Warriors to compete at MIT for State Sectionals Saturday
CAPTAIN CAROLINE SWEENEY qualified for sectionals in the 50-yard freestyle at the Middlesex League Championships. Sweeney will compete in sectionals at MIT on Saturday. (James Byrne File Photo)
Published in the November 9, 2017 edition.
By DAN BYRNE
WAKEFIELD—The WMHS girls’ swim team participated in the Middlesex League Championships last week, finishing in 7th place out of 10 teams.
Warriors’ head coach Kathy Byrne spoke recently about her team’s performance saying, “We came in 7th overall, most of the girls swam close to their personal best time, or did their best, so overall the meet was successful for Wakefield.”
On Wednesday November 1, a selection from the Warriors traveled to Belmont to participate in the 500 Yard Freestyle. On the first day, freshman Hannah Guay took 3rd place, while junior Katherine Maloney swam to 13th.
Guay then took 4th place on Wednesday in the 500 Freestyle and 3rd in the 100-yard Back Stroke on Thursday, qualifying as a Middlesex League All-Star in both events.
“Hannah had a fabulous meet and it was really something to see,” Byrne said.
On Thursday November 2, the events moved to Bentley University.
In the 200-yard Medley Relay, Hannah Guay, CC Colliton, Laura Sweeney, and Caroline Sweeney gained 7th place points for the Warriors. The relay teams from Reading, Stoneham, and Winchester took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
Freshman Laura Sweeney netted 8th place points for the Warriors in the 100-yard Breaststroke with a time of 1:16.80. Sweeney also swam to 9th place in the 200-yard Individual Medley with a time of 2:29.59.
In the 50-yard Freestyle, a pair Wakefield swimmers earned top 16 points with 9th and 15th place finishes, providing a memorable moment for coach Byrne.
“One of the highlights of the event for me was that our senior captain, Caroline Sweeney, who’s goal it has been to qualify for sectionals for her entire career, qualified in the 50-yard Freestyle with a time of 0:27.33 and also took 9th place,” Byrne said. “So that was very nice. She gets to go to MIT for sectionals.”
Sophomore Abby Federici swam to 15th place with a time of 0:28.23.
Caroline Sweeney continued her busy day, swimming to a 12th place finish in the 100-yard Freestyle with a time of 1:00.12. Abby Federici, Jess Conley, and Alex DeCecca also swam in the event for the Warriors, finishing 19th, 27th, and 32nd.
In the 100-yard Butterfly, CC Colliton swam to 16th place for Wakefield with a time of 1:12.83.
Wakefield finished 7th in the 400-yard Freestyle Relay. Katherine Maloney, Erica Pecjo, Alyssa Toppi, and Abby Federici combined to swim a time of 4:17.92.
In the 200-yard Freestyle Relay, Laura Sweeney, Caroline Sweeney, Abby Federici and Hannah Guay led the Warriors to 3rd place, with their best time of the season at 1:50.74.
“That was our best time of the season,” Byrne said. “And to take third above teams like Belmont, Winchester, and Melrose is pretty impressive.”
“I’m very happy to have those highlights,” the coach said in conclusion. “We’re looking forward to taking our championship group to MIT on Saturday.”
