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10/07/2017 12:00 AMWins and losses aren’t necessarily the top priority for a first-year program. Either way, the Guilford girls’ swimming and diving team, which hit the water for its first season of competition this fall, is garnering plenty of triumphs in terms of its improved times, as well as increased confidence among its athletes.
Jen Amasino is the head coach for the Indians in their debut campaign as a varsity squad, and the team has come a long way since the start of the season, while developing the confidence needed to take on bigger challenges down the road. As a result, the Indians aren’t just receiving praise from their coach, but parents and fans, as well.
“We aren’t focusing on wins and losses, but we’re working on building the girls’ confidence. You need to have versatility in multiple events in swimming, and we’re working on building up their confidence in practice to try different events,” said Amasino. “In our first meet, we put the girls in different events they weren’t used to, and we had many disqualifications. But every day is a new day, and we’re getting better. But then we had our fifth meet against Mercy, and I had parents come up to me from the first meet and tell me how they look more like a team and had no DQs. To go from many DQs to having none and also now having the girls raise their hands to try those challenging events, it’s huge.”
“We are building the program and it starts with a foundation like that, plus the kids are feeling good about themselves,” she continued. “They are gaining confidence and asking me how can they be as fast as this girl or that girl. I tell them it takes a year-long commitment, and they are buying into that. From day one, the girls have had great team spirit.”
The Indians have two upperclass athletes serving as their captains. Senior Anna Reagle, who has Down syndrome, is one of Guilford’s captains. Junior Elizabeth Hicks is a co-captain with Reagle. Coach Amasino that even in their short stints as captains, Reagle and Hicks are proving a great duo who provide the right balance of leadership for their teammates.
“Anna...works her butt off, and swims year-round. It’s great that she shows her teammates that, even though she has her own disabilities, she gives 110-percent every day. She leads by her actions and hard work,” said Amasino. “Elizabeth is a more verbal leader and complements Anna well as the other captain. She’s great at helping the girls understand how a meet works and showing them the ropes. She’s also great with helping organize fundraisers.”
One of the Indians’ most accomplished swimmers is sophomore Alexandra Mayo, who’s displayed her talent in multiple events. Competing as a team-of-one in last year’s postseason, Mayo finished second in the 100 freestyle and was third for the 200 freestyle at the Class M State Championship, earning All-State honors in both events. Anna Angkatavanich, Julie Orenstein, and Leah Chaudun are also making big splashes as sophomores, while freshmen Julia Earle and Haley Moriarity are showing promise for Guilford.
“Alexandra is our strongest swimmer and swims year-round. She is a leader and is versatile. She’s very humble and will do anything for the team. She has an outstanding work ethic and is a great role model for the kids,” Amasino said. “We have some freshmen that have been dropping times and getting faster. Julia has done the [200 individual medley] a lot for us, and she swam at 2:56 her third time at it. She’s believing in herself. Haley has a great attitude and is a great cheerleader for the team with her energy. She’s a great role model, too. She’s a big contributing factor towards points we’ve won in meets. Julie is improving in the 500 free. Leah has been doing tougher events for us like the 100 butterfly. Her and Anna have also been staying positive.”
Of course, the Indians want to see several athletes get a taste of the postseason by competing at SCCs and states. However, Coach Amasino wants to see the athletes who don’t qualify also go to those meets, so they can experience the intensity of the heats, and get a feel for what it takes to make it to the big stage.
“It would be nice to have our relays drop times, and have our team have big performances at states and let people know we’re building a program here,” said Amasino. “For those that don’t make the cut for the postseason, I want them to still go to the meets and use that as motivation to work hard and make the dedication to be better. If we do all that, we’ll be better by leaps and bounds in the future.”
• Jen Amasino is a 1995 graduate of East Haven High School who later coached the Yellowjackets. Amasino is the former head coach of the Hand girls’ swimming and diving team, which she guided to runner-up finishes at SCC and Class M State championships in 2004. She’s also a swimming coach at Soundview YMCA in Branford.
• Linda Lepeak is the assistant coach for the Indians this year.
• In last week’s meets, the Indians took 93-75 loss to a Foran and a 93-77 defeat versus Sheehan.
• For the Class L State Championship meet, the Diving Championship will take place on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Middletown, the Swimming Qualifying will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. at East Hartford, and the Swimming Championship will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Wesleyan University.