Fenwick wins Leyden swim sectional
The Fenwick, OPRF, and Trinity girls swim teams all swam well at the Leyden sectional Saturday, and it was the Friars that would come out on top.
The Friars notched their 24th sectional victory in the last 25 years with a team total of 318 points, as many members of the team clocked in with state qualifying times in their events including senior captains Evelyn Mulvihill and Anna Doherty. Mulvihill also broke Fenwick's school record in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of :59.09.
"I feel great, I'm so proud of this team and I can't wait to go to state and see what Fenwick can do," Mulvihill said. "I think we can make it to top seven, this team worked really hard this season, and I was especially proud of the underclassmen. We had a lot of unexpected state qualifying times."
"I'm also so proud of the team," Doherty said. "We went in as the underdogs, and everyone wanted it really badly. I'm really proud of how everyone's hard work paid off. I've never seen the girls work harder in my four years at Fenwick. I'm really happy to end my senior season with a sectional championship and to do it with (Mulvihill)."
For OPRF, junior Hailey Boland qualified for state by finishing first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:07.49.
"It felt surreal," Boland said, "Not only did I race at Leyden as a freshman, but I was also swimming the exact same event. I felt a little bit of déjà vu while I was behind the blocks before my race. It was almost like I was swimming for my freshman self to show her how dedication and time over two years can propel you to the next level."
The Huskies finished third overall in the sectional with 234 points, and Boland is proud of how her team performed not only in the sectional but throughout the entire season.
"Being such a young team with half of the sectional team underclassmen I was really excited to see their swims," she said. "I think everyone managed to obtain a best time in the events they swam but I am not surprised because my teammates are some of the most driven individuals I know, and they worked super hard all season to get to this point."
As she prepares for state, Bolland knows that she needs to focus on the small details to shave her time even more.
"My goal for the state meet is to exceed my sectional time and I will be focusing on my starts and turns during practice for this week leading up to state," she said. They are are nitty gritty details but can really improve a swim."
Trinity placed sixth in the sectional with 71 points, as the 200-yard freestyle relay team of seniors Avril Ruiz, Mia Sznewajs, Emma Steadman, and Sarah Falkenholm placed fifth in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:53.09.
As the Friars prepare for the state swim meet, they will make sure they keep doing everything they can to mentally prepare and take even more time off of their stellar sectional times.
"It's more of a mental thing," Doherty said. "It helps that everyone performed really well because it gave us a confidence boost heading into state week. Everyone knows that we can swim really fast with a week of taper, and another week of taper can be really beneficial mentally and physically."
"Swimming is a really big mindset sport," Mulvihill added. "We did some meditation yesterday just to set the mind in place, we've done the work and practice 20 hours a week and I think having that winning mindset going into state is going to be our key."
