Gendron looks to make waves
North Smithfield swimmer competing for state title
LINCOLN – It doesn’t matter who you talk to.
When asked what their primary goal was for their squads entering the R.I. Interscholastic Swimming Championships, slated for Saturday at Brown University, head coaches Rod McGarry of Cumberland, Tom DiIorio of Lincoln and Bill Evans of Mount St. Charles responded, “We just want all of our kids to do PRs.”
None talked much about where they would like their school’s boys and girls teams to finish. All three spent the week focused on issuing the most effective tapers for each individual, and all three believe their student-athletes are ready to do great things.
“I just want to see some good times,” DiIorio stated. “We’re not worried about team placement.
“Before the season started, our goal as a boys team was to defend our Division III title, and we did that. Now we’re looking at where are relays and individuals are seeded, and how they might fare against the two other divisions.”
On the guys side, DiIorio is hoping that the 200-yard medley relay foursome of sophomores McGovern Brown and Ben Goho, freshman Charlie London and junior Derrick Nault, which is seeded fifth overall (according to the meet’s psych sheet) with a campaign-best 1:46.02, can slice enough time off to leap over fourth-ranked La Salle (1:45.69).
Coaches also say the best way to enter a big championship meet is to start fast and gain momentum.
Then again, it doesn’t hurt to finish strong, either, and DiIorio indicated he would love to see the same quartet, seeded sixth in the 400-yard freestyle relay (season-best 3:37.57), battle archrival Cumberland, which drew the No. 5 rating.
The talented Clippers’ contingent – including senior Ian Zito, frosh Thomas Brennan, sophomore Aidan Ocampo and sophomore Ian Horstkamp-Vinekar – recorded a time of 3:34.86 earlier this winter.
Heading Cumberland’s male squad are Zito, the team captain, and Horstkamp-Vinekar. Because Zito fell ill for at least a week and just now is getting back to his usual fast ways, he will not swim his usual specialties – the 200 and 500 freestyles, but instead the 50 and 100 versions. He took third at the shorter distance at the D-I event (23.11) and a surprise second at the longer (51.01).
He’s ranked eighth overall in the 50 (22.93) and the same in the 100 (50.48).
No one else posted a top-eight seeding, though the 200 freestyle relay unit of freshman Jack Doherty, Brennan, Zito and Horstkamp-Vinekar drew a fifth rating (1:37.10).
Individually, Brennan (18th in the 100 butterfly) hopes to squeeze into the top 16 with a time better than 1:02.62.
The Mounties have only one threat to eke out a top-eight placement, and senior captain Zach Dubosky desperately wants to end his MSC swimming career on a high note. He’s seeded 12th in the 200 freestyle (1:53.93) and seventh in his specialty, the 100 butterfly (54.87).
“He did both of those times at the D-IIIs, and the fly was his best ever by a full second,” Evans mentioned. “In the 200, he’s been trending around that time, but he hasn’t swum it that much. We needed him in the 200 (individual medley) out of necessity (o score more points for the team in dual meets).
“I know he’s really gunning for the 100 fly,” he added. “He just loves it. I know he was really disappointed when he didn’t win it at the D-III meet (Prout frosh Wesley Rea went 54.07, just eight tenths faster). It was that close, which bummed him out even more.
“I’d love to see him break 54; I know he’s be thrilled by that.”
Ironically, the Mounties’ 200 freestyle relay of sophomore Sean Poisson, senior Sebastian Toledo, junior Zac Robinson and Dubosky are tied for 12th with a 1:42.62 clocking. That happened to be a season-best time by two-plus ticks.
DiIorio expects more than two Lions will collect top-12 finishes, including Brown, who’s rated 12th in the 100 freestyle (52.41) and eighth in the 100 backstroke (56.99); and London, who is 12th in the 100 butterfly (56.87) and 18th in the 100 free (53.20).
Sophomore Ben Goho also snagged a top-16 rank (14th) in his favorite 100 breaststroke (1:07.24).
“I think Charlie’s got a better time in him (in the fly),” DiIorio opined. “He’s only a freshman, but the kid can swim. He’s helped our relays out intensely; he’s given us a true flier for the first time in a couple of years, anyway.”
LHS senior Ryan Fleming may be seeded 21st in his beloved 500 freestyle (PR of 5:56.25), but without question will grind out the race to attain a best possible outcome. Gio Soria, a sophomore for the Tolman/Shea Co-op, is seeded four places in front of him in 5:47.89.
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As for the girls, only senior phenom Sara Gendron of North Smithfield and super sophomore Caroline Shen of Cumberland can compete for a state title.
Gendron, who competes as an independent, ranks at the top of the 100 butterfly seedings with a stellar time of 57.70. That happens to be .32 ahead of second-rated Alexandra Miko Rydzaj of Prout.
As for the 200 individual medley, she sits in second (2:10.70) behind only Bay View sophomore Gianna Spremullo; unfortunately, she will enter the meet with a lightning-quick 2:05.00.
Shen doesn’t have a lofty ranking like Gendron, but she is seeded fourth in the 50 freestyle (25.15) and fifth in the 100 freestyle (55.68). The good news for her is she’s been faster in both events on the USA Swimming Inc.-affiliated club level.
The bad? Barrington sophomore Sydni Diehl is first in the 50 in 23.87, and La Salle senior Maddy Redding is at the top in the 100 (52.40).
Clippers who are gunning for topeight and/or top-12 placements include junior Cammy Cronin in the 50 free (seeded 10th, 25.85) and 15th in the 100 fly (1:05.17); and classmate Abby Dion in the 500 free (PR of 5:49.66)
Cumberland will be looking to score big points in the 200 free relay, where Shen, Cronin, sophomore Kheara Zito and junior Caitlyn Longest rank eighth (1:48.38), and the 400 free relay (Shen, Cronin, Dion and Zito) seventh.
Lincoln senior co-captain Natalie Westrick fashioned a superb showing at the D-I meet last Sunday at Roger Williams University. Not only did she rack up two PR in the 100 fly (ninth, 1:03.43) and 500 free (eighth, 5:39.89), but also helped her teammates place sixth in the 200 medley relay (1:59.96) and 200 free relay (1:47.45).
Westrick, however, decided not to swam those two events Saturday, instead opting for the 50 and 100 freestyles. She’s seeded 15th in the former (26.10) and 16th in the latter (58.40).
“Natalie qualified for states in every event but the breaststroke, so I let her choose what she would swim,” DiIorio said. “Heck, she’s a senior, and she deserves it. She’s been swimming the 100 fly and 500 all year, but I think she wanted to end her (high school) career on a high note in the fly and 500.
“I also think her (older) sister Mollie (now a sophomore competing for the University of Pennsylvania) influenced her; those were the two events she swam as a senior.”
Westrick will team with sophomores Amanda Allen and Anna Vygoder and junior co-captain Lily Jacobson on the 200 medley relay (seeded eighth, 1:59.96) and the same trio on the 200 free relay (1:49.20).
Others with hopes of scoring points include Vygoder in the 200 IM (21st, 2:30.44) and 100 breaststroke (18th, 1:14.81); Jacobson in the 50 (23rd, 26.43); and Allen in the 100 backstroke (14th, 1:04.96).
Last but certainly not least, MSC freshman Frankie Arnold has earned an eighth seed in the 200 free (2:03.22) and the same in the 500 (5:33.83). Those two times were both PRs achieved at the D-II Championships last Saturday.
“Her previous best in the 200, while swimming with me (and not for a USA club) was 2:08,” Evans stated. “In the 500, her previous PR was 5:42, so she had significant time drops. She’s so good at the distances; she’s been a constant swimming for us. What an addition she’s been. In virtually every meet we went to, we could count on her for at least a first and second, if not two wins.
“It also brought a new talented swimmer onto our 200 medley and 200 free relays,” he added. “She hasn’t told me what her goals are for this meet, but I do think it’s to break 5:30 in the 500. I’d like to see her at 2:01-something in the 200.”
Arnold also will combine with senior co-captains Emi English and Rachel Breitenbach and sophomore Nonnie Koman on the 200 medley relay, which is seeded No. 18 in both the medley and shorter free relays.
Those quartets will desperately try to snag a 15th or 16th and score points for the Mount.