Twice as nice. 

For the second straight year, the Barrington High School boys and girls swim teams won state championships.

Eagles Coach Sandy Gorham credited the team-first approach by the Barrington boys and girls. He said a number of student-athletes competed in events that were not their strongest strokes but held the greatest opportunities for more team points. 

“They buy into it,” Gorham said. “I bring my football coaching mentality — ‘This is what’s best for the team.’ They trust me on it.”

In addition, many Barrington swimmers clocked their fastest times ever, dropping two, three, four… even 15 seconds.

“When it comes to winning the championship, you have to have the depth,” Gorham said. “And some of these kids just swam out of their minds. … I’ve got to give them credit, when the whistle blew, they were ready.”

The BHS boys team outscored Bishop Hendricken, 383-371. North Kingstown finished third with 170 points, while Cumberland was fourth with 160 points, and Lincoln was fifth 130.

The Barrington girls team scored 320 points, outpacing runners-up Prout, which finished with 265 points. North Kingstown was third with 225 points, Narragansett finished fourth with 212 points, and Lincoln High School was fifth with 150 points. 

The back-to-back championships capped an incredible day for Gorham — the longtime coach celebrated his 71st birthday on Saturday and was also named the Swim Coach of the Year award.

“The kids brought whoopee pies and cookies and brownies on the deck, they sang happy birthday to me, and then threw me in the water,” Gorham said. 

Boys repeat

Gorham said members of the BHS boys team put together an impressive effort at the state championship meet at Brown University on Saturday, March 4 — up and down the entire roster. 

Gorham said Barrington’s top swimmers squared off against the best competition from across the state and dominated them.

Right from the start, Barrington was impressive. The Eagles’ 200 medley relay — Lucas Jauregui, Max LaRoche, William McClelland and Jared Lesk — captured first place with a time of 1:34.33, winning by nearly four seconds against Hendricken’s top relay team. They also set a new state record in the process. 

“Barrington High School boys swimming has held the state record in 200 medley relay since 1986,” Gorham said, referring to three different BHS relay teams that have set the record. “Hendricken hasn’t come close.”

Barrington went one-two in the 50 freestyle, as William McClelland, a senior, won the event with a time of 20.82, and Jauregui was second at 21.23. Alex McClelland, a junior, finished fifth in the event, and Benjamin McClelland, a sophomore, was eighth. 

“Will McClelland set his own state record in the 50 free,” Gorham said. “He went 20.82. It’s very, very fast. He’s the only guy in Rhode Island to go under 21 seconds.”

Just a few minutes after winning the 50 free, William McClelland was back in the pool for the 100 butterfly — he won that event also, finishing with a time of 49.34.

“That’s a short turnaround,” Gorham said. “He did a great job.”

Barrington had three swimmers in the top five spots in the 100 freestyle — Jauregui finished second, Jared Lesk was third, and Alex McClelland was fifth. Graham Bennett finished 11th in the event, surprising the field with a huge jump from his ranking.

“He dropped four seconds in 100 freestyle,” Gorham said. “He was seeded 21st and came in 11th.” That finish scored six points for the BHS team. 

“It was kids who were seeded 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, who moved up to 12th, eighth, ninth,” Gorham said. He praised senior Gavin Jeong, who finished 12th in the 100 breaststroke and captured five points for the Eagles.

“He’s a great kid,” Gorham said. 

Barrington’s Keith Hartman put together a stellar meet, said Gorham. The sophomore finished second in the 500 freestyle, finishing with a time of 4:47.33. 

“He challenged the kid all the way to the end. He had an incredible swim,” Gorham said.

Hartman swam to a third place finish in the 200 freestyle, clocking a 1:47.66. BHS freshman Ben Choi-Schattle finished 10th in the 200 free and 10th in the 500 freestyle. Lucas Ferreira also scored a point in the 500 free.

“He dropped 15 seconds in the 500 free, and he scored one point. Every point is so important,” Gorham said. 

The Eagles also powered to a first place finish in the 200 free relay — the team of Jared Lesk, Alex McClelland, Jauregui, and William McClelland clocked a 1:26.86. 

Ben McClelland finished seventh in the 100 backstroke, while Bennett was 10th, and Gavin Nelson was 11th. 

LaRoche finished fifth in the 200 IM, while Gavin Lesk scored points for the team with a 15th-place finish. 

LaRoche was also impressive in the 100 breaststroke. The senior won the event with a time of 57.20. Gorham said LaRoche was third entering the event, but put together an impressive performance and set a new Barrington High School record in the process.

Barrington’s team of Alex McClelland, LaRoche, Hartman and Lesk finished second in the 400 free relay event to round out the meet. 

Girls win again

The Barrington High School girls swim team continued to dominate at states — the Eagles won their ninth straight state championship on Saturday.

Gorham said seniors Kristen Baker and Zoe Webster led the way for the Eagles. 

“In terms of leadership on the deck and leadership in the water. The girls team had a great chemistry. And I attribute that to their leadership,” Gorham said. 

Baker and Webster swam on the Eagles’ 200 medley relay team which opened the meet with a big win — the Eagles topped the second-place Prout relay team by more than three seconds. Michelle Xian and Ava Webster swam the other legs of the relay for the Eagles.

“From there they just took off,” Gorham said. 

Maude Smith-Montross finished fifth in the 200 free, Nellie Peecher was 14th, and Emma Bell was 16th. 

Baker cruised to a second place finish in the 200 IM, clocking a 2:12.40, and finished second in the 100 backstroke, with a time of 57.97. 

“For the girls, Kristen Baker probably had one of the greatest meets you could ever have. She was unbelievable,” Gorham said. 

Zoe Webster, not to be outdone, sprinted to a thrilling first-place finish in the 50 free. Kate McAdams also scored points for Barrington in that event, with a 14th place finish.

Webster continued to impress, finishing second in the 100 yard free, while Smith-Montross was sixth, and Meagan Mungovan was 10th.

Xian finished sixth in the 100 butterfly, while Bell was 12th and Laurie Garcia finished 14th. Vivian Wen was 16th in the same event. 

Lara Tolley and Ava Webster finished nine-ten in the 500 freestyle, Garcia was 12th, and Peecher was 14th.

The Eagles’ 200 free relay team of Mungovan, Xian, Smith-Montross and Zoe Webster won the event with a time of 1:41.81. 

McAdams and Jillian Frechette scored points for Barrington in the 100 backstroke — McAdams was 14th and Frechette was 15th. 

“Jillian Frechette in the 100 back had a huge drop,” Gorham said. “She had a great, great meet. She’s a sophomore. She did a great job and scored points for us. It was so nice to see. Kate McAdams did the same thing — she dropped from 1:09 to 1:05.”

In the 100 breaststroke, Ava Webster finished eighth, while Marie Choi-Schattle was 12th.

In the 400 free relay, Barrington’s team of McAdams, Baker, Mungovan and Smith-Montross finished fourth.