Record breakers at it again as D’Allessandro sets 100 free record
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MEMBERS OF the Melrose High School girl’s swim team took part in the Annual Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome held at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield on Sunday. The Lady Raiders are enjoying their best season in years and continue to smash school records, including the 100 freestyle, which was set last week.
MELROSE — This year’s Melrose High school girls’ varsity swim team continues to smash records and produce some of the best girls’ swimming the school has seen in over a decade. On Friday, Oct. 10 a Melrose High School freshman broke an 11-year school record in the 100 freestyle event.
Freshman Samantha D’Alessandro’s time of 55.37 now surpasses the previous record set by Abby Pratt in 2003 (56.08). The milestone took place on Oct. 10 when the Lady Raiders beat Burlington 91-74 at Melrose’s home base at the Mystic Valley swim facility.
The achievement left her coach Deb Deacon glowing. “Samantha is incredibly talented and her hard work in practice and her years of swimming prior to joining the high school team are translating in multiple records.” D’Allessandro is also part of the 200 medley team who broke the school record three times this season (including in the meet against Burlington) and also part of 200 freestyle team who set the school record on Oct. 7.
Burlington is an always enjoyable meet for the Lady Raiders, particularly since Deacon is the assistant principal at Burlington High and her assistant coach Jackie Dixon is a math teacher there. “It’s fun to banter in the classroom and the hallways with some of the swimmers on the Burlington team and their coaching staff,” adds Deacon.
On Friday, the 200 medley relay team of Madeline Hughes, Virginia Guanci, Anna Steele and Samantha D’Alessandro broke their previous record of 2:00.44 in a new time of 2:00.23. This is their third time setting a new record in the event this season.
“We have been playing with the order of the relay to determine whether Anna should swim the fly or Sam should swim the fly,” says Deacon. “We think the fastest combination for the relay is for Anna to swim the fly and Sam to swim the free.”
Melrose’s Isabelle Bates swam a personal best time in the 200 freestyle in a time of 2:14.56 winning the event and Alva Ronn sliced two seconds off her 200 free for a personal best time of 2:15.73 for second place. Olivia Terranova finished fifth in the event. Burlington’s Fiona Maxwell was a little too fast for teammate and friend Virginia Guanci as Guanci finished second with a personal best time of 2:24.25, while her teammate and captain Ariana Swift finished third in the event. Anna Steele swam a personal best this season in a 1:04.56 in the 100 fly for a first place finish and freshmen Kelly Nagle finished second with a personal best time of 1:24.36.
“It’s great to see Kelly working hard and helping the team by swimming the fly,” says Deacon. “There are not many girls on the team who are legal to swim the event and having Kelly available is huge for the team.”
Josefa Baeza-Diaz, also a freshman, finished third for a 1, 2, 3 finish in this event. Holly Cohan finished second in the 100 free with a time of 59.35 and Grace Nally finished fourth in a personal best time of 1:11.14. Continuing their quest for the best, Melrose freshman Maddie Hughes had a personal best in the 100 back in a time of 1:06.05 for a second place finish to Burlington’s Maxwell and Ali Thome finished third and freshmen Nagle finishing fifth in her personal best time of 1:34.00.
Fresh off winning the civic-minded swimmers traded bathing suits for T-shirts to once again take part in the Annual Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome on Sunday held at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield.
“Our girls volunteer each year as my niece, Lily Grace O’Malley has Down Syndrome. My girls are great and do an amazing job working that registration tent.”
Melrose has just a few dual meets left and look to finish their season as a team with a winning record, which would be a first for Coach Deacon in her 16 years of coaching at Melrose High. During a season of excitement, anything is possible with these Lady Raiders who are changing the course of swimming at the school.
Remaining girls swim schedule
(Home: Mystic Valley)
9/04 @ Greater Lawrence, 4
9/09 vs. Winchester, 3:45
9/12 vs. Framingham, 3:50
9/17 @ Belmont, 4
9/23 @ Wakefield, 5:30
9/29 vs. Stoneham, 3:45
10/10 vs. Burlington, 3:45
10/15 vs. Lexington, 3:45
10/20 @ Woburn, 3:45
10/23 vs. Woburn, 4
10/29 @ Belmont (ML Championship) TBA
10/30 @ Bentley College (ML Championship) TBA
