When the news of James Wells’ proposal to Lilly King captured national attention, it was no surprise to Long Reach Swim Club coach Jay Morissette, based at the Bath Area YMCA.
“[Wells] always had a strong personality; he has always been very focused, very driven, and always looking for big moments and thriving in those moments,” Morissette said.
James Wells, 28, swims the backstroke at the Bath YMCA before practicing with the Long Reach Swim Club on May 21, 2021. Brianna Soukup / Portland Press Herald file photo
Wells is a Phippsburg native and was a swimmer for the Long Reach Swimming Club at the Bath YMCA between 2000 and 2010, Morissette said. During Wells’ time at the Long Reach Swim Club, he set 15 state records before graduating from Morse High School in 2010.
After graduation, Wells went on to swim for the Indiana University team. Wells still holds four state records in Maine.
Wells retired after the 2021 Olympic trials, his third attempt at getting on the USA Olympic swim team. He competed in 2012 and 2016, specializing in the backstroke.
Morissette said Lilly King also went to Indiana University, but Wells had graduated when King was a freshman on the university’s swim team. The couple began seeing each other after being introduced through mutual friends.
Well popped the question June 20 in front of a national audience after King finished second to Kate Douglass in the 200-meter breaststroke.
The night, Morissette was watching the Olympic trials at home with friends and received texts from many people reacting to the news.
Morissette has seen the Long Reach Swim Club claim 36 YMCA state titles, with more than 200 swimmers reaching the top 16 in the YMCA National rankings with nine swimmers, including Wells, having gone on to compete in the Olympic Qualifiers, according to a press release from the Bath Area YMCA.
“[Wells] is a little surprised at how much attention it’s getting nationally, but as he knows, swimming in America is not a very popular media sport, and he is very happy it’s generating a lot of interest,” Morissette said.
Morissette has coached the Long Reach Swim Club for 39 years, with the program having 180 swimmers between the ages of 7 and 18 years old from towns across the region.
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