Harnessing their mental power, Derry girls swim team off to blazing start

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, January 22, 2024 | 9:57 AM

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Swimming, by its nature, is a physically demanding sport, filled with long distances, marathon meets and tough practices.

Jeff Kelly, Derry’s swim coach for 31 years, knows the mental aspect is most critical and preaches it daily.

“Maybe I’m getting a little philosophical on them,” Kelly said.

His witticisms have a positive effect on his swimmers who are putting into practice what he is preaching.

“One of my favorite quotes he has was, ‘Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.’ That’s a quote I’ve heard since I was a freshman,” junior diver Jake Hauser said.

“I think his quotes are great,” junior Sophia Doherty said. “I have about eight sticky notes in my swim locker that have things he’s either said to me or the team that really stuck with me.”

Said junior Gianna Gruska: “He’s honing in on how our minds play a part on our bodies and how they affect our performance. His quotes help us focus a lot more.”

The Derry girls swim team is extremely focused, leading Section 4-2A with a 3-0 record and an 8-1 record overall after finishing fourth in the section last year.

“I knew we would do better than we did last year,” Doherty said. “We didn’t lose any seniors, we only gained people, but it was surprising how well we did to start the year.”

Kelly added: “They have a great work ethic, and they embody the word team. They work every day, they look to improve, they ask great questions, and they’re about one another.”

Chloe Buhite is the only senior on a young team that includes juniors Gruska, Doherty, Mikah Horwat, Chaeli Keenan and Regan Repak.

Sophomores Keegan Roddy and Madison Repak, as well as freshmen Alexa Darazio, Sophia Dubich and Bailey Gordon, have contributed to the team’s success.

The girls opened the season with seven straight wins, including a victory Dec. 12 at Class 3A Hempfield.

“I was surprised when we went to Hempfield for our third meet,” Doherty said. “We’ve never beaten them, and it never even crossed my mind that we would.”

After defeating Ligonier Valley on Jan. 4, the girls absorbed their first loss of the season in a tough 94-90 defeat against rival Latrobe on Jan. 9.

“They have some very fast girls, so we were probably a little intimidated, a little nervous,” junior Regan Repak said.

“We just got so amped up to go against Latrobe, just wanted to beat them, that we ended up losing sight of how fun a meet can be,” Doherty said. “Everybody felt stress from internal pressures, and that did more harm than good.”

Said Kelly: “I told them, failure doesn’t define you. It refines you. It makes you go back and figure out what you need to do to be successful. You have to have rain to enjoy the sunshine.”

The girls bounced back with a huge win Jan. 11 against defending section, WPIAL and PIAA champion Mt. Pleasant and will look to use a strong mental game the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the Trojans boys swim team has made strides in its own right.

After finishing last in the section with only four swimmers, the boys have increased their numbers and have a record of 4-4 overall and sit fourth in the section at 2-1.

The boys lobbied in school to try and boost their numbers. They were able to bring in two more swimmers and an extra diver.

“When we got a few more guys, it helped us out in a lot of ways,” senior Avery Haake said.

“They realize they can do more now that there are a couple more guys on the team so they can push themselves,” Kelly said. “They’ve matured, gotten stronger.”

Haake and fellow seniors Dylan Cowan and Chase Marco still face the same challenges from last year.

“We might come across a bigger team or a team that’s full of faster guys, and we’re not able to keep up,” Haake said. “If you have a whole bunch of guys that are exhausted, it’s not going to turn out well.”

That’s when Kelly has to turn to his divers to help swim some heats that Derry either needs more swimmers for, or just to give his main swimmers a breather.

“Whenever the team needs an extra guy in the pool I’m definitely there,” Hauser said.

After a section meet against Indiana on Jan. 18, Derry will host the WCCA swimming and diving championships on Jan. 26 and 27.

“It is without a doubt the best meet to compete in and see what’s in Westmoreland County,” Kelly said. “You’re going to see some amazing swimmers and divers. It’s fast, it’s loud, just an exciting event to behold.”

The event also will contribute to a great cause.

“The money raised by having these championships all goes back to scholarships for kids in the county,” Kelly said.

Tags: Derry Area