Pool helps Owl move forward

March 12, 2018

Mary Kate Pritchett has spent a lot of time in pools in her life.

The Seymour High School senior has been swimming competitively for 10 years.

Pritchett began swimming with the Brownstown Brave Wave Club when she was in second grade and came to Seymour when she was in eighth grade.

She swam for the middle school team for one year before joining the high school program for four years.

“The best part about the last four years is being part of the team and cheering everybody on, and growing as a group, and getting to know everybody,” Pritchett said. “My main events have been 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly and the 200 IM (individual medley).”

Pritchett said her main events this past winter were the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, and she swam the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

She said the 100 breaststroke was her favorite individual event.

“I’ve always liked it,” Pritchett said. “I like how the motion is and how you have to push forward and stuff. You have to have a good kick and a strong pull.”

Her career-best was the 1:11.94 she swam in the sectional this season when she placed third. She was three seconds off the school record.

“In the IM, I dropped 12 seconds from the Madison meet (beginning of season) to the sectional,” she said.

Pritchett said she always looked forward to the taper, which the girls began the second week of January.

“We started (tapering) a week before conference,” Pritchett said. “Dave (Boggs, head swim coach) always says it rebuilds your muscle fiber. When you work out so much they break down, and this is a time for them to recover and build.”

She enjoyed swimming the medley relay where she swam the breaststroke.

“I’ve always liked the medley,” Pritchett said. “I’m really connected with everybody in the relay. I’ve swam with Katie (Turner) and Molly (Hayes) since second grade. I just met Sandy (Cerino) this year,”

Pritchett qualified for state in the 200 free relay her freshman year.

She said she enjoyed the home meets.

“It was awesome to see everybody come out and cheer, and they would really get loud while you were swimming,” Pritchett said.

She said daily practice was important.

“I think it’s very important for everybody to work hard at the end of the season, and at the sectional you drop all that time,” Pritchett said. “You have to believe in yourself. I really didn’t think about beating somebody.

“I just wanted to do my best and I had to focus on what I was doing. Sometimes there was going to be somebody faster than you, and you’re not capable of beating them, but you had to race them and it might make you go faster if you’re swimming next to them.”

This past winter, Pritchett was a captain.

“I liked being captain and having people feel like they could talk to me,” Pritchett said. “We (captains) would lead stretches and stuff.”

Pritchett said she has enjoyed by being a student at Seymour High School.

“I like the people,” she said. “I like how you can pick different classes that will help you for college. I like the teachers; they’re really nice. I’ll look back on what I did academically and in swimming and how I performed, and all the good moments we had during the season.”

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Name: Mary Kate Pritchett

School: Seymour High School

Parents: Tammy Carney, Brad Pritchett

Siblings: Kristin, Mackenzie

Sports: Swimming, four years; soccer, one year

Athletics highlights: Swam 200 free relay at state in 2015, HHC runner-up in 100 breaststroke

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