New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
A Spartan splash
Amity returns deep team to compete for SCC championship
Senior leadership and balance in the lineup are lynch pins for Amity girls’ swimming and diving team.
“I believe that our team will go as far as the seniors lead them and I couldn’t be happier with the group we have this year,” coach Todd Rainey said. “We also have quality depth in almost every event.”
Amity placed third in the 2020 SCC championships that combined top performers from all the divisional meets. Katie O’Connor, Grace Mahon and the 200freestyle relay of O’Connor, Paige Boguniecki, Julia Snow and Emma Tirollo earned All-SCC honors.
Experienced swimmers have led Amity to a 4-1 start.
“Katie O'Connor has been fast in the sprint free. Julia Snow has continued to excel in the distance free and Lauren Sender has been strong in the 100 free,” Rainey said. “Mandy Robinson has had some good swims in a variety of events. Caitlyn Smith has been improving nicely on the diving board. Grace Mahon continues do get better in the fly and the sprint free.”
Snow, one of four captains, heads up a solid group of senior freestylers that includes Jayne Whitman, captain Taylor Dillon and Hannah Johnson.
Rainey said: “Lauren Sender is a captain and outstanding sprint freestyler and backstroker. Mandy Robinson returns for a fourth season to score points in the breaststroke and IM events. O’Connor, another captain, is one of the top butterflyer’s in the state and she is equally adept at the 50 free.”
After a year where remote virtual meets dominated, Rainey welcomes the return to head-to-head competition.
“Our team is grateful for what we hope be a return to more normality,” he said. “The girls love live competi
tion. While we are still taking precautions regarding social distancing and mask wearing, there is a more relaxed feeling this season.”
Mahon, Isabel BarryRuiz (free and back), Riya Bonde (free and back), Grace Carrington (free), Sophia McDermott (500 free and breaststroke), as well as divers Matia Malish and Caitlyn Smith lead the junior class.
“We have 10 sophomores who look to build on the potential they showed last season,” Rainey said of backstroker Lizzie Bodie, sprinter Paige Boguniecki, divers Gia Coppola and Lily Demaio, along with freestylers Adriana Giachino, Jenna Kaiser, Bridget Morrison, Dana Pletter, Caroline Scott and Caroline Tirollo.
“I've been pleasantly surprised by the strength of our freshman class which has seen the emergence of Maria Li, Lily Quill and Amanda Ford as big contributors to our success,” Rainey said. Other promising freshmen includes diver Hannah Guo, breaststrokers Sophia Messina and Taylor Leapley, and freeback swimmers Lucy McDermott, Olivia Perkowski, and Molly Womer.
Rainey said: “A big change for us this season is the addition of diving coach Amanda Craig, who had a good deal of success diving at UConn. She replaces her former coach Jeff Syrop, who stepped down after a long and illustrious career that saw, besides Amanda, many all state and all conference divers.”