Franklin makes history, nips Duxbury for title
When Hope Xayaveth first decided to take a leap of faith and join Franklin’s girls swim team this past winter, she initially did so looking for a new challenge. An opportunity to simply hang with some of her closest friends during her final year of high school.
Little did the senior know she would find anchoring a race just a few months later with history hanging in the balance. Yet, when the pressure was at its absolute highest, she delivered on the grandest of stages. Xayaveth proceeded to help the Panthers clinch the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:41.45, as Franklin rallied to capture its firstever South sectional girls swimming and diving championship in electrifying fashion at the Greater Beverly YMCA on Saturday.
“It’s kind of hard to (put into words),” Xayaveth said afterward. “I’m really proud of the girls. It’s amazing what we did with only eight people. I’m just really happy for us.”
The Panthers compiled 226.5 points, snapping Duxbury’s streak of seven consecutive sectional titles. Ironically, that was precisely the school the Panthers found themselves chasing in the standings for the majority of the day. Xayaveth would team up with Harikalal Birali, Christine Tang and Sydney Bourgeois to lead Franklin to a victory in the 200 medley relay at 1:51.71 to open the day, and she was far from finished. The senior also captured first place in the 100 butterfly (55.5 seconds). Yet, with only three races remaining, the Panthers found themselves trailing Duxbury by 40.5 points.
They refused to relent. Birali placed second during the 100 backstroke competition (59.91), while Xayaveth clocked in second during the 100 breaststroke race (1:07.76), drawing Franklin within 1.5 points of the Dragons with only the 400 freestyle relay remaining. Spectators could not have asked for a better stage, as the two schools each had a team participating in the final heat, and in neighboring lanes, no less.
Her mind racing, Xayaveth dove into the pool to close things out, looking to finish what her team started.
In a photo finish, the senior edged Duxbury’s Alli Brown by 1.93 seconds during the final leg to clinch the title for the Panthers.
“I could see (Brown) in my peripheral vision,” recounted Xayaveth. “It was so nerve wracking. I thought she was going to catch up to me after the bad turn, but I’m glad that we pulled through.”
Attleboro’s Zuri Ferguson made history on an individual level, setting a meet record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.11 seconds. The mark qualified the sophomore for All-American considerations.
In addition to her performance during the 400 freestyle relay (3:43.38), Brown would guide Duxbury to a victory in the 200 freestyle relay (1:43.86), helping the Dragons finish as the runner-up. The junior also finished second in
the 100 freestyle (53.94), and third during the 200 freestyle (1:55.11). Olivia Templeton won the 1-meter diving competition for Duxbury with 485.45 points.
“Those eight girls over there have been through so much together,” said Franklin coach Jessica Pridham. “I brought a relay alternate of course, but only six girls qualified to swim in this meet today. And six girls from Franklin, Massachusetts just won their first South sectional meet. I’ve been coaching in Franklin for 10 years-plus, and we’ve never finished higher
than fifth. To watch them swim for their lives, swim their hearts out for that relay that it all came down to, and to
bring it all together and have them win something they have never done before was watching beauty.”