Moses Brown girls capture first SENE swimming title in five years

BY CAROLYN THORNTON
Journal Sports Writer

With one event remaining and her team's first SENE Championship in five years on the line, Moses Brown co-coach Cheryl Simmons gathered the members of the Quaker girls' 400 freestyle relay together for some final words of advice.

"No pressure, but everything rests on this relay," she recalls telling them.

With that, Stephanie Tsang, Paige DiPrete, Tori Gray and Simmons' daughter Kaia hopped into the pool and each swam either a personal best or close to it to give Moses Brown a victory in that relay event and the margin of victory it needed to capture the overall girls title at the SENE Championships, held last weekend at Roger Williams University.

"It was a very close relay and a very close meet," said Simmons, whose squad edged Portsmouth Abbey by a half of a point, 144-143.5, for the crown.

The victory also signified a slow climb back to the top for the Moses Brown program
After winning the SENE title in 2004, the Quakers - who compete as a co-ed team during the dual-meet part of the season - hit a rough stretch. The team failed to win a single meet during the 2006-07 season and last year won just one. Yesterday, Moses Brown concluded the dual meet season with its fourth team victory.

"With high school swim teams, you have ebbs and flows for a variety of reasons," said Simmons, who is sharing the coaching duties with Joni Haffner this season while Tara Tsakraklides is on maternity leave. "And we're definitely `on' right now. It's really great to see it all come together."

It wasn't because of a lack of talent that the team hadn't been winning over the past few years, says Simmons, but a lack of depth. Moses Brown now has the benefit of both, she says, and that has been the key to the Quakers' resurgence.

"They're all working hard, and they all care about each other," Simmons said. "All these kids will say this is absolutely the favorite team they've ever been on. I think part of it has to do with the fact that with the sport of swimming, everybody gets a chance in the water. Everybody is part of the action, and they equally support each other. You should hear the bus rides (to the meets). It's incredible."

Moses Brown won 5 out of 10 events en route to the SENE Championship. Senior Kaia Simmons, a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier last summer who will be continuing her swimming career at Stanford this fall, won two individual titles - in the 200 freestyle (1:52.61) and 100 butterfly (57.61) - while Tsang - a junior captain - took the gold in the 100 free (1:00.42) and second in the 200 I.M. (2:33.0). The two also helped the Quakers win the 200 medley relay, combining with Zoe Haffner and Danielle Darling to post a winning time of 2:06.39.

Then, of course, there was their title-clinching win in the 400 free relay with DiPrete and Gray, clocked in 4:05.19.

"They really rallied," Cheryl Simmons said of Moses Brown's final relay performance. "Those four girls pulled it together and it was an amazing finish as a group. Tori Gray took 2 seconds off her personal best, and then Kaia brought it home with a 53.34 (anchor leg)."

Now it is on to the New England Preparatory School Swimming Association (NEPSSA) Swimming and Diving Championships. Sixteen Moses Brown swimmers in all - 11 girls and 5 boys - have qualified to compete at that meet, to take place March 7 (boys) and 8 (girls) at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn.

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