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11/30/2016 11:00 PMJunior Jasmine Nguy recently helped the North Haven girls’ swimming and diving team record its all-time top performance at the Class M State Championship, after which she was named one of the Indians’ senior captains for next season. Head Coach Martha Phelan feels confident that Jasmine is going to be a great captain who will continue using her versatility to help North Haven succeed in 2017.
“Her leadership begins with her passion for swimming. She is a year-round swimmer that is willing to do whatever for her team,” Coach Phelan says. “I’ve used Jasmine in several events that were not hers, which led to a successful outcome.”
Serving as an outlet for her teammates is one of the most important things for Jasmine in her new role as captain. Jasmine says that she always wants to do “what is best for the girls,” and be someone they can all feel comfortable talking to.
“Honestly, a good leader is someone who can make everyone feel comfortable,” Jasmine says. “It is also someone who makes others want to do better, to have everyone reach their highest potential.”
Jasmine’s dedication to swimming began at a young age. Jasmine started taking swimming lessons when she was four and, after trying out a few other sports, she decided to commit to competitive swimming at age six. Since then, Jasmine has been swimming year-round with her club team and continues doing so once the high school season is finished.
“It keeps me in the swimming mode and allows me to continue reaching goals,” says Jasmine.
At this year’s SCC Championship meet, Jasmine recorded her lifetime-best marks in both the 200-yard freestyle (with a time of 2:01.95, which put her in 10th place) and the 100 butterfly (1:02.58, 12th place). Then in the Class M Qualifier, Jasmine reset her best time for the butterfly at 1:02.36. At the Class M State Championship, Jasmine was eighth in the 200 freestyle (2:02.35) and took 12th in the butterfly (1:02.50). Jasmine also swam on two relays at states, including the 200 medley relay that finished fourth and qualified for the most elite meet of the postseason—the State Open.
“Coach Phelan and the girls supported me and pushed me to do great things,” says Jasmine. “I was happy of my accomplishments this year because it shows that I’m still improving. As you get older, it gets harder to drop your times, so to know that I’m still improving makes me extremely motivated.”
Coach Phelan says Jasmine is able to drop seconds off her times because of the unrelenting work ethic she displays in the pool.
“Jasmine trains really hard. She never takes a day off from being a swimmer or being a leader,” says Phelan. “She’s everything a coach would want. She’s a good student, happy, motivated, and gives her best.”
Jasmine has grown a lot and learned a ton from her experiences with both her club squad and the Indians. One of the things she likes most about swimming with North Haven is the team aspect and how “you pick each other up and understand how others feel.” That strong support system among the Indians’ athletes has helped the team grow and string together some successful seasons. This year, North Haven brought 10 athletes to the State Championship—which was its most in program history—and came away with its best showing behind a fourth-place finish.
“Finishing fourth as a team out of 21 teams was a really proud moment,” Jasmine says. “We all came together and fed off of each other’s energy.”
Jasmine and Coach Phelan have big expectations for what the team can achieve next season. After this year’s squad left its mark in North Haven swimming history, Jasmine feels that the 2017 Indians can reach even greater heights.
“I think next season we’re going to be the strongest we’ve ever been in my four years,” says Jasmine. “We had a winning record this year and I want to do even better.”