Marblehead breaks through
Senior Clementine Robins' big day leads Magicians
CAMBRIDGE >> It was a huge day at MIT’s Zesiger Center for last year’s runnerups in the Div. 2 state championship, as Marblehead surged in the final four events to swim away with their first title since 2016.
Marblehead jostled throughout the event with the reigning champions, Amherst-Pelham.
The Magicians were boosted by two firstplace swims from senior Clementine Robins, who won the 200-yard free (1:52.58), and a coastto-coast victory in the 500-yard free (5:06.08), after which Marblehead trailed Amherst-Pelham 131.5-122.
The victory in the 500-yard free spurred a comeback, as Marblehead leapt ahead 156-131.5 after a second-place finish in the
200-yard freestyle relay (1:41.21), with the team of Robins, Song Waitekus, Cecelia Robbins
and Sophia Weiner.
The 100-yard backstroke followed, where Amherst-Pelham had freshman Rowan Albertson place second (59.45), while teammate Deborah Wells placed fifth (1:01.30), to help close the deficit to 168162.5.
Marblehead would add to their lead as Bella Takata (1:07.25) placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke, while teammate Song Waitekus (1:10.27) finished sixth, making it 201-162.5 heading into the final event, the 400yard freestyle relay.
Fittingly, Marblehead placed first with a time of 3:39.89, while Amherst-Pelham finished second (3:42.13), earning Marblehead the state title with a score of 241.
Robins was the anchor of the final relay team, making her a three-time winner at the event.
“We’ve been wanting to win that since I was a freshman,” Robins said. “It was awesome, we were so excited last year to get second place… I’m so glad that we could come back and do this before I graduate.”
The Hurricanes finished second with 196.5, while Duxbury finished third with 184.
It’s the third championship
for the program, which has been coached by Susan Guertin since 1989, however Guertin has been teaching swimming at the Marblehead YMCA for 53 years.
“Going into the fourfree relay, we’re saying ‘make no mistakes, just hold it where you are,’ and then they just blew it out of the water,” said Guertin. “That’s what keeps you in it. All of these kids, for years and years, they work hard, they’re disciplined… I’m
just so proud of them, you see them growing up, and it’s just such an honor.”
Marblehead led early on, but Amherst-Pelham surged ahead in the 50yard freestyle with the top two times from senior Lucy Smith (24.18) and Albertson (24.34), earning 37 points and leaping ahead of Marblehead for the top spot.
The Magicians also won the 200-yard medley relay team, which posted a time of 1:50.89.