Julie Byrne

             If Julie Byrne had decided not to swim her senior year she still would have been remembered as one of Union County’s greatest swimmers and the Cranford record holder in nearly every event she ever tried. But Byrne, who will swim for Bucknell next year, has continued her upward ascent, breaking her own records and leading the Cranford Girls team to a historic season.

At the Union County Championships in January, the Cranford senior added to her legacy as she broke her own meet record and had a pair of individual victories at Rutgers University in Piscataway. Byrne won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:05.74, snapping her previous record of 2:06.00, set last season. She also won the 100 Butterfly for the fourth straight season in 56.76 to help Cranford finish third in the team standings with 259 points. In their first year as a girl’s team, Cranford has a 9-2 record and is hoping to win the 2015 NJSIAA Central, Group C title, which would be the first state championship in school history.

“Looking back at my county career I feel as if I can walk away from this experience with more than just individual wins. I learned how to race my competition and embrace the pressure that every swimmer feels before a race,” said Byrne.

“The individual wins were very exciting for me. Being able to win one event, 100 butterfly, all four years is something I was proud of and worked very hard for. Also being able to win the 200 IM two years in a row was very exciting. I wouldn't have changed anything over the past four years because I feel like I have grown through this experience. “

            Although choosing a college was a long process Byrne considered it enjoyable. Byrne had her choice of many fine schools but decided on Bucknell, in rustic Lewisburg, PA.

“I chose Bucknell over the other schools was because I felt that it was a perfect fit for me. I fell in love with the campus as soon as I saw it and meeting the coach and team confirmed my decision to attend,” said Byrne, who is not certain whether she will specialize in fewer events.

“I like to keep my options open and experiment in different events. Some of the events I like the most have been unexpected. “

For her first three years, Byrne competed primarily against boys in Cranford’s dual coed meets but this season, she has only faced girls, a development Byrne believes has helped the team..

“I think the girls on our team were able to focus and felt more confident racing other girls, and this is evident in our results. I think both the boys and girls team are doing a great job for our first year as a split team and I look forward to seeing how we finish out the season. “

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            Although a great individual talent, Byrne seems to be even more excited when her teammates are involved. Byrne joined junior Ashley Cave, sophomore Bella DeSimone and freshmen Emily Wilson to break school records in the 400 yard medley and 400 yard freestyle relays and finished second in the county in each.

“It was so exciting being on such a strong relay team. We were able to go into counties and compete. We were extremely pleased with our second place finishes and were happy to be able to start and end the day with such great races,” said Byrne, who was also a contributing member on cross country and track her first two years.

“I think the most memorable part of my high school swimming career would be my teammates. I met and became friends with amazing people. Our team became one huge family. Everyone has been supportive and always there for each other in every way possible,” said Byrne.

As a junior followed her impressive county performance with another quality showing at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. She finished in fourth place in the 200 IM, recording a time of 2:06.35 in the final. She entered the final as the top seed after registering a time of 2:05.64 in the preliminaries. Byrne also finished in eighth place at M of C in the 100 fly with a time of 58.11.

"Going into the Meet of Champions was really exciting," Byrne said. "The competition there is very excellent. I got fourth in the IM, which was disappointing, but the girls who came that day and raced really deserved it for their outstanding race. I didn't have a great race that day, but those races help me train harder."

Although swimming take up much of her time Burke also enjoys a variety of activities like listening to music, going to the beach in the summer, baking, and going out with her friends.  

Unfortunately the season has been marred with the tragic death of junior Justin Juzefyk in an automobile accident on February 3.

“Justin was an amazing person and will be greatly missed. We have decided to dedicate the rest of our season to him. I am extremely thankful for my team and couldn't imagine my high school swimming career with any other teammates. “