Orono High School swimming coach Gary Theriault recognizes the leadership and swimming skills of senior Kellen Doyle are among the elite ever displayed by a Red Riot swimmer.
“I have had some really good swimmers during the last 39 years. He is among the top we have had here,” said Theriault.
“He is one of the hardest workers I have had. He leads by example. I think one of his strongest strengths is that he is so positive that it rubs off on everyone around him,” Theriault added.
Doyle, who recently committed to the University of Maine Black Bears, is among the fastest and most versatile swimmers in Class B interscholastic swimming.
He has recorded a time of 23.5 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle and also owns strong times in the 100 butterfly (57.3), 100 backstroke (58.5), 500 free (5:28.9) and the 100 breaststroke (1:10) this season.
According to Theriault, Doyle entered Orono High as a distance freestyler. However, to address the team’s needs in other events, Doyle swims shorter freestyle distances as well as other strokes.
“On another team he might have specialized in distance freestyle. He can swim any event for us and he does,” said Theriault, who added that Doyle also is a whitewater canoeist.
“I think he is what everybody would want of a student-athlete. He is an outstanding student, a consistently hard worker in practice, and a successful competitor who brings everyone up around him.”
Mainers swim at Florida State
Brunswick’s Nate Samson, Mount Desert’s Leila Johnston, and Georgina Gardner of York all competed for Florida State University in the Seminoles’ recent meet against the University of Alabama.
Johnston split 24.0 in FSU’s second-place 200 medley relay (1:39.7) and 23.4 in the 200 free relay. The junior also swam a 51.2 in the 100 free and a 55.8 in the 100 butterfly.
Samson swam a 50.8 100 backstroke and recorded a 20.7 in the 200 free relay. Gardner clocked a 1:55.1 in the 200 free relay.
The Crimson Tide, ranked 17th in NCAA Division I, defeated the No. 20 FSU men 156.5-143.5 while the No. 20 Alabama women nipped the unranked Seminoles 153-143.
FSU hosts Notre Dame this weekend.
DaCorte sets Wheaton marks
Another former MDI swimmer, Lydia DaCorte, was recently recognized as a member of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Medley Relay of the Week along with three of her Wheaton College teammates. The group recorded a 4:08 in Wheaton’s victory over Clark and Mt. Holyoke.
DaCorte swam the butterfly (1:00.7) on the relay.
During the first semester, DaCorte established Wheaton school records in the 1,650 free (17:45.1), 1,000 free (10.40.9), and the 500 free (5:05).
“She has been an incredible contributor. She has come in and done everything we have asked her to do. We couldn’t be more excited,” said coach Barrett Roberts when asked about DaCorte’s performances.
Wheaton, undefeated in dual meets this season, takes on nationally ranked Tufts University on Saturday.