Beverly YMCA Swimmer, Coach Picked For USA Para Team At Worlds

BEVERLY, MA — The YMCA of the North Shore will have two representatives at the upcoming Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester, England after seven-time world champion Leanne Smith was picked for Team USA and North Shore Sharks coach Dave Modzelewski was selected as a coach.

Smith, who won gold in all seven of her events and set three world records at the 2022 World Championships in Portugal, will travel with Modzelewski to the US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs this month for a USA national team camp and a swim meet.

The Beverly native and 2007 Beverly High alumna also won a silver medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and won three gold medals and a silver at the 2019 World Championships.

The former gymnast, soccer player and softball player suffered facial paralysis, numbness, tingling and muscle weakness while in college and was diagnosed with a rare neurological muscle disease called dystonia, which caused involuntary muscle movements.

She began training in the pool during her aquatic rehabilitation program in 2013 and went on to become a Paralympian while working as a swim instructor at the Beverly YMCA.

Modzelewski is one of six experienced coaches from all over the country selected to represent TeamUSA at the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships in England this July and August.

"This group of coaches brings a wealth of knowledge and experience at all levels of swimming. We are confident that this group will help us perform to our highest potential and give us the best chance not only at podiums but also a positive overall experience in Manchester," said Erin Popovich, the Director of Para Swimming for the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)