Best of the best: Presenting Patriot Ledger/Enterprise 2023-24 Swimming All-Scholastics
What a season it was for the South Shore's best high school swimmers and divers this winter.
There were league MVPs and All-Stars that concluded the season in style by competing at the Division 1 and 2 state meets, and it won't take a long look at the list below to find out how well the local area's finest showcased their talents on the biggest stage.
Representatives from Duxbury, Norwell, Marshfield, Plymouth, Cohasset, Brockton, Quincy/North Quincy and Scituate headline our first team of All-Scholastic selections. A total of 11 schools earned mentions on this year's list.
Here are our 2023-24 boys and girls swimming/diving All-Scholastic teams:
First Team
NICK AUSTIN
Norwell
Senior broke the South Shore League's 100 breaststroke record this season (57.24). ... Division 2 state champion in the 100 breaststroke. ... Placed third in the 200 IM at both the Division 2 South Sectionals and States. ... League All-Star. ... Said coach Jennifer Schad, "As one of the top swimmers in the state of Massachusetts, Nick is very humble of his incredible talents."
PAIGE BLECKLEY
Scituate
Senior was named Patriot League Fisher Division MVP. ... Placed second in the league, fourth at South Sectionals and ninth at States in the 200 free. ... Finished fifth in the league, fifth at South Sectionals and 14th at States in the 100 fly. ... Said coach Eric Fagerlund, "Paige shows up to work every day with a positive attitude and is a role model for her teammates."
ALLI BROWN
Duxbury
Senior was named Patriot League Keenan Division MVP. ... League champion in the 100 and 200 free. ... Placed third in the 200 and 500 free at South Sectionals. ... Took 10th at States in the 200 free. ... Broke school records her freshman and sophomore years. ... Will attend Tufts University next fall. ... Said coach Krysten Davis, "She is a diverse swimmer who can be placed in almost any event and be a strong competitor."
NATE DERBY
Plymouth
Senior won the 100 breaststroke state championship with a personal best and record-setting time at Division 1 states (57.89). ... Patriot League All-Star. ... Holds school records in the 200 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 100 free, 100 backstroke, and 100 breaststroke. ... Will continue career at UMass Amherst next year. ... Said coach Kenna Melkonian, "Nate's consistent improvement throughout high school was not an overnight success, it has been a lifetime of hard work for him, and he earned his moment in the spotlight."
JACK DEMELLO
Cohasset
Senior won the Division 2 state championship in the 50 free and finished second in the 100 free. ... Cohasset's first state champion in 26 years. ... Said coach Bill Burnett, "Two years ago, Jack didn’t event make the state qualifying times. (Now), he is state champion. It's massive improvement unheard of in our sport."
KENNY GUAN
Quincy/North Quincy
Senior named MVP of the Patriot League Championship meet for the second year in a row. ... South Sectional Champion in the 50 yard free (21.63). ... Placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:00:21) and tied for fifth in the 50 free at the Division 1 state championship. ... Team was awarded the Patriot League sportsmanship award this season. ... Said coach Thomas Whittico, "Aside from his elite swimming, Kenny has had a huge impact on his team as he completely changed the culture. ... Kenny's impact on the Quincy/North Quincy swimming and diving team will never be forgotten."
AUDREY HANNIGAN
Marshfield
Junior placed second at the Division 1 state championships in the 50 free with a program-record time (25.23). ... Finished second in both the 200 IM and 100 free at the Patriot League championship. ... Said coach Barb Toohey, "Audrey is always willing to do whatever is needed to help the team do its best."
ANNABELLE MARTIN
Cohasset
Junior won the South Shore League championship in the 100 free and 100 backstroke. ... Three-time state qualifier both events. ... Team captain. ... Said coach Bill Burnett, "Very excited that Annabelle has one more year to contribute to Cohasset swimming. She is a leader on the team and committed to the sport. A first-class student athlete."
SAM MORSE
Duxbury
Sophomore was a Patriot League champion in the 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 400 free relay. ... League All-Star. ... Holds school record in the 200 medley relay. ... Said coach Doug Backlund, "Sam is another great team guy. Sam is very diversified as a swimmer and I can count on him to swim any event and usually win."
THEO MORSE
Duxbury
Senior went undefeated in all of his individual events this season (200 and 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 100 Butterfly). ... Patriot League champion in the 200 IM, 500 free and 400 free relay. ... Holds school records in five events (200 medley relay, 400 free relay, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 100 fly). ... Finished second in 200 and 500 free at the Division 2 state championships. ... Named team MVP. ... Will continue his career at Villanova next year.
HENRY PERDA
Duxbury
Junior is a school record holder in the 200 medley relay. ... Patriot League All-Star finished second in the 50 and 100 freestyles at the league championships. ... Missed last season due to a heart transplant. ... Said coach Doug Backlund, "Coming back from a heart transplant says it all! ... Team-first guy willing to do anything for the team."
MADDISON REIF
Norwell
Sophomore set school records for the six (315.45) and 11 dives (521.30). ... Named South Shore League diving champion. ... League All-Star. ... Came in fourth at Division 2 states and first at South Sectionals. ... Won this year's Hilltopper Dive Open Invitational. ... Came in second in the 50 free at the league championship and qualified for sectionals in the 200 free relay.
NOELLE SANMARCO
Duxbury
Junior became a Patriot League Champion in both 200 IM, 100 fly and 200 freestyle relay. ... Finished second in the 400 free relay at Division 2 states. ... Finished first in the 200 free relay at South Sectionals. ... League All-Star. ... Voted captain next season. ... Plans to swim in college. ... Said coach Krysten Davis, "She sets a great example as a peer leader with her hard work, dedication and love for the sport of swimming."
KAL SHEEHAN
Brockton
Senior took first place in the 1-meter diving at the Southeast Conference Championships and eighth at the MIAA South Sectional Championships.
BRENNA SHORT
Marshfield
Senior finished second at Division 1 states in the 1-meter dive. ... Patriot League All-Star went undefeated in league dual meets and took first place in the 1-meter dive at the league championships. ... Set a personal-best in the 6 dive this season. ... Also competed in freestyle relays when needed. ... Will dive at Holy Cross next year.
KIRSTEN THORN
Duxbury
Senior took second place in the 500 free and third in the 200 free at the Patriot League championships. ... At Division 2 states, got fourth and eighth, respectively. ... League All-Star. ... Won league championships all four years of her career. ... Team MVP. ... Will attend Boston College next year. ... Said coach Krysten Davis, "She races the most yards out of every swimmer for every meet and does it to push her team forward. She is not an athlete who races for herself."
MARLYSS WAGNER
Brockton
Sophomore took third place in the 1-meter diving at the Southeast Conference championship and ninth at South Sectionals.
Second Team
LUKAS BINGGELI
BC High
Senior qualified for Sectionals in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley relay. ... Said coach Andy Doucet, "The very model of a student athlete -- attends every practice, always works hard, leads by example, all while maintaining straight A’s. Kid’s amazing."
MATTHEW CRISTOFARO
Duxbury
Senior is a four-time Patriot League All-Star and four-time league champion in 1-meter diving. ... Holds school records in, 1-meter, 6 and 11 dive events. ... Team captain.
ANNIE MCLEAN
Canton
Junior finished second in the 100 butterfly and sixth in the 50 free at Division 2 states. ... Placed first and third, respectively, at South Sectionals. ... Said coach Cheryl Cavanaugh, "Annie is a hard worker and has the eye of the tiger."
PETER NELSON
Scituate
Sophomore placed second in the 500 free at the Patriot League meet. ... Placed ninth in the 200 free and 14th in the 100 butterfly at states. ... Two-time team MVP. ... League All-Star. ... Said coach Eric Fagerlund, "Peter works harder than anyone in the pool. He pushes himself to be great and takes coaching better than anyone I have coached."
ISABELLE NG
Quincy/North Quincy
Senior competed at states in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly each of her three years in the program. ... Two-year captain. ... Said coach Thomas Whittico, "Isabelle's impact has changed the team's mindset from that of an individual mindset to that of a team mindset. We will forever be grateful for Isabelle!"
ANDREI SOUKHANOV
Plymouth
Sophomore finished second in the 100 breaststroke and third in the 200 IM at the Patriot League championships in his first season on the team. ... Placed fifth in both events at Division 1 states. ... League All-Star is now on the program's top 10 record board in seven different events.
MOLLY ST. GELAIS
Plymouth
Sophomore is a two-time league champion in the 100 breaststroke and finished fifth in the 200 IM. ... Placed ninth in the 100 breaststroke at Division 1 states. ...League-All-Star owns 12 top-10 program records and is a part of the record-setting 200 FR and 400 FR relay teams.
BRIAN WANG
Oliver Ames
Senior qualified for sectionals and states in all individual events, specializing in freestyle and butterfly. ... Also captain of school science team. ... Said coach Emily Manion, "Brian is a wonderful role model and captain. In and out of the pool, he displays serious work ethic and commitment to not only his sport, but his peers on the team."
MATT WILLSHIRE
Pembroke
Senior had personal best times in the 100 free (:56.94), 50 free (:25.30) and 100 butterfly (1:07.50). ... Three-time All-Scholastic selection. ... Coach Brian Noyes calls Willshire "one of the best swimmers we have ever had in my 19 years." ... Added Noyes, "He is one of the brightest students in Pembroke High School."
Honorable Mentions
Keeley Harney, Canton
Victoria Higgins, Rockland
David Nourse, South Shore Tech
Maxx Thibeau , South Shore Tech
Talis Viedis, Canton
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Patriot Ledger/Enterprise 2023-24 Swimming All-Scholastic teams
