Members and coaches of the Columbia swimming teams had to like what they saw this summer out of the South Orange Dolphins and the Maplewood Makos.

The Dolphins finished with a 6-2 dual meet record and had a fantastic showing at the Meet of Champions, with Venkatesh and Priya Duvvuri taking first place in multiple races. The Makos were 5-3, for their first winning season in eight years. This winter, another Duvvuri will be added to the CHS team as Krishna, who also had a strong summer, will be going into his freshman year.

The boys team already has momentum in its favor. The Cougars went 6-4 last year, giving them their first winning season in 18 years. Also, with the realignment taking effect, the locals won’t have to face Morris County competition any longer and will instead be on a strict Essex County diet, where they have always fared better.

“I really think it will be our best season in the years that I’ve been coaching,” said boys head coach Carly Orpurt, who's entering her third year in the job.

Though both towns had successful summer seasons, Orpurt said that not too much can be gleaned from the summer stats. Many swimmers compete in club swimming instead of summer municipal teams, and some also take the season off.

Still, competing in the summer can’t be completely overlooked. The participating swimmers get to work on their strokes, cut their times and simply stay in shape. For every two days that a swimmer stays out of the water, a day of muscle is lost, the coach said.

All four of her returning captains swam this summer, as well as six others. Many of them got to be big fish in the proverbial small pond, as club swimming is more demanding, with more yardage and tougher competition. In the summer leagues, many of the older swimmers are surrounded by adoring 7- and 8-year-olds.

“I watched a lot of my guys stay in shape. The guys that did swim looked pretty good,” she said. “I’m really excited. They really improved over the course of last winter. They really swam with a lot of passion. It was nice to see some of them voluntarily get back in the water this summer."

The girls swimming team is between coaches right now, but an undefeated summer for Priya Duvvuri is certainly a positive sign for the upcoming season.

Nov. 15 is the official start date for CHS practices.