SLIDESHOW: Flyers, Who Won 12th League Championship, Compete in State Sectionals Saturday

On Sunday the Framingham High girls swim and dive team won its 12th consecutive Bay State League Conference title, under head coach Mike Foley.

Saturday, Flyers, with qualifying times, will compete in the MIAA Division 1 South Sectionals meet at MIT in Cambridge.

“Twelve years in a row is a remarkable accomplishment for any athletic team at any level,” said Framingham High Interim Athletic Director Ron Sudmyer.

“When we started the season we were not Conference champions,” said Foley to the team Sunday, after their accomplishment of a dozen Championship titles in a row.

The team’s depth was the key to the victory Sunday, and will be just as important Saturday when they compete in the sectional meet.

“The Framingham High girls swim and dive team exemplifies what high school sports should be,” said Sudmyer.

On Sunday, Framingham placed multiple swimmers, in event after event, to rack up points to victory.

At one point in the meet, Framingham was more than 100 points ahead of its closest competitor.

Framingham won the meet with 451 points. Conference rivals Newton North and Brookline finished second and third with 438 and 415 points. Ten teams competed in the League championship meet.

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Framingham sophomore Kara McCurdy was crowned the Bay State Champion in both the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle event on Sunday.

“Kara had an phenomenal day,” said Foley.

She won the 200-yard event in 1:57.81 seconds, taking more than 5 seconds off her fastest time in the event.

But it was team depth Sunday that seal the victory for the Flyers, as sophomore Julie Long and junior Isabella Tersoni finished third and fourth in the 200-yard event for Framingham. Both Long and Tersoni also knocked 5 seconds over their fastest times this season in the event. Framingham senior Devon Tice took 7th in the event.

At the Conference meet, the top 16 swimmers in each event earn points for their team.

In the 500-yard freestyle event, McCurdy blew away the competition winning the distance event in 5:14.26 minutes. It was more than 10 seconds faster than her best time this season.

Long again finished third for the Flyers in 5:30.43, 11 seconds faster than her qualifying time for the Conference meet.

Senior Natalie Burkett finished fourth in the 500 event for Framingham with a time of 4:33.97. She knocked almost 7 seconds of her fastest time this season. Tersoni finished 8th in the event.

“Natalie had two unbelievable swims today. She held off swimmers to place high,” said Foley.

Foley started the day at 6 a.m. with the Flyer divers. Framingham placed all four of its divers in the top 12 at the Bay State Conference Championship meet.

Sophomore Halia Bower finished second to Wellesley’s Kate Mullin. Framingham senior Elena Jacob finished sixth, sophomore Catherine Turner 10th and junior Stephanie Fawell 11th for Framingham.

In the first swim event of the Conference meet, the 200-yard medley relay, Framingham captured third.

Newton North may have won the event in a time of 1:53.45, but Framingham’s relay teams captured third, seventh and 13th place.

Flyers Aja Matzker, Alessandra Miranda, McCurdy and Emily Osborne finished in 1:58.04 seconds to earn point for the team as did the B Framingham relay squad of Olivia Nelson, Lizzy Tallino, Anna Parra and Becca Fintonis, who finished seventh in 2:01.15 seconds.

Natick sophomore Hanako Batt won the 200-yard individual medley event in a time of 2:18.42 seconds, but Framingham added more points to its lead taking fourth, 8th and 15th in the event that features all four strokes.

Senior Haley McCurdy finished fourth in 2:22.38, taking almost 7 seconds of her fastest time this season.

Burkett, also a Framingham senior, finished in 8th place knocking 2 seconds of her fastest time this year, and Matzker finished 15th for the Flyers.

“We didn’t win many events today,” said Foley on Sunday, “but we placed multiple swimmers in each event.”

Foley added that “many of our swimmers swam personal bests, knocking seconds off their times.”

A good example of that was in the 100-yard backstroke event.

Junior Logan Gallagher of Newton North won the race in 1:00.53 seconds.

However, Framingham finished 3rd, 6th and 12th in the backstroke.

Matzker, who captured third best in the League, took almost 4 seconds of her fastest time this season recording a time of 1:04.98.

Junior Mary Zschau had a great swim finishing sixth with a state-qualifying time of 1:06.01 minutes, knocking more than 7 seconds of her best time this year. Sophomore Nelson finished in 12th for Framingham.

In the sprint event of the meet, the 50-yard freestyle, Wellesley senior Lily Gribbel won the race in 24.38 seconds, a Bay State Conference record. The previous record was held by Framingham High 2015 graduate Maddie Biron.

Flyer senior Osborne finished third in 26.17 seconds and junior Katherine Castro captured 11th place for the Flyers in the 50.

Gribbel also won the 100-yard butterfly event for Wellesley in 1:00.45 seconds.

Senior Haley McCurdy finished fourth for Framingham in 1:03.27 seconds and senior Anna Parra finished in 7th place with a time of 1:04.35, taking almost 3 seconds of her personal best this season.

In the 100-yard freestyle event Wellesley’s Erin Claflin won in 54.82 seconds.

Framingham senior Tice finished third, senior Osborne finished 5th in 57.45 seconds and Miranda 10th in 58.09 seconds, more than 2 seconds better than her personal best this season.

Although she did not place, freshman Emily Rogers finished in 17th place in the league with a time of 1:01.22, a personal best for her. Rogers was the only freshman to compete for Framingham in the Conference championship meet.

Newton North sophomore Serene Ly won the 100-yard breaststroke event in 1:08.01 seconds.

Framingham again placed three swimmers in the top 15 in the League. Junior Miranda finished 8th with a time of 1:15.20, knocking almost 3 seconds off her personal best this season. Tallino also knocked three second of her best time to take 12th place and senior Stefanie Evans knocked almost 4 seconds of her fastest time in the event to take 14th place.

“Coach Foley is a prime example of the coaches we want at Framingham,” said Sudmyer. “It is amazing the commitment he gets from his kids. And the consistency his teams have had in the league - 12 titles - think of that 12 titles in 12 years is really terrrific.”

To put that accomplishment in perspective, 12 years ago the 12 freshman on the Framingham High girls swim and dive team were in preschool.

“Every year and every team has been different, but each year they have pulled it out,” said Foley referring to his string of 12 consecutive League Championship titles.

“The seniors did a great job leading this squad,” said Foley. “This team meet, after meet, just got better. The Brookline win was huge for us.”

“He gets the best out of his swimmers,” said Sudmyer. “He exemplifies what a coach should be.”

“What the Framingham girls swim team has accomplished is what high school sports is all about. Teamwork,” said Sudmyer. “It is good for the girls, good for the high school, and good for Framingham.”

“It is a big emotional high today,” said Foley on Sunday, “but we will have work to do at sectionals Saturday.”

Framingham will compete at the MIAA sectionals at MIT at 1 p.m. today. It is a ticketed event.