Girls Swim team wins 3A State Championship

Photo courtesy of Judge Memorial Catholic High School

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Head Swim Coach Matt Finnigan and the Judge Memorial Catholic High School Girls Swim Team win the 2009 3A State Championship title for the sixth time in seven years. Five seniors will graduate, but the remaining team will be back working hard, having fun, and setting goals for another great season. 

SALT LAKE CITY — Judge Memorial Catholic High School Girls Swim Team won the 2009 State 3A Championship Title at Brigham Young University, Feb. 6-7.

Named to the 3-A All-State Girls Swim Team were: senior Megan Bush, junior Carolyn Carter, junior Kenzie Carter, freshman Cassandra Cokl, senior Garam Kim, junior Victoria Luman, senior Kate McMinimee, and senior Maria Schwarz.

The team is coached by Matt Finnigan. The girls squad captured its sixth team 3A state title in seven years.

In the final minutes of the meet, the girls knew they had won the championship, but that did not keep every member of the team from lining the deck to cheer on their teammates in the final event of the day.

Finnigan was selected as the outstanding 3A Girls Coach of the Year by the Utah Swimming Coaches Association. He is assisted by Giulia Longo and graduate assistant Becky Jackson.

"Last year Park City, our bitter but much respected rival, beat us by five points on the last relay," said Finnigan. "So that stopped our string at five in a row. But then we reclaimed a victory this year. So it is six out of seven years as the girls like to say.

"We lost three seniors, so the bulk of our team came back this year and they were fired up from day one," said Finnigan. "They were focused on winning the State Championship and reclaiming the title. The seniors said this was their favorite title ever. The other years they were expected to win, but this year, although they were certainly one of the top teams, they were not necessarily predicted to win. In fact, two out of the three ratings that came out in the Deseret News Judge was rated second out of the top five. Park City was rated number one and the team to beat.

"We were fine with that, and did not pay a lot of attention to it," said Finnigan. "The girls just stayed focused on what they wanted to do at the state tournament and that was to have fun, swim well, and swim as a team. They figured if they did those three things, then winning would be a given. Not being expected to win took the pressure off the girls. The target was on Park City.

"The girls were really focused and wanted to win, and did not even worry about anything," said Finnigan.

"One of our most impressive swimmers was Kim," said Finnigan. "She swam for us all four years. She made the state team her sophomore through senior years. Not having made state her freshman year, I think made her work that much harder.

"Kim was traditionally one of our hardest workers and paid attention to what makes a good swimmer great such as the underwater skills that are so important," said Finnigan. "She was one of those kids who learned exceptionally well how to hold on to the speed and the momentum once she came into the wall and pushed off the wall. This year she won the 100 freestyle by almost three seconds. She is looking at going to the University of Chicago. That is her top choice.

"McMinimee, a J.E. Cosgriff Memorial graduate, was a team captain, and is looking at going to Duke University," said Finnigan. "She was a swimmer who was so reliable. She was really the catalyst at keeping the team even keeled and calm going into the state meet. It work phenomenally because some kids tend to be tense and tight. She led them and assured them that last week that they had worked hard, all we have to do is go in and swim the race. So I did not have to do that, and it means a lot coming from one of their peers.

"McMinimee had a great meet," said Finnigan. "She swam the 100 butterfly and took second place. She also swam the individual medley, which is all strokes, and finished second, and was on two winning relay teams.

"Cokl, was a Blessed Sacrament graduate," said Finnigan. "She is a great kid and freshman, but so mature for her age. I do not think there was one day during the entire season when we did some of the hardest, monster sets, and she never complained. She just put her head down and worked hard. I would ask her to do certain techniques to improve certain parts of her stroke and she worked hard to do what I asked of her.

"Cokl had a great meet," said Finnigan. "She was a rookie swimming against juniors and seniors. She swam the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle, and she was on one of two winning relay teams. The other relay team finished fourth. She was in the anchor position in that relay team, which is the person you really rely on. She swam well, and is going to be a good swimmer for us the next three years. She is a great student, like all the rest of the team.

"Essentially we will be building the team around her in the future," said Finnigan. "It really was a team effort.

"I can think of four more swimmers who were integral to this state championship," said Finnigan. "There is Bush, who was a co-captain, Lumen, and Carolyn and Kenzie Carter, who are all good athletes.

"Bush went to Cosgriff and would like to go to Drexel University in Philadelphia," said Finnigan. "She has come so far and really overwhelmed me going out this season. One of the joys of coaching is to be able to watch the development of an athlete who is also a phenomenal student."