Mary McCarthy '16 Recruiting Profile

Hi, my name is Mary McCarthy and I am a senior at The Madeira School.  I have always known that the water was an important part of my life. I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay and first started swimming when I was 2.  I joined my summer club team at 5 and then swam competitively at NOVA in Richmond, VA when I was 8 years old.  Swimming in high school has been fantastic and I look forward to pursuing my passion for swimming in college.  I am returning to competitive swimming by joining the Machine Swim Club.  I was also elected co-captain of the Madeira Varsity Swim team and I plan on leading both in and out of the pool. 

My teammates from St. Catherine’s and Madeira have become my closest friends, and that is why I love swimming on a team. Madeira swimming focuses a lot on team camaraderie and I love knowing that we are cheering for everyone, whether our best swimmer is in the pool or just someone who is trying their best.  Personally, I really enjoy relays and competing as a team.

If I set a goal, I try my hardest to reach that goal. This year I wanted to go a 1:04 100 fly and I had two opportunities at the end of the season to reach my target.  At the Washington Metro Champs  I went about a 1:06, slightly faster than my seed time. At the VISAA State meet the following week, I knew that no matter what happened I wanted that 1:04, so I got pumped up and I knew no matter how I was feeling I couldn’t give up on my goal.  I achieved my personal best of 1:04.50.

One of the reasons I transferred to Madeira was to do better academically. My main goal for this school year was to improve my GPA, but I also wanted to learn how to reach out to my teachers.  I have done a much better job so far and my grades and confidence have really improved.  Luckily, I was able to swim with Coach Rod Montrie from September through the State Champs in February.  

My greatest personal achievement this past year was winning the Jay Fitzgerald Award from the coaches at my summer swim club. This award represents the person on the team that best represents sportsmanship, character, and leadership.  For the past two summers, I have taught swim lessons to Novice swimmers and mentored many of the younger kids on the team. We have 80 Mite swimmers and I truly enjoy sharing my passion for swimming with the little kids. 

I have been to VISAA states 4 years in a row with state cuts in the 100 Free, 200 Free, 200 IM, 500 Free and the 100 Fly. I have earned a  4 Varsity letters in swimming during my high school career, which started in 8th grade.  Also, I earned a Varsity letter in Cross Country in 8th grade and I am played JV Lacrosse for Madeira this year after taking a break for 3 years.