Judge Memorial girls' swim team wins 10th title

Courtesy photo/JMCHS

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The Judge Memorial Bulldogs, led by coach Matt Finnigan, had a successful state meet.

PROVO — Freshman Amelia Wolfgramm earned two individual state titles and set a 3A state record anchoring the Bulldog 400-yard relay team that claimed the third straight state title since 2009 for Judge Memorial Catholic High School at Brigham Young University Feb. 5. Wolfgramm was named the 3A Most Outstanding Girls’ Swimmer.

"Amelia is a phenomenal person," Judge Memorial coach Matt Finnigan said. "She broke not just a 3A state record in the 100-yard backstroke, but the state record in any classification. We weren’t expecting that this year, but she swam with her heart."

Wolfgramm won a state title in the 100-yard freestyle and set the record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.11. The previous record was 58.05. Her swim qualified her for the junior nationals, which will be held this summer at Stanford University. "She broke the school record and state record all in one swim," Finnigan said. "Wolfgramm promptly took her Swimmer of the Meet trophy and gave it to the boys’ and girls’ teams. She also won a medal in the 200-yard medley relay and gave it to an alternate teammate. She is mature beyond her years."

In the final event, the Bulldogs were hanging on to a 283.5 to 279 lead over the Park City Miners with only the 400-yard relay remaining. Park City had to win the race or finish at least two spots ahead of Judge to win the state title.

"I’m proud of the girls," said Finnigan, the swim coach of seven years. "This is our eighth title in nine years. The program overall has won 10 state championships. I’m proud of the girls because they weren’t picked to win this year. We were placed about third or fourth, so it was a different role for us. We just wanted to swim fast, have fun, and let the score take care of itself. I usually preach to our kids not to get so caught up in the point totals, just to get the most out of themselves and to be proud of what they and their teammates accomplish."

Every team is different, so Finnigan approaches them as they come. "This year’s win was a real team effort," he said. "We had 16 girls qualify and they all contributed to our title. It was amazing how many of the juniors, who may not have made an impact on our title two years ago, made a huge impact this year. Juniors Katie McMahan, Anne Henkels, Alyssa Corbett, Cassandra Cokl, Erica Azad, and the rest of the juniors really contributed to this year’s team. Senior captain Sarina Karwande made it to the podium in the 200 individual medley (IM) along with Henkels in the 100-yard butterfly."

The boys’ team won Region XI and finished in sixth place at state. "We had a number of outstanding swims, including junior Seamus Appel’s first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and his second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle," Finnigan said. "Sophomore Jason Motley swam well in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke. Junior Dillon Beckett was impressive in the 200 IM and the 100-yard butterfly and his twin, Parker Beckett, in the 200-yard IM and the 100-yard breaststroke."

This year’s state title comes in the 50th anniversary of Judge Memorial swimming. The school’s first swim team was in 1961; the first state title was in 1993. Other state tiles followed in 1996, with consecutive titles from 2003 through 2007.

"This year marks Judge’s 90th anniversary since the school opened, which makes this title even more special," said Marianne Bartman, Judge Memorial director of communications.