BANGOR — Anya Heiden felt good about her Deering/Portland co-op swim team’s chances in the Class A girls state championship meet when she boarded the bus late Monday morning to make the trip to Bangor’s Husson University.
“I got on the bus, and there was so much laughter and so much supportive energy. That’s when I knew, we’ve got it,” Heiden said. “We sang the entire path of the bus ride. We just wanted to show everyone what our team culture was like, because that’s our most important asset.”
While the RamDogs didn’t win a single event, they piled up points in almost every race, and that was the key to ensuring their second consecutive Class A title.
Deering/Portland finished with 285 points, well ahead of Falmouth’s 256. The Mt. Ararat/Brunswick co-op placed third with 209.
Deering/Portland set the tone early, placing third in the opening 200-yard medley relay. The RamDogs followed that with 32 points in the 200 freestyle, with freshman Amelia MacDonald in seventh place and Heiden in eighth. Then they added 35 points in the 200 individual medley, with freshman Breen Whelan pacing the team in third place.
Portland/Deering’s highest individual finish went to MacDonald, who was second in the 500 freestyle. The RamDogs knew their edge in depth could be the biggest factor in the meet. The only event in which Deering/Portland didn’t pick up points was the 50 freestyle. The RamDogs clinched the meet with 34 points in the 100 breaststroke, the final individual event of the day, with senior Anica Spencer taking fifth, senior Sophia Harrod-Kim eighth and freshman Luca Montague ninth.
“That’s what our coaches have been saying to us over the last two weeks. We did a lot of visualizing of these races. Our depth and our gelling as a team led us to this victory,” said senior Kaia West.
Thornton Academy’s Kenzie Shields, a sophomore, was named Swimmer of the Meet after winning the 200 IM (2:12.25) and 500 free (5:11.91).
“I just wanted to push myself and try my best,” Shields said of her effort in the 500, which she won by 27 seconds.
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In the 200 IM, Shields pulled away during the second leg, the backstroke, then increased her lead in the breaststroke.
Lewiston junior Gabby Roy, a member of the Edward Little/Lewiston co-op team, earned wins in the 50 free (25.07 seconds) and 100 butterfly (1:00.94). Roy said she feels most comfortable in the butterfly.
“I love butterfly. It’s a good challenge, mentally and physically. It’s a lot of fun,” she said. I’m always nervous, but once I’m up on the blocks, I’m ready to go. It’s always the same, always the prerace nerves.”
Layla Hammer, a Brunswick sophomore competing with the Mt. Ararat/Brunswick co-op team, earned wins in the 100 freestyle (54.69 seconds) and 100 backstroke (58.58 seconds). Hammer said she’s been working on the underwater portion of the backstroke, coming off the turns, and could see she had the race well in hand at those times.
“I love backstroke. It makes me really happy. It’s also really freeing to me. I love being able to breathe,” Hammer said.
Lucy Perry, a Thornton Academy sophomore, took firsts in the 200 freestyle (1:58.05) and 100 breaststroke (1:07.78).
Mt. Ararat/Brunswick picked up wins in the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay. Falmouth won the 200 freestyle relay.
On Friday, Falmouth’s Jillian Johnson set a state record in 1-meter diving, scoring 541.10 points.
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