Girls Swim and Dive Capture 1st Ever State Championship
November 14, 2023
• At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday, November 11th, Needham girls swim and dive made history, taking 1st place at the Division 1 State Championship meet.
This is the first time in awhile that Needham has been in Division 1 for girls swimming. But coming in to it, first year head coach Kate Curtin “knew this team was strong enough to end in 1st place” she said. And the girls did just that, scoring 335 points, topping former back to back champs, Acton Boxborough and Newton North, a familiar Bay State opponent.
“It’s our first year going up against these teams for a state championship, so we had to strategize” Curtin said. “The depth we have really carried us through.”
And the depth would be the main reason the Rockets took the crown. Needham did not take first in a single individual event, but team victories in the 200 and 400 yard freestyle secured the victory.
“I told the girls, would you rather finish 1st in an event, or hold up the 1st place trophy at the end? And we finished with that trophy” Curtin said.
“It’s hard to see yourself as a team in an individual sport” she added. “But we did it, and it worked.” In one season, Needham girls swim and dive took down Wellesley for the first time since 2016, captured their first Bay State Conference Title in 20 years, and ended in their first ever Division One State Championship.
A season for the record books, “I’m so proud of them, all of them, this is truly amazing to be a part of” said Curtin.
You can read more on the Girls Swim and Dive team in a recent profile we filed last week.
