The Marblehead High swim team (6-0) completed the regular season undefeated the only way they know how with a 92-75 win over archrival Swampscott at the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA on Senior Night, Jan. 29. Senior captains Brady Leveroni, Cale Nelson, Monica Pechhold, Lucas Rosen and Ian Chemel were honored before the meet for their contributions to the program the last four years.
Previously, the Magicians were in Salem on Jan. 27 where they edged the Witches, 84-79. They also blew away visiting Gloucester on Jan. 22, 97-79, and just last weekend at the annual Northeastern Conference (NEC) Meet in Beverly both the boys and girls teams came out on top, and were also the best in combined scoring against their NEC counterparts.
As a program, the Magicians have won the conference title every year since 2006 with the exception of 2009. They started winning in the 1990s with six titles. All of these triumphs mean that coach Sue Guertin keeps on adding to her legacy of successes, which began way back in 1989.
But coaches like Guertin understand that they can’t do it by themselves, and she’s quick to credit her assistants for another perfect season. “First and foremost, I want to thank my assistant coaches Jen Brehob, Drew Martin Ryan and diving coach Brendon Graffum. Their insight on the placement of the swimmers and record-keeping is what makes this team so successful. I also want to thank the parents, who support their student-athletes and this great sport (all the time).”
Countdown to the NEC championship
The Marblehead swimmers secured win number four over aforementioned Gloucester on Jan. 22.
In the 200-yard medley relay, Chemel, Rosen, Orion Lewis and Phillip Gaber (1:53.38), and Hazel Wright, Grace Ladouceur, Macy Ladouceur and Winnie Waddington (1:58.34, state cut) took home the top two spots.
Leveroni (1:54.65, state cut) and Omar Elnabarawy (1:59.46) topped the ticket in the 200-yard freestyle. Lorelai Mosher (2:23.24) was fifth. Chemel (2:17.58), Grace Ladouceur (2:19.58, state cut) and Paxton Swanson swept the 200-yard IM.
Waddington (25.68, state cut) bested the entire field in the 50-yard freestyle. Rosen (26.42) and Gaber (26.82) came in third and fourth. Claire Burke (169.60 points), Hailey Gilmore (161.765) and Ivan Monin (160.35) were the meet’s top three divers.
Leveroni (1:00.67) and Macy Ladouceur (1:06.52, state cut) set the pace in the 100-yard butterfly with first and second place finishes. Rowan Sullivan (1:19.64) came in fourth. Lewis (52.83, sectional cut), Grace Ladouceur (57.40, state cut) and Paxton Swanson (1:01.68) did the same in the 100-yard freestyle.
Chemel (5:29.03), Abby Moore (6:06.53) and Lorelai Mosher (6:15.10) were the top three swimmers in the 500-yard freestyle.
In the 200-yard freestyle relay, Elnabarawy, Rosen, Leveroni and Lewis (1:40.12, sectional cut), and Mosher, Pechhold, Abby Moore and Shaelyn Callahan (1:57.04, sectional cut) secured the top two spots.
Elnabarawy (1:03.74) was No. 1 in the 100-yard backstroke. Callahan (1:13.41) and Meredith Kreevoy (1:24.78) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Waddington (1:14.70, state cut), Callahan (1:20.84) and Pechhold (1:22.60) made it a clean sweep in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Leveroni, Garber, Elnabarawy and Lewis (3:47.68) came out on top in the 400-yard freestyle. Wright, Macy Ladouceur, Grace Ladouceur and Waddington (3:57.80, state cut) accounted for second place.
It was then Senior Night in Salem, where the Witches seniors took center stage after four years of hard work, and in the spirit of sportsmanship they invited the five Marblehead captains to also participate in the pregame festivities.
Once the meet began, the top times belonged to Callahan (2:26.78, 200 IM), Lewis (22.66, 50-yard freestyle), Elnabarawy (53.22, 100-yard freestyle), Grace Lacouceur (56.25, 100-yard freestyle), Nelson (59.75, 100-yard backstroke), Chemel (59.78, 100-yard backstroke), Wright (1:05.9, 100-yard backstroke) and Waddington (1:15.47, 100-yard breaststroke).
Two nights later on Jan. 29, it was time for the Marblehead seniors – Chemel, Leveroni, Nelson, Rosen and Pechhold – to be honored before the Swampscott meet at the Lynch / vanOtterloo YMCA.
“(Beyond the pool), it’s so impressive to know their participation in so many volunteer activities around the school and in the community (at-large), plus they are all National Honor Society members,” said Guertin.
The meet highlights against their rivals were turned in by Nelson (2:10.67, 200-yard IM), Grace Ladouceur (2:21.58, 200-yard IM), divers Ivan Monin (first), Elizabeth Hayes (second) and Callie Gilmore (third), Macy Ladouceur (1:05.58, 100-yard butterfly), Lewis (52.80, 100-yard freestyle), Waddington (5:38.70, 500-yard freestyle), Elnabarawy (1:03.71, 100-yard backstroke; and 100-yard freestyle, 51.99, state cut) and Callahan (1:16.43, 100-yard breaststroke).
Northeastern Conference champs again
The conference championship meet was held at Beverly’s Sterling YMCA on Jan. 31, and the excitement was “unbelievable,” said Guertin, but she added, “I was nervous, because we were missing an (injured) swimmer, but the team, however, was still very confident.”
While the complete results are not available as of press deadline, here are the amazing highlights, including the combined (boys and girls) team score, which was over 1,000 points:
Boys results:
Leveroni (1:51.11, 200-yard freestyle), Nelson (2:07.64, 200-yard IM; 1:05.55, 100-yard breaststroke), Monin (diving, second), Lewis (51.31, 100-yard freestyle), Chemel (5:14.91, 500-yard freestyle; 57.57, 100-yard backstroke), Elnabarawy (56.02, 100-yard butterfly) and Leveroni, Nelson, Elnabarawy and Lewis (3:25.68, 400-yard freestyle).
Girls results:
Wright (1:58.10, 200-yard freestyle), Grace Ladouceur (2:14.26, 200-yard IM), Waddington (24.83, 50-yard freestyle), Claire Burke (third, diving), Hailey Gilmore (fourth, diving), Callie Gilmore (sixth, diving), Waddington (1:00.44, 100-yard butterfly), Macy Ladouceur (1:02.27, 100-yard butterfly), Grace Ladouceur (54.16, 100-yard freestyle), Callahan (5:35.57, 500-yard freestyle), Macy Ladouceur (5:47.23, 500-yard freestyle), Wright (1:00.65, 100-yard backstroke), Waddington, Grace Ladouceur, Callahan and Wright (3:43.42, 400-yard freestyle relay, personal best), Callahan (1:14.14, 100-yard breaststroke) and Monica Pechhold (1:16.52, 100-yard breaststroke, state cut). Guertin singled out Pechhold for what she accomplished in this annual meet with these words of appreciation: “(Molly) has worked hard all four years to go to the state championship meet, and now she’ll represent the team in her final season.”
Next up for these swimmers will be the North Sectionals. The girls will compete on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Boston Sports Institute Pool in Wellesley, while the boys will face their northern counterparts two days later on Sunday, Feb.8, at Boston University. The state finals are scheduled for the following weekend at MIT for both boys and girls teams.
