CAMBRIDGE — The Amherst girls swimming team finished as the runners-up at the MIAA Division 1 State Championship on Saturday morning at the Zesiger Center Pool at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Throughout a large chunk of the day, the Hurricanes held onto the first-place spot, before eventually settling in second place with 244 points. Concord Carlisle took home the most points overall by the end of the meet with 283, winning its third championship in as many years.
For Amherst, this was its first year at the Division 1 level, proving that the team belongs on the biggest stage. Ever since winning the Division 2 championship back in 2022, the Hurricanes have consistently been in the mix, living up to the same standard at the higher level this year.
“This was a little bit new,” Amherst head coach Denise Leckenby said. “It is a bigger stage here, bigger schools… I wasn’t too sure what to expect because this was new for me. They stepped up to the plate, and paid attention, and really were committed to every single swim at every single point.”
The Hurricanes were led by their senior class, with seven of the eight swimmers who competed for Amherst exiting the final meets of their high school careers with the runner-up finish.
Rowan Albertson sat atop the group with a team-high 34 points on the day, good enough for sixth out of all swimmers. The senior was nearly perfect in her individual events, with a pair of second-place finishes in the 50 freestyle (24.00) and the 100 freestyle (52.96).
“[Albertson will] be very much missed,” Leckenby said. “It’s been fun to watch her swimming career with some ups and downs. She’s sort of persevered in the past couple of years and really helped motivate the entire team. She’s a great team player.”
The seniors were joined by Emory Albertson, an eighth grader who made the most of her opportunity on the big stage on Saturday. Finishing with 30 points, she earned the second most on the team.
Emory Albertson clocked in at 1:00.31 in the 100 backstroke, good for third place, while taking fifth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:14.86. She also competed alongside her sister in the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.
“That’s where the older and younger swimmer mentorship comes in for our team,” Leckenby said. “That makes a huge difference in building up and continuing a program, is to have welcoming seniors who can carry [her] along.”
The seniors meshed well with their eighth-grade teammate in the relays, earning a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay (1:49.52) by over four seconds while also claiming the top spot in the 400 freestyle relay (3:39.08), two seconds faster than second place.
Teagen Demers joined the Albertson sisters in both relays, adding on a sixth-place finish in the 200 individual medley (2:16.11) and eighth in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.82) for 24 total points.
Finnley Chambers and Audrey Spiridopoulos each assisted with one of the first-place relays, while earning 28 and 22 points with their individual events, respectively.
“[The seniors] are irreplaceable,” Leckenby said. “Their energy, their commitment to mentoring the younger swimmers, is really impactful to our team, and many of them will go on to continue swimming. I think they made a really profound memory today, and it was really fun to watch and cheer for.”
Chambers’ 28 points came from fifth-place times in the 200 freestyle (1:58.10) and 500 freestyle (5:17.13), while also helping her team earn sixth in the 200 freestyle relay.
Spiridopoulos also aided in the 200 freestyle relay, adding on a sixth-place finish in the 100 fly (1:00.57) and ninth in the individual medley (2:16.86).
The pair was joined by Lindsay Franz and Lily Wambura in the 200 freestyle relay, with their sixth-place time clocking in at 1:44.72.
“It just felt like the momentum kept carrying them on, and they just kept bringing all their speed,” Leckenby said. “They swam happy [on Saturday], which, in general, I think happy swimmers swim fast, so that was really great to see.”
Northampton also competed in Saturday’s meet, with a small group of three swimmers competing on the big stage. Clara Bloomenthal raced at her first state tournament, competing in the 500 freestyle and improving her best time by over four seconds.
The senior’s final swim of her high school career clocked in at 5:35.01, good for 14th place overall.
Elise Marks participated in the diving competition, finishing the finals at 321.60, slotting her in at 15th place and scoring her first points in the state championship.
Safia Abdul-Knerr rounded out the day for the Blue Devils by competing in the 200 individual medley (2:24.96) and 100 backstroke (1:05.47), earning 21st place in both events.
“[I’m] really happy with [Saturday],” Northampton head coach Peter Davis said. “We basically have an all-new group… Really happy with how they came out and handled it… Just a really positive day.”