Judge Memorial girls swim team makes 3A history with fourth consecutive State Championship title

SALT LAKE CITY — The Judge Memorial Catholic High School girls swim team won their fourth consecutive State Championship title Feb. 3-4, at Brigham Young University. They placed first in nine of the 11 events, while scoring more points than the combined scores of the second and third place teams. 

In the 200-yard freestyle relay, Liz Caravati, Maggie Nichols, Alex Carter, and Ashley May placed first and broke the state record with a time of 1:41.96. In the 400-yard freestyle relay, Erika Christiansen, Kelsey Elizondo, Maggie Nichols, and Liz Caravati placed first with a time of 3:42.65 breaking the state record. Matt Finnigan, in his first year as head swim coach, was named the 3A Girls’ Swim Coach of the Year.

The Judge Memorial boys swim team placed fourth in the state. Andrzej Forys placed first in the state and broke a school record by swimming the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:00.63. Forys also won the 200-yard medley.

The swim team is co-ed in that they train and work out together, although they do not compete against each other.

"It is a combination of things that make the girls team so excellent," said Finnigan. "We have a few club swimmers who swim year round, but most of all, we have great athletes who play up to three sports. They began playing sports when they were 6 or 7 years old. May, who is a great swimmer, is also the team captain of the girls soccer team. Caravati is on a crew or rowing team."

The team practices three mornings a week. They work on their technique for three hours in the morning, and they also practice five times a week after school. They do dry land training such as yoga, to strengthen their cores. The sprinters also practice boxing, which develops their fast-twitch muscles.

The season is long, running five and a half months from mid-september through February. The meets begin in October. The team practices at Salt Lake Community College on the South campus. They do not have a home pool, so they are always a road team.

They set goals both as a team and individually by determining how much they can better themselves in each event. Finnigan said he motivates them by getting them to love and appreciate swimming. He remembers how his coach motivated him as an All-American swimmer at Los Altos High School in California.

"Their work ethic in swimming also helps them in the real world," said Finnigan. "It teaches them to set goals in life and work hard to achieve them. When they graduate and go on to college, they will be able to get a job, raise great children, and be successful in life. They have learned to mentor each other and respect themselves and their teammates."