They moved up to a bigger division, and they became big contenders.
The Our Lady of Mercy Academy girls swimming team competed in the A Division of the South Jersey Interscholastic Swimming Association Coaches’ Invitational for the first time in its school’s history at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology on Jan. 21. The Villagers not only looked like they belonged, they almost won the whole thing.
OLMA took second place in the team scoring in the larger and more competitive division thanks to an all-around great effort up and down the lineup.
“We said that this is the first part of our journey,” first-year OLMA coach Stephen Tucker said. “We have our conference championships coming up and county championships, and we want to finish off the dual meet season and have a great state title run. All the girls worked so hard. They did everything you could ask and more.”
The Newfield school finished just behind Cherry Hill East in the team scoring to finish second among the 22 teams in their division. They were led by a pair of record-breaking races by sophomore Scarlett McGlinchey of Sewell, who won the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 breaststroke.
“Going into the meet, I honestly didn’t know what I would get out of it,” McGlinchey said. “I was a little nervous about how I would do. I told myself that I have nothing to lose. I might as well go for it.”
McGlinchey’s time of 2:03.63 in the 200 IM broke Cherry Hill East grad Grace Yoon’s 2020 meet record by nearly two seconds. Her breaststroke time of 1:03.63 broke another of Yoon’s meet records and was good enough to qualify as an All-American Consideration time.
“Going into the race, I was looking at records and checking out the standards that I needed to meet,” McGlinchey said. “So when I saw that I was reaching my goal, I was really excited.”
McGlinchey’s success didn’t come as a surprise to her coach.
“She is the epitome of a person who steps up on the block and does everything you ask her to do,” Tucker said. “She’s a hard worker and most importantly, she’s a good person to be around. Her teammates rally around her. You know she’s always going to give you 100 percent.”
Before McGlinchey’s magic, junior Isabela Valle captured the first individual victory of the day by taking the 200 freestyle.
“I had a very good competitor in [Moorestown’s] Maddie Waggoner, and she really pushed me to get a good time and get a good place,” Valle said.
Valle edged out Waggoner in the 200 free, and they switched spots in the 500 free as Valle took a close second. OLMA’s Reese Hetzler finished seventh in the 500 free and eighth in the 200 free, while Izzy Rossi took ninth in the 100 back. Overall, the Villagers broke seven school records that afternoon.
“They learned to build such a culture that they’ve learned to trust one another,” Tucker said. “They get up on the block, and they say, ‘I have to do the best’ not only for what they are trying to do as a swimmer, but also to represent the school, which is important to them.”
That teamwork extends beyond the pool. The next day, the team performed community service, participating in a beach cleanup in Ocean City organized by junior Rose Mahon.
Their swimming work is far from over. “We’re so excited,” Valle said. “It’s been a lot of fun, and we’re not done yet.”
Notable Performances
Paul VI’s Ellie Davis had a pair of top-five performances, placing fifth in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events, while Camden Catholic’s girls 200 free relay team took sixth place with an impressive swim.
In the morning session, Bishop Eustace freshman phenom Alyce Lehman won two individual events in the B Division, which included the smaller schools in South Jersey. Lehmann won the 200 IM and later broke the meet record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.57.
Lehmann’s sophomore teammate Renee Bak placed second in the 100 freestyle and fourth in the 100 breaststroke, and the Crusaders’ 200 medley relay team placed third while its 200 free relay team took home fourth place.
On the boys’ side, Bishop Eustace’s Daniel Venuti took fifth place in both the 50 and 100 freestyle events.
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