Westford girls rule in pool
Grey Ghosts depth leaves North rivals in wake
In the previous three seasons, Westford Academy claimed the North girls swimming and diving title before going on to accomplishing the ultimate team goal – winning a state championship.
On Saturday, the Grey Ghosts completed phase one of that same two-part plan as they swam toward a convincing 476-point victory at the Zesiger Pool at MIT, clinching their fourth-consecutive North title.
“We always use the Dual County League championships and the sectionals to really get revved up for states,” coach Caitlin KlickMcHugh said. “I think looking at the girls last week and this week I’m really proud of what they have done, and I think we are really ready for states next week.”
Westford Academy had just one event winner – Michaela Martin in the 200 individual medley – but still built more than a 200-point lead on the next closest team, as the depth of the Grey Ghosts propelled them to 10 top-three finishes throughout the individual events.
The relays were where the Grey Ghosts showed their talented roster as different combinations of swimmers resulted in a clean sweep in the 200 medley (1:47.78), 200 freestyle (1:37.95) and 400 freestyle (3:36.10).
“Relays are huge for us,” Klick-McHugh said. “We used eight different girls to win the three relays. I think we have a lot of standouts on the team, but when you’re able to put that many girls together for different combinations it really shows the depth of our team.”
Aside from her individual medal, Martin was a common denominator in all three relay victories for Westford Academy, while Madison Leong earned second place in the 100 butterfly (59.13) and third in the 200 freestyle (1:58.12). Samantha Blanc, Amy Jiang, Ada Ferrick and Julia Tracanna all took home second-place medals in their respective events to add to the team point total.
“You see a lot of strong Division 2 teams like (Wayland )and( Weston) so having teams like that push you at the North Sectional I think gets you ready for states,” Klick-McHugh said after her team’s latest sectional title.
On the individual side, Triton’s Maggie Summit stole the show as the senior set meet records in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle with times of 23.55 and 51.20 to defend her sectional championship in both events.
“I have been eyeing the state records in both of those events,” Summit said of the sectional achievement. “My friend Sarah (Welch), who I train with, that was her 100 free record so it feels nice to be able to break that after training with her.”
Marblehead senior Amanda Wager also set a new mark in the North sectional, swimming to a 1:05.10 in the 100 breast stroke to break a nearly 14-year-old record.
Duxbury dominant
When a high school program graduates many of its key members, it’s common to see the team go into a tailspin, at least for a year or two.
Duxbury, however, has proven exception to that rule. The prolific stretch of dominance continued for the Dragons, as they captured their fifth consecutive sectional title.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Dragons coach Elizabeth Walsh said. “We had a great season, all season long. The girls look forward to this. It all leads up to this point, and they’re ready to swim fast, they’re ready to perform with diving. I think this is the first time in Duxbury history that we’ve had four divers that have scored in the top 16. So across the board, couldn’t be happier.”
Rather than relying on single racers to carry the load with wins, Duxbury implemented a strategic maneuver, placing many members of their unit in the best position to simply finish competitively.
Led by second-place finishes in the 200 IM (2:10.68) and in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.32) by sophomore Ava DeAngelis, as well as junior Julia Ali in the 100 backstroke (59.28), Duxbury racked up 291 points as a team, the next closest in the field coming in with 170.
Ali and DeAngelis would also anchor the Dragons to wins in the 200 medley relay (1:51.22), and 400 freestyle relay (3:42.08) to cap the night.
Erin Murphy placed third in the diving event for Duxbury, posting a score of 434.80.
Making a splash among individuals was Bridgewater-Rayham sophomore Megan Kramer, who took first place honors in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.08) as well as the 200 IM (2:05.79)
Also starring was Morgan O’Hara. The junior from Oliver Ames won the 100 backstroke event (58.94), while helping the Tigers to a meet record in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:40.66, just edging the original mark set by Nantucket last year by .09 seconds. In doing so, she propelled Oliver Ames to a second place finish in the team standings, after the Tigers spent years simply trying to gain relevance as program.