Carrillos spectacular senior swimmers
MCHS swim team at pool (Raffaella Bravo, The Puma Prensa)
By Raffaella Bravo, editor
If someone were to ask, I would use the three qualities of "Dedicated, united, and successful" to define our Maria Carrillo swim team. Every player on the Carillo swim team is extremely valuable. However, I wanted to draw attention to two of our soon-fleeting seniors who have grown dramatically in their sport and made it to Division I swimming schools at the end of their high school careers. These swimmers are seniors Finn Brophy and Kennedy Lee.
MCHS swimmer Finn Brophy (Raffaella Bravo, The Puma Prensa)
Since 6 years old, Brophy has been competitively swimming with a club. Swimming an average of 6,000 meters daily, he completes a minimum of 36,000 meters per week. His commitment to his sport shows through his weekly schedule of practicing 6 times a week and doing double days, typically 2 days a week. Through all his hard work, he is now committed to his top choice, Hawaii Manoa University, to enter the most competitive swimming division. With four dual and two championship meets for high school left, and 2 club meets, Brophy is preparing for a busy end of the season. When asked about free time outside of his sports and school, he says, “Usually there is no free time, but when I do I like to go surfing.” For the 50-meter freestyle, Brophy swims a swift 20.6 seconds. For a 100-meter freestyle short course (25 feet pool), he swims 45.1 seconds. Brophy plans on swimming through his four years of college and casually long after. He remarks that his favorite part of swimming is “the competitive aspect, and the competition is really fun for me.”
MCHS swimmer Kennedy Lee (Raffaella Bravo, The Puma Prensa)
Lee also shows their commitment to swimming by practicing six days a week and typically two double days. Throughout the year, they have averaged 20 hours of swimming per week. Lee specializes in butterfly and backstroke swimming. Lee is committed to swimming competently at John Hopkins University for division one. They remark that their reason for their choice besides academics was the university's location, noting that the city feel was something they prioritized. Lee began swimming at four and started competitive swimming around seven. Lee has also never taken a break from swimming and has stayed dedicated throughout their journey with swimming, only recalling a mere two weeks of leave. Lee has four high school meets to finish high school and plans to swim for the club during the summer. In their free time, Lee participates in a band for the school and plays the French horn. Lee contributes to Carrillo significantly through their success in swimming and band. Lee also enjoys drawing and painting during their free time, as a hobby. Their favorite part of swimming is the community and connections built through swimming. For the 100-meter butterfly, she races around 57.5 seconds for a short course of 25 feet. Lee also plans to swim all four years of college.
Overall, Lee and Brophys’ insurmountable contributions to our swim team, since freshman year, are some for the books and now they have seen their hard work pay off with their success in committing to their top colleges for swim. Our Maria Crallo swim team is comprised of many talented and dedicated swimmers who have experienced a wealth of success in winning many NBL championships over the years. Carrilo will miss these devoted and passionate swimmers; however, we will cheer on Lee and Brophy for their next season of success in college swimming. ”