By CHARLIE SPRANG
Courier-Post Staff
EWING

With victory secure, Vineland High School girls' swimming coach John Casadia walked over to the scorers' table to change his lineup for the 400 free relay.

He changed things around so he could put his three seniors - Nina Montero, Karly Daplyn and Kaitlin Muchler - together with junior Sabrina Warren on the A relay.

It was his way of saying thanks.

The girls responded by winning the race which, coupled with the fact the Fighting Clan also finished second, meant Vineland had won a fifth consecutive Public A state championship, beating Westfield 105-65 Saturday at The College of New Jersey.

The Fighting Clan, No. 1 in the Courier-Post Top 10, finished the season 14-0 and have won 50 consecutive dual meets.

"If you don't have senior leadership you don't have a team," Casadia said. "We had the meet in hand and I felt I owed it to my seniors. I could never thank them enough for what they did this year."

The gesture certainly wasn't lost on the threesome.

"I was crying while I was swimming," said Daplyn while still fighting back tears. "I'm happy coach did it. It was our last swim together. It was a chance to say goodbye."

Daplyn was on the team for four championships. Muchler was part of three and Montero, who concentrated on her soccer career the past two years, was there for a pair.

"It was a little emotional but it was great swimming our last race together," Montero said.

"It was an awesome experience," Muchler added. "And it feels so much greater to end the season with such a great victory."

The issue was basically settled early.

Vineland won the 200 medley relay to take an 8-6 lead, and that's as close as it would get.

The lead ballooned to 21-9 when Sabrina Warren, Sarah Mulvihill and Montero finished 1-2-3 in the 200 free.

Vineland never let up.

"We wanted to get after them right from the medley relay," Warren said. "After that, we wanted to get 1-2-3 in the 200 free. We knew that was a weak point for them.

"That's what we like to do, leave no doubt right from the start."

This was a team effort. Everyone in the Fighting Clan's lineup contributed.

Vineland finished 1-2 in all four individual freestyle events and the 400 free relay.

Warren followed her win in the 200 free with one in the 100 butterfly. She also anchored the winning 200 free relay as well as the 400 free relay.

Tiffany Malatesta won the 100 free and 100 back, and led off the 200 medley relay.

Stevie Anderson won the 50 free, finished second in the 100 free and swam on the winning 200 medley and 200 free relays.

Freshmen Danielle Deckard won the 500 free, finished second in the 200 IM and swam the butterfly leg on the 200 medley relay.

"In a meet like this it's impossible to single out one or two kids," Casadia said. "It's not fair to the team. Second and third swimmers were very important today."

Which meant that Sarah Mulvihill, second in the 200 and 500 frees; Victoria Bonifield, second in the 50 free and swam the breaststroke leg on the medley relay; and Montero, third in the 200 free and a member of both winning free relays, proved to be just as important to the victory in long run.

"I told the girls before the meet this is what we've worked hard all year for," Daplyn said. "And everyone gave 100 percent today."