‘Shock’ value
Harrington becomes 2nd D-I All-American in Navy women’s swimming history
Navy women’s swimming and diving coach John Morrison chuckled when asked how Sydney Harrington was able to make such dramatic improvement in her signature event during a year ripped apart by a pandemic.
Harrington slashed almost a second off her career-best time in the 200-yard butterfly, ultimately earning her the ninth seed at the NCAA Championships.
“I guess Sydney just needed to be away from her coaches,” Morrison said, laughing out loud at the absurdity of the comment.
Morrison was joking, of course, but there was a ring of truth to what he was saying.
Harrington left the Naval Academy for spring break last March and did not return until August. That cost the Fairfax, Virginia, resident valuable training time in the Lejeune Hall pool.
This spring, during the most important part of the swimming season, Navy athletics entered a pause that wound up lasting 21 days. In the weeks leading up to the NCAA Championships, Harrington was forced to train individually without direct contact with the coaching staff.
Harrington, a junior, admitted she would never have expected to swim the 200 fly in 1:53.74 — breaking her own school record of 1:54.47.
“I honestly have no idea because I took five months off because of COVID. I wasn’t able to get into the pool at all,” Harrington said. “I never thought I would go as fast as 1:53, and I can’t really tell you why I did. That was somewhat of a shock.”
Harrington earned honorable mention All-American status by placing 16th in the 200-yard butterfly on Saturday at the NCAA Championships held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina.
Harrington did not quite swim to her seed in posting a time of 1:55.36 in her preliminary heat on Saturday morning. That effort, the fourth-best time in program history, placed Harrington 14th in the field and advanced her to the consolation final.
At the NCAA Championships, the eight fastest swimmers in each event advance to the championship final, while the next eight go into the consolation final. Swimmers in the consolation final can place no higher than ninth even if they post a time faster than some of those in the championship final.
Harrington finished eighth in the consolation final with a time of 1:57.04, which ranks ninth in program history. She now owns the No. 1 through 9 times in the 200 fly among Navy women’s swimmers.
“To be honest, I didn’t do as well as expected. I was OK with that because it was my first time being there and I was super nervous,” Harrington said during a telephone interview on Monday. “I was just happy to make the finals, and earning honorable mention All-American was really cool.”
Harrington becomes just the second Division I All-American in Navy women’s swimming history, joining 2019 graduate Lauren Barber. As a senior, Barber placed 16th in the 200-yard breaststroke to also earn honorable mention status.
Morrison noted that Barber did not break through to become an All-American until her third trip to the NCAA Championships.
“As coaches, we always aspire to develop All-American competitors. To see Sydney set that goal then go out and accomplish it was very inspirational,” Morrison said. “For Sydney to make a final and achieve All-American status in her first time competing at this level was awe-inspiring.”
Morrison agreed it was especially impressive considering the circumstances. Not only did Harrington take almost half a year off from competitive swimming, but her junior season was also limited due to the pandemic.
Navy only competed in four dual meets during the 2020-21 season, while the Patriot League Championships were canceled. Minimal opportunities made it more difficult for athletes to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Making matters worse, the Navy athletics pause produced an atypical preparation period leading up to the NCAA meet.
“It was definitely a lot different. Sydney didn’t have teammates to race each day. She had to do a lot of things individually, which was a lot more challenging,” Morrison said. “Sydney was able to overcome those obstacles and maintain her swimming endurance, which was not an easy thing to do.”
Harrington was the Patriot League champion in the 100 and 200 butterfly along with the 200 individual medley as a sophomore. She posted the previous personal record in the 200 fly at that meet, qualifying for the NCAA Championships and earning the 19th seed with that time.
Of course, the 2020 nationals were canceled because of coronavirus — an announcement that came just a few days before Navy was due to depart. Morrison said that news was “devastating” for Harrington and the other Midshipmen who were excited to compete at the highest level.
It would have been easy for the swimmers to slack off while quarantined at home throughout the spring and summer. Harrington, for one, did not do that.
“Sydney has a remarkable personal drive and accountability. I think she was very consistent with training on her own over the spring and summer while not in school,” Morrison said. “Sydney was able to stay healthy and motivated herself to train hard. She did everything possible to put herself in position to improve.”
Harrington has qualified for the 2021 Olympic Trials, being held at the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Nebraska. She will compete as part of Wave I from June 4-7 with hopes of advancing to Wave II from June 13-20, the latter of which serves as sole qualifier for the United States team that will compete at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“Hopefully, there won’t be any setbacks with the virus, and we’ll be able to continue training here at the academy through the trials,” said Harrington, a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High for Science and Technology.
Having gotten a taste of the NCAA Championships, Harrington has already set a new goal of returning in 2022: placing top eight and being a first team All-American. She called the initial experience of competing alongside such fast swimmers “intimidating” and will not be nearly as wide-eyed next year.
“I think now that I have that experience, I can go to nationals next season and definitely do much better knowing what is coming,” she said.
Morrison said there are several technical elements of the 200 butterfly that Harrington can fine-tune and has no doubt she will contend for a berth in the championship final next March.
“I think Sydney proved she belongs in that meet and has the ability to finish top eight in her primary event,” he said.
As an All-American, Harrington automatically earns consideration for induction into the Navy Athletic Hall of Fame. She hopes to join Barber as women’s swimmers honored as part of the display located in Lajeune Hall.
An outstanding student as a physics major, Harrington has earned academic honors at the Naval Academy in four semesters. She was a member 2020 Patriot League All-Academic team.
Morrison believes Harrington will be a strong candidate for the Vice Admiral Lawrence Sword for Women, which is the highest honor presented annually by the Naval Academy Athletic Association to a member of the graduating class who has excelled over four years of varsity competition.