1965 Top Results and Team Scores

The inaugural Essex County Swimming Championship was held in 1965.  It was a boys championship; the girls meet would not be added until 1974.  

The original 11 events were:  200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle, 50 Freestyle, 200 IM, Diving, 100 Butterfly, 100 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, 400 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 200 Freestyle Relay.  

Medals are awarded to the top 6 finishers in individual events and the top 3 finishers in relay events.  

Team Scoring was based on the top 6 places per event.

Special thanks to Bruce Johnson, the great New Jersey High School swimming historian, for providing me with the results that he had compiled from 1965-1996.  I have added results from 1997 to the present from my time as meet director - Joe Alexander   

The top 6 places for each event have been preserved, but only the first place times have been saved.  

Feb 20, 1965 – at Newark Academy

Boys

200 Medley Relay – 1. Newark Academy (Bob Wells, Howard Dimond, John McCoubrey, Chase Sanderson), 1:51.7 2. Columbia 3. Montclair  4. Livingston  5. St. Benedict’s 6. Weequahic.       

200 Freestyle – 1. Ken Price, Newark Academy, 1:59.7 2. Tichenor, Columbia 3. Menyharth, Montclair  4. Genser, Columbia  5. Lindstrom, West Orange  6. Grindlinger, Weequahic.

50 Freestyle – 1. Steve Fischer, Weequahic, 23.3  2. Connors, Newark Academy  3. Murray, Essex Catholic 4. Schwartz, Columbia  5. Renz, Columbia  6. Lemke, Livingston. 

200 IM – 1. Brant Switzler, Montclair Academy, 2:11.1  2. Sedgley, West Orange 3. Pearl, Columbia 4. Marek, Newark Academy 5. Balchunas, Newark Academy 6. Keller, Montclair. 

Diving – 1. Don Orlovsky, Newark Academy, 271.25  2. Alvarez, Newark Academy 3. Leone, Newark Academy 4. Read, Columbia 5. Vandersleen, Montclair  6. Caren, Columbia.      

100 Butterfly – 1. Dave Pearl, Columbia, 59.9  2. McCoubrey, Newark Academy  3. Stetson, Columbia  4. Nadelberg, Columbia  5. Reickle, St. Benedict’s  6. Ward, Vailsburg.      

100 Freestyle – 1. Dan Connors, Newark Academy, 52.1  2. Schwartz, Columbia  3. Lindstrom, West Orange 4. Simkowitz, Weequahic 5. Gruber, Weequahic 6. Alston, Columbia.    

100 Backstroke – 1. Brant Switzler, Montclair Academy, 1:00.0  2. Sedgley, West Orange 3. Pearlmutter, Columbia and Kenny, St. Benedict’s  5. McAniff, Essex Catholic.  No Sixth. 

400 Freestyle – 1. Ken Price, Newark Academy, 4:32.1  2.  Tichenor, Columbia  3.  Marek, Newark Academy 4. Stetson, Columbia 5. Drew, West Orange  6. Grindlinger, Weequahic. 

100 Breaststroke – 1. Gabor Menyharth, Montclair, 1:07.0  2. Allen, Montclair  3. Moir, Montclair Academy  4. Hawkey, West Orange 5. Dowd, Livingston  6. Dimond, Newark Academy. 

200 Freestyle Relay – 1. Weequahic (Steve Fischer, Dave Simkowitz, Glenn Gruber, Gary Kabot), 1:37.1  2. Columbia  3. Newark Academy 4. Montclair 5. St. Benedict’s  6. West Orange.          

Team Scores:

1.    Columbia    72.5*

2.    Newark Academy    79*

3.    Montclair    33

4.    Weequahic    28

5.    West Orange    25

6.    Montclair Academy    18

7.    St. Benedict's    13.5

8.    Livingston    9

9.   Essex Catholic    6

10.  Vailsburg    1

* - Sometime after the meet, Newark Academy was found to have used ineligible (8th grade) swimmers.  As a result, Columbia was declared the winner.