Their Fall2 virtual meets start on March 11
Published March 5, 2021
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—After a 14-month absence, the Melrose High girls’ swim team is back in the pool, beginning their new Fall2 season on March 11 against Wakefield.
It’s an entirely new format for the Middlesex League, and Melrose will adapt to a new kind of swimming in order to compete in the COVID-19 pandemic. They will engage in a series of about 8 virtual meets held at their home base of the Melrose YMCA. They begin on March 11 against rival Wakefield.
Melrose head coach Bryan Meegan is excited for the amount of swimmers he has back this season. In fact, the whole team has returned. “We’re really excited that each of our 20 girls are back. I wasn’t sure that would happen,” he says. “But this team just seems ready to get in the pool and compete. They don’t care how the season goes. They just want to play the sport they enjoy.”
Leading the team in captain duties are seniors Courtney Casey and Lucy Tyson, who return as sectional-qualifying swimmers. They last took a dip for Melrose in 2019, which seems like a long time ago. So no doubt, there is a lot of catching up to do. Says coach Meegan, “We have less hours in the pool and the goals we’ve set are different because there is no post season to strive to, so that takes some adjusting. But these girls still have things they want to accomplish—individual goals they want to meet.”
That includes one of most important developments for swimmers: achieving personal bests. Shaving time off in races is something each swimmer can aim for in this most unusual of seasons. “Everyone will establish personal goals,” says Meegan. “Each swimmer’s individual development will be a top focus. Personal improvement is critical.”
Hitting the pool this spring are the aforementioned captains and returners such as Abby Gauch, Grace Haseltine, Maddie Brodeur, Milania Saggese, Alex Lloyd, Audrey Methot, Julia Pinto, Demya Allen, Anna Burtnett, Arianna Rodd, Noelle L’Heureux, Evelyn Vieira and Madison Wright.
Last season this group made an appearance at the Div. 2 State Finals held at M.I.T. They were represented by Saggese, Tyson, Haseltine, Gauch, Brodeur and Casey. Melrose’s 200 medley relay team of Saggese, Haseltine, Tyson and Gauch earned a best time of 2:08.38. Tyson also had her best time in the 100 fly and 100 back, and Milania Saggese also had a best time in the 100 backstroke. Melrose had also qualified the 400 relay thanks to the work of Tyson, Brodeur, Haseltine and Gauch and the team’s 200 free relay team qualified thanks to Casey, Brodeur, Haseltine and Gauch. No wonder they are all back. They’re a unit who works great together and has gone the distance.
How the meets will work is still becoming clear, but two opponents will face the other remotely in two different facilities. There will be judges and score keepers on hand live and when the meet commences, race times will officially be entered into a system within the same week of play. Then, a winner will be announced. This system also will allow teams to submit recorded times in order to capture individual Middlesex League titles at the end of the regular season.
Win, lose or draw, look for the Melrose High girls swim team to dive into the action on March 11. Better late than never!
