Record-setting year for Wakefield swim team

Published in the December 20, 2018 edition.

By DAN BYRNE

WAKEFIELD—For the girls of the varsity swim team at Wakefield Memorial High School, the 2018 season started off in the usual place (outdoors at Bear Hill Country Club) but under unusually hot circumstances.

As the season moved indoors to Malden High and the meets began, the Warriors showed off what they could do in the water.

The Warriors had a great season in 2018. The team saw a solid group of seniors, juniors and sophomores joined by the most talented group of freshmen to swim for the Warriors in the last 25 years.

It was 25 years ago that head coach, Kathy Byrne took over Wakefield swimming. In that time, many records have been set, but no season had seen so many records fall with six new times set by the 2018 team.

Things started out well, with a strong showing in a loss to a dominant Reading team, a team that would go on to become State Champions.

In the first event of the season, the 200 Medley Relay team of Hannah Guay, Laura Sweeney, Katie Patt, and Abby Federici set a new team record right off the bat.

Katie Patt also set a new team record in the 100 Yard Backstroke, an impressive first high school meet for the freshman, but she would have many more impressive outings to come.

Individually, and with the relays, it was an impressive opening day meet for the Warriors.

Their next meet was with Winchester and resulted in a loss for the Warriors.

Katie Patt set the team record for 100 Yard Backstroke once again, breaking the record she set in the previous meet.

The team took 1st place in six out of 11 events, but Winchester was still able to get more points and earn the win.

Following the Winchester meet, the team came out with the new motto of “no 6th places,” and next on the schedule, the Warriors met with Belmont, a team they traditionally struggle with.

In fact, in coach Byrne’s 24 previous seasons, her teams had never beaten the Marauders, but 2018 wasn’t like most years for the Warrior swim team and for the first time in Byrne’s tenure, the Warriors came out on top for their first win of the season.

The Warriors swam to seven 1st-place finishes in the meet, with only two 6th place finishes.

After the meet back in October, Coach Byrne said “The times were good, there was nothing wrong with the times, but when you see that competitive spirit comes out when they’re really racing the girls on the other team, it really makes a difference in the outcome of the meet.”

After an 0-2 start the team pulled off a win over Belmont for the first time in 25 years, that kick-started a run of six straight victories as the Warriors saw triumphs over Melrose, Stoneham, Woburn, Burlington, and Watertown/Arlington.

The regular season ended with a loss to Lexington finishing with a 6-3 record, but the season was only half over, as league meet, sectionals, and states remained.

Many girls by this point had qualified for sectionals and states, but some who hadn’t had their last chance to do so at the Middlesex League Championship meet.

At League Meet the team had a great day, besting all six teams they beat in the regular season, as well as Winchester, who they’d lost to, finishing 4th in the Middlesex League.

Freshman Katie Patt was crowned Middlesex League Champion in the 100 Yard Backstroke. Senior captain Katherine Maloney qualified for sectionals and states in the event as well. Freshman Sophie Brown and Abby Lane qualified for sectionals and states, giving the Warriors a team of 10 girls who would compete in the events.

The Warriors’ postseason team consisted of Hannah Guay, Katie Patt, Abby Federici, Laura Sweeney, Alyssa Toppi, Erica Pecjo, Katherine Maloney, Sophie Brown, Abby Lane and Emily Chan.

At MIT for the Div. 2 North Sectionals, Wakefield finished 10th out of 18 teams. The team set four team records at the meet, making it a memorable day.

Hannah Guay set a team record in the 200 yard Individual Medley.

Hannah Guay, Katie Patt, Abbie Federici, and Laura Sweeney set a team record in the 200 Yard Medley Relay and 200 Yard Freestyle relay.

Katie Patt set a team record for 100 Yard Backstroke.

At Harvard for States, the Warriors had another successful day, swimming to an 8th place finish overall, only behind Reading (1st place) and Belmont (7th place) in the Middlesex League.

The 200 Yard Medley Relay team broke the team record again, Hannah Guay broke her 200IM team record, Katie Patt set the 100 yard Butterfly record, and Laura Sweeney broke the 100 Yard Freestyle team record that had stood since 2005.

“This was definitely the most successful team I’ve coached,” said coach Byrne recently. “It was kind of nice to have that be your 25th season,” she added.

“My focus has always been the girls we have on the team, it has never been about where our standings are in the league, or in the states, how many people we take to States and Sectionals, but it’s great to have a big team go, this year we had 10 girls go.”

“To have so many individual event qualifiers for the championship season, makes this season stand out for sure. We have girls on the team that are dedicated swimmers, their focus is swimming and that’s what really shows with the group that we have this year.”

“I’d like to thank my coaches Kim Guay and Frank Lee. Without them, the season would have been a lot harder and it’s still fun, that’s why I still do it.”