Jericho's Patrick sets county mark at Nassau swimming finals

Garden City girls swimming has been so dominant for so long, the Nassau swimming finals are almost a fractured affair. On one hand, you have the Trojans, taking no one by surprise and winning by a large margin. On the other hand, you have the race for second place, and that's almost as interesting.

For the 12th consecutive season, Garden City won the county finals, finishing with 614 at the Nassau Aquatic Center. But when the Trojans took their ceremonial dip in the pool they weren't alone.

Jericho, which placed last at the county finals just a decade ago and has never finished as runner-up, came in second with a score of 313, and the players and coaching staff added their own celebratory dip in the pool.

Trudiann Patrick won the 100-yard freestyle (53.43) and 50-freestyle (24.03), the first Jericho swimmer to ever win an event at counties. But Patrick didn't just win the 50-free, she broke Olivia Chan's county record from 2008 in the process.

Chan, who attends New Hyde Park and swims for Sewanhaka, wasn't left out by any means. She set county records in the 200-IM (2:03.10) and 100-breaststroke (1:03.60). She was also part of the winning 200-medley relay (1:51.28). Already a state champion as a sophomore, Chan said she tries not to set her expectations too high.

"I didn't want to be too hard on myself if I didn't break those records," Chan said. "I just wanted to go and try my best, and if I did my best I would be happy."

Great Neck South's Angela Sun was named meet MVP after winning the 100-butterfly (56.15) and 100-backstroke (56.54), both breaking her own previous county records.

Nevertheless, the day belonged to Garden City. The team's success is often chalked up to its depth. Out of 110 total slots for entrants in the final heats for non-diving related events, a Garden City swimmer filled 24 of them, 22 percent.

"We have girls that don't swim year round and are still able to come here and get top ten," Garden City senior captain Megan Zarriello said.

But it's not all depth as Zarriello proved, winning the 200-freestyle (1:52.64) and 500-freestyle (4:59.43). She also swam the anchor leg on the winning 200-freestyle relay (1:41.76) and 400-freestyle relay (3:40.13).

"She's just a fantastic person," coach Ann Sullivan said. "She's not in it for herself, she's not in it for the limelight. She just does what's best for the team."