehman and Riley Fitzpatrick, it was a chance to rewrite their high school swimming legacy.
Lehman, a senior at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, didn’t compete for a state championship last year at the Meet of Champions due to obligations with her club team, the Jersey Wahoos.
Fitzpatrick, a junior at Gloucester Catholic High School, did compete but endured a strange delay last year prior to competing in the 100-yard breaststroke, where she had finished sixth.
Both had gold in mind this year as the top seeds in their respective races. Both cashed in on their golden opportunities.
On March 1 at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Lehman won the 200 freestyle and broke a meet record in the process. Fitzpatrick raced to a thrilling victory in the breaststroke.
“It was just an incredible experience,” Lehman said. “The butterfly is usually my event, but this year I set the goal in training that I wanted to work on my freestyle, and to see that pay off in this meet was incredible.”
Lehman swam a 1:46.47 and bested Summit High School 2025 grad and three-time state champion Sidney Arcella’s record by 24 hundredths of a second. Lehman also became the first Eustace swimmer to win a state title since Maureen McCotter, who also won the 200 free (1:51.71) in 2010.
“On the drive here, I was talking with my mom, saying a 1:47 high would be great. I’d be happy with that,” Lehman said. “She said ‘Alyce, I believe in you.’ My parents are my biggest supporters, and they knew I could do it. Seeing that 1:46.4 was like, ‘no way.’ It was a pure surprise.”
Fitzpatrick also received a surprise, and for the second year in a row, it came just moments before her race. During the boys’ breaststroke race, two swimmers claimed they couldn’t hear the starting buzzer and never left the blocks. The remaining six swimmers continued on and finished the race. The officials needed a lengthy discussion before determining how to proceed. It was later determined the swimmers would get a re-do, but Fitzpatrick and her competitors were left with a long awkward pause before their race.
It was very similar to last year, when Fitzpatrick endured a delay because a swimmer in the race before hers broke the wedge on the starting block.
“The universe likes to throw curveballs at Riley,” Gloucester Catholic coach Matt Simmermon said. “Every time she’s about to race, something goes on before to mess with her. But she stays cool, and she stays calm.”
She handled the chaos much better this time.
“Last year, the wedge flew off and it really got to me,” Fitzpatrick said. “[This time], I took a deep breath, and I knew everything would be fine. Even though it was definitely not what I was expecting, I was really happy with the outcome.”
Fitzpatrick swam a 1:02.91 to win the race by almost a half a second and capture her first state title. It was also the first coaching individual title for Simmermon, who finished his fourth year at Gloucester Catholic.
“We knew this year [that] we had it all in front of us,” he said. “[Riley] is the best. She is so nice and kind to everyone. She’s also an amazing athlete, and she’s so dedicated to the sport. She never misses a day.”
As for Lehman, well she certainly wasn’t going to miss this day again. The Stanford University commit and member of the USA National Junior
Team felt there was a void on her high school resume without a state championship.
“The Meet of Champions is such a fun experience, and I felt like I owed it to my high school coach [Stacey Hengst],” Lehman said. “I wanted to be here for her for my last meet and also for myself and see how I could do and show my best.”
Lehman also placed second in the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.76. In both of her races, she was a second and a half faster than her preliminary time, set a day earlier. She even took her coach by surprise.
“I knew she was going to go faster, but I did not know she was going to go that fast,” Hengst said about the freestyle race. “I am so happy for her. She went out really fast – and I was a little worried. Her first 50 was fast, and her first 100 was smoking. But she was still motoring after that, and she looked so fantastic.”
More Meet of Champions results
Fresh off a fourth-consecutive Non-Public team state championship, Saint Augustine Preparatory School also had a fantastic weekend at the Meet of Champions with finalists in seven events.
Junior Christian Shenk finished second in the 100 and 200 freestyle events; Alex Morrison took fourth in the 100 breaststroke, and Jonah Alvarez placed sixth in the 200 individual medley.
All three relay teams – the 200 medley relay (third place), 200 freestyle relay (second) and the 400 free relay (third) – earned a spot on the podium.
Our Lady of Mercy Academy’s 400 free relay team placed seventh.
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