AUDREY COOK takes first place in the breaststroke at the “Big Meet”. The Wakefield High swimmer holds various Bear Hill records in the breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly. (Alyssa Kelley Photo)
By MARC GAGNE
STONEHAM — It was a victory nearly 60 years in the making.
On Saturday, the Bear Hill Golf Club’s swim and dive team, filled with Wakefield swimmers and coaches, won the North Shore Swim League (“NSSL”) Championship for the first time in team history. The NSSL was founded in 1963 and Bear Hill joined in 1967. Each summer, Bear Hill competes in this league against several clubs in the area, with six meets per year and then the “Big Meet” at the end of the season, which decides the league winner.
Bear Hill had never won the Big Meet apart from a tie with Reading’s Meadowbrook club in 2018. Bear Hill lost by just one point last year.
Coaches Matt Gallagher, Nora Scanlon, Hannah Guay, Grace McHugh and Jack Morris, all from Wakefield, set the team up for success this year with their hard work over the course of the season teaching technique to swimmers and divers and always encouraging them to do their best. For this year’s Big Meet, the coaches crafted the best lineups that put them in a position to win.
Regarding the factors that led the team to win, head coach Matt Gallagher said, “The success of the team is due to the pride and determination this team had. Despite a heartbreaking loss last year, they were able to overcome the odds and push each other to be an even better version of last year’s team and, as a result, were able to take home the victory in convincing fashion.”
So many swimmers contributed to Bear Hill’s 314-point total that won them the league championship, but there were definitely a number of standouts. Wakefield’s Calvin Holmes was the swimmer with the most points in the league, as he won each of his individual races for the entire season. Holmes, age 12, finished in first place at the Big Meet for boys 11-12 freestyle, butterfly and backstroke and first in boys’ 12 and under individual medley. He usually won by large margins.
Another Wakefield swimmer who was vital to the team’s success this year and in years past is Emma Santoro, age 13. During the Big Meet, Santoro came in first for 13-14 girls in the freestyle and backstroke, as well first in the individual medley for girls 13 and over. She came in second by a hair in the girls 13-14 butterfly. Santoro holds Bear Hill records in the 11-12 and 13-14 girls age groups for butterfly, backstroke and freestyle, and the individual medley records for girls 12 and under and girls 13 and over. Emma also holds the record for the entire league in girls 11-12 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.68 seconds.
There are a number of talented siblings on the Bear Hill team, and one of the most dominant pairs is Wakefield’s Audrey and James Cook. In the Big Meet, James finished in first place in the 13-14 boys freestyle and backstroke, while Audrey finished first in the 15-16 girls breaststroke. Audrey and James finished their other races usually in second or third place, contributing numerous points towards the team total. Audrey holds every Bear Hill girls’ breaststroke record from ages 7 through 16, and she also holds the Bear Hill girls 7-8 backstroke record and the girls 9-10 butterfly record. James Cook holds the Bear Hill 13-14 backstroke record and the individual medley record for boys 13 and over.
Four more Wakefield swimmers on the Bear Hill team finished in first place in their races at the Big Meet: Charlie Whitcomb for 6 and under boys freestyle, Colin Donovan for boys 7-8 breaststroke, Connor Timmins for 9-10 boys backstroke and Layla Santoro for 7-8 girls backstroke and butterfly. Layla also holds a Bear Hill record for her age group in backstroke.
Numerous other Wakefield swimmers scored points toward the team total in the Big Meet, finishing their individual and/or relay races in second through fifth place in the exciting event finals. These Wakefield swimmers include Madeline Mantalos, Emmelyn Magoon, Mila Bethune, Rocco Woollacott, John Gallagher, Giulia McNamara, Olivia Pisani, Gianna Santoro, Charlotte Holmes, Christopher McNamara, Mya Bethune, Lincoln Hill, Colleen Curran, Teddy Abcunas, Dougie Arner, Nathan Ferrell, Emma Murphy and Marc Gagne.
The relays are always the most exciting part of the Big Meet. Bear Hill ended up crushing the competition in this category, scoring so many points from relay finishes in first, second and third place. Highlights included the 10 and under boys’ freestyle relay with Max Hill, Lincoln Hill, Christopher McNamara and Connor Timmins and the 11-12 girls’ freestyle relay with Katie McHugh, Gianna Santoro, Tessa Keane and Alyse Davis, who were projected to come in fourth but finished the race first.
The 13 and over boys’ freestyle relay for Bear Hill was one of the most impressive groups of the day. James Cook, Joe Berrian, Alex Barone, and Vincent Barone smashed the league record and came in first by a large margin with a time of 1:36.18. Bear Hill would have struggled to win the Big Meet without the Barone brothers (Alex and Vincent) and Berrian brothers (Joe and Luke), from Stoneham and Lynnfield respectively. They scored dozens of points for their team over the course of the season in both individual events and in relays. Alex Barone holds Bear Hill records in 7-8 boys breaststroke and backstroke, 9-10 boys butterfly and backstroke and 13-14 boys butterfly and freestyle. Vincent broke his own Bear Hill 15-16 boys butterfly record this year. Joe holds the Bear Hill 15-16 boys backstroke record.
Diving is a popular part of the Big Meet as well, and for Bear Hill this year, Wakefield’s Violet Keane won first place for girls 12 and under, breaking her own Bear Hill diving point total record. Wakefield’s Lincoln Hill came in first for 12 and under boys with an impressive set of dives. Wakefield divers Macy Hill and Marc Gagne scored points in the girls and boys 13 and over categories for Bear Hill. Additional Bear Hill divers included Patrick Curran, Charlie Warner and Adeline Lewis. Each diver performed a combination of a front dive, a back drive, and two special dives, including flips, twists, and turns. They were expertly coached all year by Wakefield’s Jack Morris.
Towards the end of the Big Meet, the enthusiastic Bear Hill fan section was as loud as could be cheering on the freestyle relays. When the scores were updated before the last two relays, everyone knew that Bear Hill would come out on top and the celebrations erupted.
“I didn’t realize we were going to win until they announced the scores with two races left, and I realized it wasn’t possible for anyone to catch us. It was at that moment that it all rushed over me, and I realized history had been made. It was surreal to look at the scene of the 60th NSSL Championship around me and realize this was the first time ever we had put together all the necessary components to bring the trophy home,” said head coach Matt Gallagher.
After the historic win, Bear Hill hosted its annual after party at the pool, where the swimmers, divers, parents, and coaches came together to celebrate the occasion with food, funny relays, parents and coaches tossed in the pool and lots of singing and dancing. During the team banquet a few nights later, a number of awards were given out for exceptional swimming and diving performance, coaches’ awards, most improved swimmer, spirit awards, and so on. Award recipients were Vincent Barone, Emma Santoro, Calvin Holmes, Layla Santoro, Owen Kelley, Patrick Curran, Kayla Gallagher, Marc Gagne, Violet Keane, Macy Hill, Adeline Lewis, Morgan Bethune, Connor Timmins, Charlie Whitcomb, Rocco Woollacott and Nathan Ferrell.
Additional Wakefield swimmers not previously mentioned who were part of the team and faithfully attended practices and meets over the course of the season include Abigail Donovan, Claire Robinson, Hannah Bradford, Alexa O’Brien, Hattie Johnson, Alyza MacKay, Grace Whitcomb, Harper Gallagher, Abbie Warner, Ellie Dussault, Anthony Pisani, Blake Ferrell, Tobin Andrews, Leo Donovan, Isabel Timmins, Tess Dussault, Jocelyn O’Brien, Ellie Johnson, Bridget Fitzgerald, Aryana MacKay, Keira Lynch, Madigan Lynch, Maisey Donovan, Georgia Keane, Meghan Kieran, Benjamin Rindone, Madelyn Donovan, Morgan Bethune, Katherine Halunen, Olivia Vacanti, Charlotte Giunta, Jocelyn Aliski, Clara Medeiros, Maeve Mantalos, Caitlin Curran, Burke Apfelbaum, Jameson Lynch, Vincenzo Woollacott, Tannen Small, Aine Hagan, Quinn Kelley, Julia Medeiros, Sarah Hickey, Ella Ferrell, Norah Fitzgerald, Ella Medeiros, Julianne Aliski, Sophie Hickey, Jack Hickey, Evan Linehan, Neve Fitzgerald and Adeline Moon.
It was truly a week to remember for the Bear Hill swim and dive family.