If one were to take a look at the Fox Hollow Swim Club team record book, one would see four names appearing over and over again: Nicolette Warrington, Mary Gray, Claire McFadden and Mackenzie O’Connor.
Together, this team of four has been re-writing the record books at Fox Hollow for the past seven seasons. At Cherry Bowl 2015, they were able to set an even more prestigious mark.
The girls from Fox Hollow swam away with the win in the 13–14 200-meter medley relay, winning with a time of 2:08.95 and breaking the previous Cherry Bowl record set by Old Orchard Swim Club 20 years prior in 1995.
The medley relay team is used to setting records. At every age group, the team has set the Fox Hollow club record in the medley relay, and O’Connor and McFadden also hold individual club records. But to break a record at Cherry Bowl older than the four swimmers themselves is a much bigger deal.
“We’ve been going for this for such a long time, it’s insane,” O’Connor said.
“This is special because it’s all of the clubs from Cherry Hill, so you’re racing all of your friends,” Warrington said.
Fox Hollow didn’t just beat the record, either. Their time was almost 1.5 seconds quicker than the old record. Against the competition in the pool, the Foxes beat second place Charleston by more than seven seconds.
A big reason for their success is the makeup of the team. The medley relay is a race where each of a team’s four swimmers must swim a different stroke. One swimmer does backstroke, another breaststroke, the third butterfly and finally freestyle.
Fortunately for Fox Hollow, it happens to have four girls who are fast in their respective strokes.
O’Connor, swimming backstroke for the team, had a Cherry Bowl to remember. In addition to her win with the relay team, she also dominated the 50-meter backstroke, setting a new Cherry Bowl record with a time of 0:30.98.
McFadden, the team’s butterfly swimmer, came very close to an individual win in the 50-meter butterfly, finishing in second place by just three-tenths of a second to Ciera McGlade of Charleston.
Warrington, a breaststroke swimmer, also finished in second place in her individual event with a time of 0:36.93.
Gray, swimming the freestyle leg, can perform all of the strokes. She competed in the 100-meter individual medley and finished in fourth place.
Individually, each of the swimmers is fast enough to compete for a win. However, no other swim club in the 13–14 age group has as fast of a combination as Fox Hollow.
This particular team has been together since beginning competitive swimming. Warrington, McFadden and O’Connor, all 14 years old, have represented Fox Hollow in the medley relay ever since they were 8. Gray, 13, has joined the relay team when she falls in the same age group as her three older teammates.
O’Connor said the team has grown together and become close friends over the last seven years.
“We’re all just such a close knit team,” she said. “We do a lot together. It’s fun to be around everyone.”
McFadden said swimming with a team has a different dynamic than competing individually.
“When you’re nervous, you have friends with you,” she said. “They pump you up and you’re not as nervous anymore.”
Gray said setting a record in a relay is special because of the team aspect of the event.
“I like swimming with all of my friends,” she said. “It’s fun to celebrate together.”
The team’s record time at Cherry Bowl is the fastest they’ve swam so far. With the Cherry Bowl record in their pocket, they have already set their eyes on a new goal, the Tri-County Swimming Pool Association record. The mark is 2:05.25 set by Wedgewood Swim Club in 2000.
Though the team is still a few seconds away from the record mark, Warrington said they are going to keep working to shave seconds off of their time.
“We’re just going to go ahead and practice as hard as we can,” she said.
