Sacred Heart swimmer Lily Gormsen on state Federation title: Worth the wait
Sacred Heart's Lily Gormsen competes in the 200-yard freestyle during the CHSAA girls swimming individual championships at the Nasau Aquatic Center on Nov. 4. Credit: Neil Miller
Lily Gormsen qualified for the state Federation swimming championships a second straight season, only this time she could actually get in the water. And it was worth the wait.
A year after breaking her ankle two days before the meet, the Sacred Heart junior made the trip to the Webster Aquatic Center on Nov. 17. “This time last year, I had to watch my teammates from home, so it feels really good to be a part of it now,” Gormsen said.
She finished first in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4 minutes and 47.72 seconds.
“I feel very proud of myself,” Gormsen said. “I knew it was going to be a really good race and that all the girls I was going up against were super fast.”
Not only was she a state champion, but she also won the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle events at the CHSAA intersectional girls swimming championship in early November. She won the 100 free in 51.25, breaking the meet record she set last year as a sophomore (52.10). She also earned both CHSAA swimmer of the year and swimmer of the meet recognition.
“The thing about Lily is that she’s very resilient,” coach Mary White said. “For her to be able to bounce back after an ankle injury and perform as well as she did this season is just incredible.”
With one season left at Sacred Heart, White is looking forward to seeing what Gormsen will be able to accomplish during her senior year. “She just keeps getting better and better," White said, "and I know she’ll have another spectacular season next year.”
