Montgomery Sweeps Watchung Hills in the Pool

December 19, 2025

Nicholas Mistretta

MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent

Montgomery’s swim program turned in a strong all-around performance Thursday, as both the girls and boys teams defeated Watchung Hills in a home dual meet.

The girls earned a 92–78 victory, while the boys followed with a 91–79 win, evening the girls’ record at 2–2 and moving the boys to 1–2.

Girls: Bitterman, Boulos, Tadych lead balanced win

On the girls’ side, Montgomery relied on a blend of event wins and depth scoring to pull away from Watchung Hills.

The meet opened with a productive 200 medley relay, where the quartet of Zoe Bitterman, Leah Zong, Vedika Gupta and Angela Liu combined for a second-place finish in 2:06.19, with the A relay of Eden Ristuccia, Nina Tadych, Yarin Zarzhitsky and Averie Wu close behind in third at 2:08.90.

In the individual events, Juliet Boulos set an early tone by winning the 200 freestyle in 2:08.93, with Josephine Chen (2:22.71) and Zarzhitsky (2:23.94) adding fourth- and fifth-place points, respectively.

Montgomery’s strength through the middle of the lineup proved decisive:

In the 200 individual medley, Tadych took second (2:24.43) and Wu third (2:34.96), while Zong added a fifth-place finish.
In the 50 freestyle, Liu placed second (27.65), with Gupta and Katerina Kondratyev picking up additional points in fourth and fifth.

Bitterman delivered one of the standout performances of the meet, earning two individual wins. She captured the 100 butterfly in 1:02.43, then later returned to win the 100 backstroke in 1:08.13, with Ristuccia right behind in second (1:09.26).

Distance freestyle was another strong area for Montgomery. In the 500 free, Ristuccia finished second (5:53.84), Chen took third (6:30.13) and Jessica Wang was fourth (7:09.62), giving the Cougars a major points haul in the longest race of the meet.

Breaststroke helped seal the outcome. Tadych won the 100 breaststroke in 1:12.44, with Wu third (1:13.83) and Zong fourth (1:20.98) as Montgomery widened its lead heading into the final relay.

The Cougars closed things out emphatically in the 400 freestyle relay, where the A team of Boulos, Ristuccia, Tadych and Bitterman took first in 4:07.32. The B relay of Kondratyev, Catherine Morris, Wang and Chen added a third-place finish in 4:46.14, capping a complete team effort.

Boys: Relays and depth push Cougars past Watchung Hills

The boys’ meet followed a similar script: strong relays, multiple event wins, and depth in each stroke and distance.

Montgomery opened with a statement in the 200 medley relay, as Kobe Solivan, Winston Shih, Arhan Kondala and Eric Qian combined for a 1:51.01 finish. The Cougars also placed additional relays in scoring position, with the B team of Allen Qin, Yusuf Shaikh, Monit Jain and Jerry Qiu clocking 1:58.11 and the C quartet of Advait Dambe, Aarav Kapileshwar, Aashman Chalukya and Jason Lu finishing in 2:10.47.

In the 200 freestyle, Liam McWha led the way with a 1:52.74, supported by strong swims from Elves Huang (2:01.22) and Lars Harrison (2:01.64). The trio’s times gave Montgomery valuable points in an event that often sets the tone for the boys’ lineup.

The Cougars’ depth showed again in the 200 IM, where Siddharth Parambath (2:21.68), Saksham Prasad (2:27.34) and Shih (2:27.77) all scored, followed by a fast sprint group in the 50 freestyle. Qian paced the sprinters in 23.68, with Nicholas Paradizov (24.49) and Qiu (25.68) not far behind.

McWha delivered another big swim in the 100 butterfly, touching in 55.74, while Kondala (59.70) and Jain (1:04.44) backed him up to keep Montgomery in front. In the 100 freestyle, Paradizov led the Cougars in 52.36, followed by Solivan (54.51) and Qiu (55.91), solidifying Montgomery’s edge.

The distance group again played a key role. In the 500 free, Greg Heden (5:35.93), Harrison (5:40.18) and Huang (5:46.66) swept the top scoring positions for Montgomery, giving the Cougars critical breathing room in the team totals.

Relays continued to be a strength. In the 200 free relay, Qian, McWha, Paradizov and Huang posted 1:36.42, with two more Montgomery quartets—Qiu, Ryan La, Jain, Heden (1:42.69) and Cole Kemen, Dambe, Anay Bhorkar, Vikunth Sridhar (1:52.49)—also in the points.

On the backstroke and breaststroke side:

Solivan led the 100 back group in 1:00.64, followed by Parambath (1:03.80) and Qin (1:08.58).
Shih paced the 100 breast in 1:10.78, with Shaikh (1:13.61) and Prasad (1:15.10) adding more depth.

Montgomery closed the meet with three entries in the 400 freestyle relay. The A squad of McWha, Paradizov, Harrison and Huang finished in 3:56.44, while the B team of Heden, La, Kemen and Prasad touched in 3:51.54, and the C relay of Kapileshwar, Bhorkar, Chalukya and Sridhar finished in 4:36.27, ensuring the Cougars stayed ahead on the scoreboard through the final event.

Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com