Only COVID has been stopping the Montclair girls swimming team when it has come to the county swimming championships.
The Mounties made it three Essex County championships in four years on Monday, Jan. 16 at New Jersey Institute of Technology. The only season missing was 2021 where COVID forced the county to cancel the meet so in essence Montclair has won three-straight county titles.
In addition to the Montclair girls, the Mounties boys team came in third in the team standings, just behind second place Newark Academy while Seton Hall Prep ran away with the team title.
For Montclair Kimberley the girls came in sixth in the team standings with 97 points, only five from fifth place Caldwell. It was a big boost for the Cougars girls swimming program that finished 10th in the team scoring in the 2022 county meet.
For Montclair girls swimming team topped their total of last season with 311 points. Last season, the Mounties collected 308 points. And for the Montclair boys team they collected 165 points which was only 16 points from catching Newark Academy for second place. Seton Hall Prep had 345 points to take first place.
The Montclair team title was bolstered by three Essex County meet records in the 200-medley relay (1:46.86), the 400-freestyle relay (3:34.40) and senior Ela Habjan in the 100 backstroke (54.14).
In addition, Habjan added the Cullen Jones Award as the most valuable girls swimmer. It was the third Jones Award for Habjan. She won it outright in 2022 and shared it with another Montclair girls swimmer, Devon Muldoon, in 2019.