Summit rises to challenge
Triton swimmer sets bar high
NEWBURYPORT – Maggie Summit has never been shy about setting high expectations for herself.
As she headed to MIT for last week’s North sectional swim meet, the Triton standout set two goals for herself. Not only did she want to break her meet record in the 50-yard freestyle, but she wanted to double up in the 100.
Mission accomplished. Summit broke her own record in the 50 (23.53). Minutes later, she took down Sarah Welch’s standard in the 100, set three years earlier, coasting to victory in a time of 51.20.
“I was really excited about that,” Summit said. “It was one of my goals going into the season, so it feels good to achieve that.”
Summit began swimming at Triton as a seventh grader. While her early results were modest as could be expected given the age disparity, Vikings coach Diane Sagaser saw a potential diamond in the rough.
“You could absolutely see things back then,” Sagaser said. “She was fast, very competitive and loved a challenge. Early on, when she wasn’t having success, she would get right back in and try. Maggie was determined and dedicated to become better and she did.”
Summit’s breakout party came in her freshman year in the 50. Not only did she knock off a star-studded field which included the likes of Westford’s Katherine Pawlak, Concord-Carlisle’s Katherine O’Shea and Marblehead’s Kylie Cronin, her winning time of 23.96 broke Wayland standout Emily Wright’s record of 23.97, previously set in 2010.
“That’s one race I really carry with me,” Summit said. “I wasn’t seeded too well, I was swimming in the outside lane and I was swimming against girls I trained with me on my club team. It was really exciting to me to see how my training had paid off working alongside them and translating it into the race itself.”
Summit would finish third in both the 50 and 100 at the Division 1 state meet, but that would be the last time she didn’t win a high school race. Summit pulled off the daily-double in her sophomore and junior years, winning the 50 and 100 at the North sectional and Div. 1 state meet.
Those efforts combined with her performances as part of the YMCA of the North Shore swim team made Summit one of the top collegiate recruits in the area. Last September, Summit committed to swim at the University of Minnesota this fall.
“I loved the coaches, that was a big part of it for me,” Summit said. “The head coach Kelly Kremer, his assistants Jesse (Moore), Alicia (Hicken-Franklin), Terry (Ganley) and Maddy (Olson), the whole team, they’re going to be a great support system and that was something I really looked for. I’m really excited about going there.”
Summit has one last meet and she would love to go with a bang at Saturday’s Division 1 states. It would be wise not to bet against her doing just that.
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