MOLLIE’S MASTERPIECE
Westrick dominates at states
PROVIDENCE – Mollie Westrick expects to win every time she dips her toes in the pool. What remains to be seen is just how low a time the talented senior from Lincoln High is going to post.
“I looked at (Lincoln principal Kevin McNamara) and told him that Mollie was going to do something special,” said LHS head coach Tom Dilorio.
Turns out Dilorio’s premonition regarding his star pupil was dead-on and 100-percent accurate. Competing in her final R.I. Swimming Championship meet on Saturday afternoon, Westrick sailed to a pair of gold medals in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. In the former event, she not only outhus- tled South Kingstown senior Sabrina Nuttall and North Kingstown’s Hannah Petrone, but she also set a new state record with a superb 23.69 clocking.
What makes this feat even more noteworthy is that Westrick shattered the previous mark that she established at last year’s state meet. Her time in the 50 freestyle on that particular February 2015 day was 23.91 seconds.
Westrick’s amazing outing at Brown University’s Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center added another chapter a short time later. The U-Penn-bound swimmer sprinted to the 100 freestyle crown with a time of 50.92 seconds. La Salle’s Madalyn Redding came in second (54.17).
“They were both great swims,” smiled Westrick, who as a junior also won state titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.
“Besides the talent, she’s got it right here,” said Dilorio as he tapped his heart. “I’ve known Mollie since she was eight. Even when she was young, she had it in her to be great. She’s an incredible swimmer and that’s why we always pushed her.”
While Westrick’s accomplishment in the 50 freestyle is etched in the record books for now, she was just as satisfied with coming close to the record in the 100 freestyle that still belongs to U.S. Olympian and former North Kingstown star Elizabeth Beisel. Back on Valentine’s Day in 2010, Beisel submitted a time of 50.30.
“She was such an incredible swimmer and one of the nicest people that you’re ever going to meet,” said Westrick. “She swam in Rhode Island for such a long time and set so many records.”
The individual accomplishments certainly had a nice ring to them, yet Westrick was just as eager to participate in the relay events. Naturally, she wanted to do well in hope of helping the Lions register a top-eight finish in the team standings. On a personal note, Westrick was looking forward to her final opportunity to dive into the trenches with her teammates by her side.
Joining forces with younger sister/sophomore Natalie along with freshman Lillian Jacobson and senior Emily Jacobson, Westrick helped guide the Lions to a fifthplace finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:43.94). More points came as a result of a sixthplace showing in the 400-yard freestyle relay as the quartet featuring the Westrick sisters, Emily Jacobson and freshman Katie Nolan posted a time of 3:51.75.
“I really like that part of highschool swimming,” said Mollie Westrick on a day that saw Lincoln place eighth as a team with 125 points.
Also on the local front, Cumberland senior Kayleigh Canavan set a school record by three seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke; her time of 1:06.43 was good for second place. She also came in fourth in the 200 IM (2:14.71) as the Clippers as a unit placed 10th (78 points).
One area swimmer to keep an eye on in the future is North Smithfield sophomore Sara Gendron. Participating in her firstever state meet, Gendron earned a second-place medal in the 100-yard butterfly (58.20) – Narragansett junior Michaela Degnan set the pace (57.21) – and was third in the 200 IM (2:11.72).
“I was a little nervous at first to race Michaela, who I’ve known my whole life. It was an honor to race against her,” said Gendron. “What I achieved, it definitely puts me in a good spot and makes me realize the potential I have. It makes me want to train harder.”