WINDHAM – The Windham Eagles have a fish in their midst. It’s Nick Sundquist, whose speed in the pool has helped propel his team to three consecutive conference championships and garnered him a lengthy list of accolades. In his four years, Sundquist has been named to numerous best-of-the-best teams and surged into the record books, even beating a long-standing time set by Portland native and three-time Olympian Ian Crocker.

“I’ve coached Nicky for his four years at Windham High School,” boys swim coach Peter Small said. “I’ve seen tremendous growth as a swimmer, as a teammate and as a person.”

But Sundquist hasn’t only been swimming since he started high school. His introduction to competitive swimming came when he joined the Portland YMCA at age 7.

“When I was 7, I swam pretty well. I was pretty quick in the butterfly … I was told that I was “ here Sundquist hesitated, as if reluctant to describe his own talents, “ pretty good as a first-year swimmer. I enjoyed the competitiveness, and I enjoyed winning, obviously, from a young age, so I just stuck with it.”

He stayed with that club for several years, until a handful of older swimmers friends of his inspired him to join the Westbrook Seals, who participate in USA Swimming. He swims five or six days a week, typically two hours a day, and in the offseason lifts weights, either with friends or his dad.

A full inventory of Sundquist’s career-so-far highlights reads like an entire team’s collected accomplishments. As a 2009-2010 freshman, he was named rookie of the year and selected for the all-conference team. He raced at the 2010 Maine boys Class A state championship meet, where he helped secure first in the 400-meter freestyle relay, and at the 2010 New England High School Championships, where he repeated that feat.

“As a freshman he was energetic, impressionable – in a good way – with a tremendous work ethic,” Small said. “We were fortunate enough to have great role models as upperclassmen when Nicky was a freshman … He took cues from seniors … who elevated the importance of team. Nicky jumped right into that philosophy and has only helped the Windham program continue to develop a team concept.”

“My freshman year, I came in, and I was wicked excited for the [Windham] program,” said Sundquist. “I knew there were already fast kids on there, and there were also strong personalities and good leaders, on the boys side and girls side … There were faster kids and team leaders who helped me to work harder. They helped me at swim meets, they helped me get around. They led the team, and I saw how they led the team.”

Naturally, as a sophomore he demonstrated increasing prowess. He was named Eagles MVP, and selected for both the all-conference and all-state teams. He also helped Windham take first at the 2011 South Southwesterns, where he was a triple event winner, in the 50-meter freestyle, the 100-meter freestyle, and the 400-meter freestyle relay (in a meet-record time). At states, he helped his squad finish third overall, and contributed to No. 1 finishes in the 200-meter medley relay and the 400-meter freestyle relay. On the still-bigger stage of the New Englands, he was again part of first-place groups in the 200-meter medley and 400-meter freestyle races.

“Nicky is truly an extraordinary teammate,” Small said. “He motivates the team to incredible heights. He models outstanding work ethic in the pool with his daily workouts. He is quick to work with younger swimmers to help them improve. He has always been very quick to put aside individual desires for the overall team goal … Nicky is one of the best all-around leaders with whom I have worked.”

“Now it was my turn to be the junior,” Sundquist said, “and those freshman who were coming in and the sophomores, who were on the team the year before it was kind of my year to start [helping out] the young swimmers. It’s about leading by example, and also by helping out with their races, like giving them advice on their technique and how to prepare for an event, like what to do before states and Southwesterns. Just helping them out with whatever they need and being there as a teammate.”

Things only got better for Sundquist as he entered the upperclassman half of his high school years. In 2012, he was again named team MVP, and was selected for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram All-State Team, the Maine Swim Coaches All-State Team, and the all-conference team. He was also voted Class A Boys Swimmer of the Year by the Maine Swim Coaches Association. At the Southwesterns, he zoomed to first in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle races, once more helped secure first in the 400-meter freestyle relay, and was named “Swimmer of the Meet.” Windham placed first at Southwesterns again that year. At states, he became Class A champion in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 47.49 seconds, and at New Englands he ascended the first-place podium following both the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle events.

“The pressure definitely gets to you,” Sundquist said. “And it’s not always fun, but then again, the pressure and the competition really bring out the best of you. It really drives you to do your best times, and to do the best you can in the pool. It’s a lot more fun when you have that competition there. Maybe not before the race, but during the race and after, [the competition] makes it a lot more sweet and special.”

This past season, his senior season, he was selected again for the Press Herald and Maine Swim Coaches all-state teams, as well as the all-conference team. Windham, under Sundquist’s leadership, again won the Southwesterns a three-peat and Sundquist himself won the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle races, the latter in a new meet record time of 1:46.00. His team took the 200-meter freestyle relay gold once more, he became the first swimmer in Southwesterns history to go a perfect 12 events with 12 first-place finishes in his high school career, and was of course named Swimmer of the Meet for a second time. At states this year, he won the 200-meter freestyle in 1.41.37 (a team record and the second fastest 200 freestyle in Maine history) and the 100-meter freestyle in 47 seconds flat besting Crocker’s state championship record.

“What’s been very unique for a person of Nicky’s talent,” Small said, “is to see how humble he is. Many of his peers do not know of the level of success and talent that Nicky holds. I often have people ask me in school if Nicky is a good swimmer. He has consistently been a cheerleader for the team cause, but is so very humble about his own accomplishments.”

Sundquist finished the year undefeated in individual events, and closes his Windham career holding nine team records. In his four seasons as an Eagle, he had 40 record-breaking swims all told. But he’s hardly about to hang up his goggles. His involvement in USA Swimming has taken him all over the country, from New York to Wisconsin to Minnesota to Florida. In Minnesota he shared the pool with Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, and in both Florida and New York, he qualified for and swam in six events, at the 2011 and 2012 USA Sectionals, respectively.

Sundquist plans to continue swimming in college, and a number of big-name schools from around the country including Boston University, Boston College, the University of Massachusetts, and California Polytechnic State University have recruited him. He hasn’t decided on a post-secondary destination quite yet, but is leaning towards either the University of Maine at Orono, where he might major in business, or the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he would likely major in sports management. Both are great schools, he says, and have great swim programs. “I like the coaches, I like the teams, and I like the schools,” he said. “Both would be good for me.

“My goal right now is just to get better and faster, and also to help out whatever college team I go to. I need to first do that, and help them win, and do whatever they need me to do. I definitely want to work harder, and get faster, and get bigger, and see where that takes me, but it’s kind of hard to tell right now. Every swimmer grows differently…so it’s really hard to tell who’s necessarily bound for the Olympics and who’s not – it just all kind of depends on how you grow. I’m going to work to get, like, maybe to that level, but I’m not sure if that’s my goal right now. My goal right now is to help out whatever college I go to.”

“He has improved greatly in his knowledge and ability to race and his mental approach to the sport,” Small said. “And yet, Nicky still has great potential at the next level.”

Windham senior Nick Sundquist exits the pool after his record-setting 100-meter freestyle race at the South Southwestern Conference championship meet. Courtesy photos
Windham senior Nick Sundquist breaks the pool surface and gulps air while swimming the breaststroke in a race against Yarmouth earlier this year. Courtesy photos

Copy the Story Link