The swimming dominance at Westminster — 57 combined state championships — cannot be attributed solely to the presence of exceptional year-round club swimmers. The Wildcats, like most of the state’s best teams, do have plenty of those. But it has been the ability to grow their own swimmers that has made the biggest difference.
“We’re able to have kids that aren’t year-round swimmers,” coach Sharon Loughran said. “If they’ll put the work in, as we call it, ‘paying the piper,’ they can score points at state and that’s a game changer. All the programs have year-round swimmer, but that’s why we’re able to stay in the top right year in and year out.”
The Westminster boys team has produced 29 state champions and the girls have come away with 28, including the past seven in a row. And when the GSHA holds the state meet Feb. 5-8 at Georgia Tech, the odds are good that the Wildcats will again find their way on the podium.
The “paying the piper” mantra was first used by Pete Higgins, the larger-than-life coach who ran the program from 1960-2016 ad for whom the school’s pool is named. Higgins produced 41 state championship teams, 140 high school All-Americas and four Olympians and was the first coach from Georgia inducted into the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.
Loughran took over the Westminster program eight years ago after winning state titles at Walton and has led the Wildcats to 12 titles, acknowledges that the Wildcats have an advantage over most schools because it has its on-campus pool, the Merrill Aquatic Center. That makes it easier to induce people who aren’t year-round swimmers to get involved with the team. But high school swimmers are still required to do 2½ hours each day, a half-hour of dryland workouts and two hours in the water.
“We have an unbelievable coaching staff, and we work hard at keeping them on track and keeping them calm and doing what they need to do,” Loughran said. “I think the secret sauce — and it’s not really a secret — is just good old-fashioned hard work. The kids that do the hard work over the holidays and don’t take off, they’re the ones that really see the benefits.”
Westminster graduated Katie Christopherson, who set a state record in the 100-yard freestyle last year in the first leg of the 400 relay. She also won the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke and now is swimming at the University of Virginia.
But the Wildcats have several returning swimmers who scored points, including sophomore Greta Myers, the state champion in the 200 freestyle and 200 butterfly. Myers first popped up on the radar as a seventh grader when she set a school record in 100 butterfly that had been held by someone who had competed at Stanford and reached the Olympic Trials. Loughran isn’t sure which two individual events Myers will swim at state.
Lauren Foglesong was part of the winning 200 medley relay and 200 relay team that placed fourth. Ansley Sgrosso was on the winning 400 freestyle relay team. Caroline Anderson was on the winning 400 freestyle relay team and fourth-place 200 relay. Harrie Harris and Ella Anthony finished fifth-sixth at diving last year.
Credit: Clyde Click
Credit: Clyde Click
The boys are led by sophomore Connor Christopherson, who took silver in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle last year. Other returners are Max Rodbell and Graeme Marshall, who both picked up points in relays last year, as well as Ethan Kittredge, who will play water polo in college, and diver and Trevor Dempsey. Freshman Darrel Xiao could be the surprise factor.
Loughran expects Westminster to be in the hunt for another girls championship, although she acknowledged, “To win will be tough, but certainly if a couple things go right for us then we can get on the podium.” The boys are lined up to challenge for one of the top three spots after placing fourth last year.
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