Montclair State University’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are heading to the Hampton Aquaplex in Hampton, Virginia, where four days at the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championships will determine who moves on to one final stop: the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.
For head coach Brian McLaughlin, who has been with the program since the 1989–1990 season, this group of swimmers has really stood out to him.
“I would say every few years, you get a good group,” McLaughlin said. “A good group of leaders, a nice incoming class, a nice blend, and I think we have that.”
Longtime Montclair State head coach Brian McLaughlin. Photo courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
For the men’s team, sophomore Peter Jarzab is certainly a part of the group that McLaughlin referenced. Jarzab set the men’s program record for the 100 butterfly with a time of 49.08 seconds at the Gettysburg Invitational in December. This is a record spanning nearly 50 years of men’s swimming and diving history.
“I knew I was close to it,” Jarzab said. “I knew I was able to get the time, and [being] able to do it in the middle of the season, during hard training, was impactful.”
The New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships will commence Feb. 12 in Hampton, VA. Michael Twum-Amponsah | The Montclarion
As for the women, who finished the regular season with one more win than the men, senior Rourke Peralta has led the way. Peralta qualified for the NCAA championships last season, where she won the 100 free and broke the school record. This season, she had an eventful Gettysburg Invitational, where she had the top times in the 50, 100 and 200 free, as well as the 50 and 100 fly.
“It’s a long season, especially in a sport that’s seen as individual. It can be hard sometimes, but we’re really close as a team,” Peralta said. “All of us together work really hard and we do a good job at supporting each other, so it makes the season more bearable when you have a lot of great people surrounding you.”
Senior Rourke Peralta, Montclair State's lone national qualifier in 2025, heads to the 2026 NJAC Championships hoping to once again extend her season. Photo curtesy of Montclair State Athletics
Both Peralta and Jarzab mentioned the role that hard work plays in their process. When watching a practice or a meet at the Panzer Athletic Center Pool, it’s hard not to notice a sign that reads “hard work works,” right near the pool. What may seem like a typical sign actually has a story behind it.
“The ‘hard work works’ sign was stolen by one of our former swimmers who’s a high-end club coach in New Jersey,” McLaughlin said. “He stole it from someone in New York City, who stole it from someone in California… I just like the saying because there’s a lot of things you can do in programs, not just swimming, all sports, but the thing that works, and I think everyone would agree with this, hard work works, it’s [as] simple as that.”
The NJAC championship meets will be held from Feb. 12 –15, and the NCAA Division III Championships from March 18 – 21.
