Perni, McGeary lead Notre Dame into Eastern’s
NEWTOWN SQUARE >> Kaitlin Perni was taken aback when coach Brigit Barry gave her the news.
Perni won the 100 freestyle at the girls Inter-Ac Championships two weeks ago, and Barry informed her that she was the first Academy of Notre Dame swimmer to take home an Inter-Ac title dating to 1999.
“It’s really an honor,” said Perni, who will swim next year at Drexel. “To see that no one’s ever done it before is just really exciting for our team and for ourselves. It just shows how our team is improving, and it’s just a step up.”
Perni’s gold is one of the most tangible landmarks on that path, which could take another significant step Friday and Saturday at the Eastern Interscholastic Championships at La Salle University.
Notre Dame’s upward trajectory has been notable. The Irish finished 21st in the team competition in 2011, bottoming out from a peak of fourth-place finishes in 2002 and 2006. Last season, with Perni and Michaela McGeary leading the way, they pressed to eighth place.
This season, hope is palpable that they could return to the top-six discussion.
In a short time, the conversations have shifted dramatically for the Irish, thanks in large part to the dogged efforts of former coach Marie Cattie and now Barry. Where once sneaking a few individual swimmers into C finals at Easterns and taking the obligatory C-final spot in relays gleaned by surviving to the top 18 of the rotating cast of 20-some teams, expectations have raised significantly.
Both Perni (fourth in the 200 individual medley) and McGeary (fourth in the 100 backstroke) paired A-final swims last year with ninth-place finishes. The stated goal this year is to lead the effort with two A-final qualifications each, for which the pair is well-positioned. Perni is seeded fifth in the IM and seventh in the 100 freestyle, while McGeary is sixth in the 200 free and third in the 100 back.
On the team side, Notre Dame’s top two relays — the 200 medley and 400 free — are seeded fourth and could make A finals, while there should be enough depth to guide the non-loaded 200 free relay to between seventh and 12th places in prelims.
“That would be pretty exciting for us because I don’t think we’ve ever done that before,” McGeary said of the relay objectives. “Last year, we A-finaled in the medley, but to get there in both would be amazing.”
Not only have the results improved, but the entire context under which Notre Dame’s program operates has evolved. McGeary and Perni swim for Suburban Swim Club, two coveted club competitors that every school in the crowded Main Line scene hopes to woo to bolster programs. Add Perni’s sealed Division I credentials and similar potential for McGeary, and you have not just the cornerstones of rebirth but two mentors to convey that message to the next generation.
“Easterns is definitely a different experience than our dual meets, something that the younger girls aren’t really used to,” McGeary said. “It’s really helpful to us having that experience to help out some of the other girls who aren’t as experienced in these big, intense meets.”
“It’s really exciting,” Perni said. “I feel like in the beginning, it was difficult getting to know each other and I feel like now, we’re really brought together as a team. … Having kids from Suburban and we have girls from (Radnor Aquatic), it helps to win big meets and helps us at Easterns to get points.”
Returning to the top six is the easiest echelon to shoot for, and with most of the components of last year’s result back, it’s the logical next step for the program … which in turn, Perni hopes, will entail further installments of progress.
“If we could get into the top six, that would be really good,” she said. “It would really help make girls want to come to Notre Dame and be part of our team for future years.”
