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Turners Falls’ Avery Heathwaite swims the freestyle leg of the 200 medley relay against Monson in Montague last year. -
Turners Falls’ Sylvie DiBartolomeo swims the butterfly leg of the 200 medley relay against Monson in Turners Falls last year. -
Turners Falls’ Liam Bliss swims the 200 individual medley against Monson in Turners Falls last year.
First-year Turners Falls swim coach Ken Mullen has a lot to work with this winter.
After co-oping with Frontier last year to help build out the team, the Thunder have now added Greenfield and Franklin Tech to the cooperative this year, leading to six boys and 24 girls making up the roster.
Those 30 swimmers are up from just 12 the Thunder had last year, giving Mullen plenty of options to work with.
“I feel so lucky to be here,” Mullen said. “Former coach Jay Fritz told me this team was the most fun he has ever had coaching and I couldn’t agree more. I see nothing but potential and motivation on this team. You are going to hear a lot about the Thunder this year from the pool.”
Matt Sibley, Liam Bliss and Tyler Galenski return on the boys side for Turners. Sibley and Galenski compete in a variety of races while Bliss is a sprinter who Mullen said has his eye on the Turners school record in the 50-yard freestyle.
Connor Glennon, Cody McDonough and Nicholas Nelson are newcomers on the boys side for the Thunder.
The girls team returns five swimmers — Avery Heathwaite, Sylvie DiBartolomeo, Adelaide Ehle, Nicole Porter and Sophia McComb — from last year’s squad. Mullen said DiBartolomeo is a swimmer who has the chance to qualify for regional and states in the 500 free while the other returners will compete in a multitude of events.
Tristan Bliss, Sigrid Calhoun, Maya Deramo, Keira Feeley, Ainslee Flynn, Rose Fortin, Ava Fortin, Alice Fortin, Avery Houle, Breanna Kempf, Madison Liimatainen, Kaedynn Mason-Emond, Florence Olakanpo, Izzabella Otto, Shelburne Paris, Eleni Reipold, Jessica Scimmel, Isabella Sibley and Jasenya Torres will all compete for the first time this winter for Turners.
Mullen noted Bliss and Rose Fortin as butterfly specialists, Calhoun as the first diver Turners has had in a long time and Paris as another newcomer who has stood out thus far.
With the pool at Turners under repair, the Thunder have spent the last few weeks practicing at Deerfield Academy. The Turners Falls pool is scheduled to open on Dec. 15.
Turners opened its season on Friday against Monson. The Thunder girls walked away with an 85-80 victory while the Turners boys came away triumphant with a 64-34 victory.
The team of McComb, Rose Fortin, Ava Fortin and Alice Fortin won the 200-yard freestyle relay (two minutes, 19.13 seconds), Calhoun won the dive with a score of 98.2 points, Flynn took the 100 butterfly (1:23.66), McComb won the 100 back (1:13.46) while Liimatainen came in first in the 100 breaststroke (1:24.66).
The Thunder winners on the boys side were Sibley, McDonough, Bliss and Galenski in the 200 free relay (2:18.76), Bliss in the 200 free (2:24.90) and 50 free (26.25), Glennon in the 100 fly (1:43.63), Sibley in the 100 free (1:21.58) and McDonough in the 500 free (7:49.83).