BATH – Seven months ago, Mody Gad never had heard of Maine, much less stepped foot here.

Friday night, Gad made quite an impression at the Bath Area Family YMCA.

Gad, 15, a Waterville High exchange student from Giza, Egypt, won two events at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B swimming championships.

And he won the events — the 100-yard freestyle and 200 free — in dominating fashion.

“It feels great,” said Gad. “Wins are wins and it feels good, obviously.”

Belfast easily won the boys’ title with 392 points. Waterville was second with 242 and Winslow third with 138. Lincoln Academy edged Belfast for the girls’ title, 285-268. Waterville was third with 162.

Kara Mullin, Heidi Ziegra and Valeska Vaughn each won two events for Lincoln Academy. Mullin was named the outstanding swimmer of the girls’ meet. She won the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle.

Eric Gaulin of Belfast was the most outstanding boys’ swimmer. He won the 100 butterfly and 100 breast stroke.

The Waterville boys turned in several strong performances but couldn’t match Belfast’s depth.

Gad finished the 100 free in 51.38 and 200 free in 1:50.23.

He also joined Waterville teammate Nico Schultz as a two-event winner. Schultz won the 200 individual medley (2:04.70) and 100 backstroke (56.13).

“It was a good day,” said Schultz. “I’m pretty tired right now. It’s hard to do all these races but it feels good.”

Schultz came out for the team this year after focusing on schoolwork the previous three.

“It was pretty much my plan since freshman year,” he said. “I knew I could do pretty good this year because I was dropping times.”

Brianna Bernier of Waterville won the 100 backstroke after finishing second in the 200 individual medley.

“It felt really good because I was down (after the 200 IM),” she said. “It was disappointing but I went all out in the backstroke. It was close.”

Bernier finished in 1:09.58, just ahead of Gretchen Konitzky of Lincoln Academy (1:09.81).

Gad, through a foreign exchange program, flew to Maine in September.

He will return to Egypt after the school year.

“I’ve been swimming for 101/2 years,” Gad said. “I swim year-round. I always wanted to come to the USA so I applied through a program. A week before I came here I had no idea where I was going to go.

“I had no idea where Maine was or what Maine looked like. I had never heard of Maine.”

Slowly, Maine is starting to learn of Gad, who’s been posting some of the fastest 100 free and 200 free times in the state.

 

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