The tail-end of every swim season marks the annual ISL swimming event where the Groton swim team hits the road for a 2-hour journey down to Roger Williams University, which boasts an impressive aquatic center perfect for the high-stakes event. During the competition, Groton has the opportunity to race against other schools in the league, and it’s quite an attraction. Coach Irenae Aigbedion says: “We saw how many people were there—spectators, photographers, other teams, you could tell everybody was getting amped up. We were ready to swim.”
Coach Allison MacBride knew to expect tough races. “[In] a dual meet, we only have four kids,” she explained, noting that Groton’s swimming pool didn’t provide the space for tightly contested competition like ISLs. “In this meet, you get put in a lane and heat based on your time, so you’re swimming with people that are more at your level.” With an intense atmosphere and perfect race formatting, personal bests were certainly expected.
The Zebras competed in 11 different categories, with races ranging from 50 to 500 meters and different strokes such as freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and backstroke. In addition, Groton swimmers teamed up for a variety of relay events including the 200 meter medley relay, the 200 meter freestyle relay, and the 400 meter freestyle relay. All of these races were done by both the girl’s and boy’s teams, with the girls swimming first and the boys second, alternating between events.
Multiple swimmers achieved personal bests in both relays and solo events. The months dedicated to perfecting flip turns and building endurance in grueling practices had paid off. When asked what she wanted to see in the future, Coach MacBride responded, “We have a lot of new, younger students, which is great to be able to build the team throughout the next couple of years.” She also expressed sadness about losing Groton’s two captains, Caroline Creasy ’25 and Christopher Hovet ’25, who had both been with the team for four years.
After all was said and done, the competition played an important role in establishing Groton’s standings among other teams. Above all, the swimming ISLs was a turning point, providing an opportunity for Groton swimmers to push beyond their physical capacities, redefining their limits. Dr. A said, “I am working with a group of students that want challenges, that want to succeed; they want to know how to improve…this was a season of just learning what our limits are and learning how to address them, and maybe sometimes breaking through. Learning to break our limits in healthy ways, in sustainable ways.” The swimming ISLs marked the end of a successful season and proved to be an opportunity for growth, preparing Groton swimmers for next year’s competition.
