Rossi, Zito lead Cumberland boys to strong fifth-place finish

PROVIDENCE – In all honesty, Cumberland High head coach Rod McGarry expected his crew of male swimmers to finish towards the tail end of the top-10 in the team standings at Saturday’s R.I. State Championships.

What ended up unfolding at Brown University’s Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center could best be described as the perfect storm. Led by building blocks Ian Zito and Jay Rossi, the Clippers provided senior Eric Henderson with the perfect sendoff – a fifth-place result that featured 142 points as a unit.

Cumberland’s point total was seven off the pace set by fourth-place Rogers. Bishop Hendricken led the way with 373 points, good for the program’s 29th title. Barrington placed second with 319 points followed by Portsmouth (third, 187 points).

To say that the Clippers overachieved and in the process shattered their coach’s expectations only begins to describe McGarry’s reaction to what unfolded.

“Had we won the meet, I wouldn’t have been any prouder of the boys than I was based on their performance today. Fifth place was a real pleasant surprise,” said the first-year Cumberland mentor. “Every boy on the team did a personal-best time. We had fantastic swims across the board.

“You look at teams like Hendricken and Barrington. Their depth puts them at a different level,” McGarry added. “To fight for that (fifth) spot out of 24 teams is a real testament to the guys.”

Formally the swim coach at Bishop Feehan, McGarry believes he saw a first Saturday. Anchored by Rossi and Zito, the entire Cumberland team hit its peak at the exact same time. A sophomore, Zito placed third in the 200 freestyle (1:50.61) and fourth in the 500yard freestyle (4:56.82).

Rossi’s contributions included third place in the 100-yard freestyle (49.20) and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle (22.65). The junior also teamed up with Zito, Henderson and junior Conor Hayden to register a solid third-place showing in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:31.71).

Speaking of Hayden, his coach gladly pointed out that he shaved nine seconds off his previous best time in the 500-yard freestyle (16th place, 5:40.61). Participating in his final interscholastic swim meet, Henderson went out on a memorable note by eclipsing 58 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly. The Cumberland 12th grader posted a time of 57.14 seconds, good for eighth place.

“The attitude coming in was that we had nothing to lose and to attack everything. We could only look forward, not back,” said McGarry. “Ian’s result in the 200 freestyle really lit a spark for us and we sailed from there.

“Eric has been a household name in Cumberland swimming for years. For him to go out with that good taste in his mouth is just icing on the cake,” McGarry added.

A moment of silence was held for longtime CHS swimming coach Bruce Calvert prior to the state meet. Calvert passed away last month at the age of 72.