It takes more than one person to win a championship, as was the case for the Farmingdale High School girls varsity swim team this fall as they put forth a full team effort enroute to an 11-2 record and the first division title in the program's history.

"The girls worked very hard from day one," said co-Coach Ken Ilchuk. "This was a great group of girls who came together as a team and performed very well in some very big meets. It was a tremendous season and they earned everything they achieved."

The Lady Dalers finished the season ranked third in Nassau County and sixth on Long Island, and the championship was their first of any kind since 1995. Preparations began in August and the team, led by senior captains Karen Deitel, Michelle Golden, Lauren Horoszewski, Amy Manez, Cindy Marcial and Colette Seter, got off to a great start, racing to a 3-0 record.

After a loss to eventual county champion Garden City, the Lady Dalers put together an impressive string of meets, winning eight of the next nine contests. The season featured wins over higher seeded teams such as Port Washington, Bethpage and Sewanhaka, and rivals Massapequa and Cold Spring Harbor.

Horoszewski won the county championship in the one-meter diving event, while Deitel finished fifth earning all-conference honors. Horoszewski was also named to the all-conference team in the 50-yard freestyle (26.2), as was junior Kim Harris in the 200 individual medley (2:20.82). Eighth-grader Karla Leite was named to the all-county team in the 500-yard freestyle (5:24.46) and the 100-yard breaststroke (1:13.20), as was Horoszewski in the diving and Harris in the 100-yard backstroke (1:00.71). Horoszewski and Harris also represented the Lady Dalers at the state championships in Buffalo.

"This could be one of the finest girls swim teams Farmingdale has ever had," said Co-Coach Bob Clark. "I think most of our opposition thought we would be a pretty good team, but I doubt they thought we'd be this good. The girls exceeded all expectations. It was a great year."

This season for the Lady Dalers really was a total team effort, and the other contributors during the year included juniors Jen Dialto, Kaitlin Scharp, Heather O'Connell, Robin Schecter and Sarah Muti. Sophomores included Casey Seales, Nicole Wurth, Megan Kendrick, Andrea Plescia, Jennifer Manning, Alison Schill, Caitlin Finn, Megan Lock, Nicole Mosca, Natasha Nagawiecki and Erin Stedman. Freshman included Natalia Casino, Krista Klicpera, Annette Muscarella, Cara Paolillo, Maureen Pye, Jen Reinhart and Nicole Snyder. Eighth-grader Kelly Harris also contributed. Congratulations to the girls and coaches for a fantastic season.