TEAM AWARDS were presented to members of the girls’ swim team at the postseason banquet. Pictured from left to right are Samantha Nimblett: Spirit Award; Caroline Sweeney: Unsung Hero; Katherine Maloney: Most Improved; Hannah Guay: MVP and Team Record Breaker; Abigail Federici: Captains Award; and Kyra Hoffman: Coaches Award.
Published in the December 12, 2017 edition.
By DAN BYRNE
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield Memorial High School girls’ varsity swim team held their end of season banquet recently to reflect on the successes of the past year as awards were handed out and Jess Conley and Katherine Maloney were named captains for 2018’s team.
It was an exciting year for the Warriors, as a new batch of freshmen came up from the Middle School and had a tremendous impact on the success of the team, helping them to victory in four of the nine meets with wins over Arlington/Watertown, Stoneham, Burlington and Woburn.
In a recent interview, Head Coach Kathy Byrne commented on the improvement of the team’s one-win performance from the previous season.
“It’s always nice to see that you’ve improved after last year,” the coach said. “We’re looking forward to the team continuing to improve.”
At the Middlesex League Championships, Hannah Guay placed 4th in the 500-yard Freestyle and 3rd in the 100-yard Backstroke, which qualified her to be named a Middlesex League All-Star.
The team’s 200-yard Freestyle Relay entry took 3rd place and set a season best time of 1:50.74 by Laura Sweeney, Caroline Sweeney, Abby Federici and Hannah Guay.
The Warriors entered the postseason with all three relays qualifying for North Sectional Championships and States, as well as two individual swimmers. The Championship team members were Caroline Sweeney, Katherine Maloney, CC Colliton, Abby Federici, Hannah Guay, Laura Sweeney, Alyssa Toppi, Skylar Forbes and alternate Erica Pecjo.
At North Sectionals, Guay broke the WHS 100 backstroke record in a time of 1:03.23. The old record has stood since 2005.
For Byrne and her team, the most humbling honor was bestowed on them at the North Sectional Championships at MIT, when the MIAA Sportsmanship award was given to the team for the way they treated each other and the way they treated other teams, win or lose.
“I am so very proud of all these girls, especially the seniors for setting the tone for the season,” Coach Byrne said.
It was an honorable recognition for a worthy team of swimmers, as they head into the offseason.
