Sun, Nov 16, 2014 02:15 PM @ Andover

Team	Final
North Andover	17
Methuen	11
Central Catholic	9
Haverhill	9
at Andover	1

Motivated by coach, Andover wins title

Monday, February, 02 By Christopher Smith

Motivated by its coach, Andover wins state title 

By Christopher Smith  csmith@eagletribune.com  — Posted: Monday, November 17, 2014 2:00 am

BOSTON — Andover coach Marilyn Fitzgerald asks her swimmers to write out their goals before the season.

"My No. 1 goal was to be the state champ in the 500 free," senior Alison Murtagh said.

Coming down the home stretch of the 500, Murtagh had her inspirational coach on her mind. Fitzgerald has been battling breast cancer but that hasn't slowed her down at all this season. 

"Seeing what Ms. Fitz went through and being on deck every day (coaching) after coming in from radiation and always having a smile on her face, that's what got me through the last lap of my 500," Murtagh said. "Just knowing she really wants us to win and all she's been through."

Murtagh won the 500 freestyle (5:07.88) to help the Golden Warriors win the Division 1 state title here at Harvard University. Andover (367 points) beat out second-place Acton-Boxboro (314) who it lost to during the regular season.

Sunday's victory marked Andover's 14th state championship. 

Murtagh and her teammates felt some extra motivation this fall. They worked hard because they knew their coach — who they all call Ms. Fitz — was working even harder than them. 

Fitzgerald who's in her early 70s, is battling cancer for the third time. But she is just as enthusiastic, energetic and positive as she ever has been.

She beat advanced thyroid cancer at 47. She beat it again when it returned 15 years later.

She didn't miss a beat this season with her Andover swim team despite six weeks of radiation. She is taking what she describes as an anti-estrogen drug, which is like a chemotherapy drug. 

In March, Fitzgerald will undergo tests to determine whether the breast cancer is in remission.

She said she feels awesome.

"Not just today but I really do," Fitzgerald said. "I was at the hospital Friday and they're thrilled to pieces with my progress. The healing is done. The last day of radiation was near the end of September. I feel great. I really do."

She called her son John first to tell him the team won the state title.

"He had called me early, early this morning and he was one his way up to his place at the lake and he wished me luck," Ms. Fitz said. "Same thing with my daughter (Patty Spring)." 

A joyful celebration must have happened on the bus ride back from Boston to Andover on Sunday before the Golden Warriors received their traditional police-escort into town for winning the state championship. 

But on the bus ride to Sunday's state meet, Fitzgerald was all business. She did what she does best: motivate.

She read to her team a recommendation letter she had written for an Andover swimmer 13 years ago.

"It was (written) the year we won our second state championship," Fitzgerald said. "And I was able in this letter to tell the story of this girl who was a non year-round swimmer who believed in herself. And I put her on our fastest relay. Everybody else on that relay ended up being a Division 1 scholarship swimmer and she never (went on to) swim in college. And she had the second fastest time on that relay because she so believed she could do it.

"So I read the whole letter of recommendation, and it was one of my better efforts," Fitzgerald added. "The bus driver — I thought he was going to be crying. There was not a sound on the bus because they know how much I believe in them. I really do believe they can do it."

And they did it. 

Murtagh was the only Andover swimmer to win an individual event Sunday. The Golden Warriors won the title basically on the strength of their depth. 

For example, Andover earned 60 points in the 500 freestyle.

Murtagh scored 20 points for winning it. Shannon Fitzsimmons scored 15 points for finishing fourth. Caroline Murtagh scored 14 points for fifth place. Jenna Bukowski scored 11 points for finishing in eighth place. 

"They just did such hard work, especially in that 500," Fitzgerald said. "In one of our events, we had a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. To me, that said everything about the depth of the team that we had it spread out like that. One of our backstrokers came from the first heat and ended up scoring top eight. So just it was an emotional day for me." 

Fitzgerald did show some emotion when she changed her lineup for the meet's final event, the 400 freestyle relay.

"I kept checking the score and I found out from the meet director that we had enough points to win (before the 400 relay)," Fitzgerald said. "So I could take some of my sprinters out of the relay, and I was able to put in an all-senior relay, which, man, I was crying doing it: writing those names down. Because you always want to be able to do it but it's your job to win the meet first. And all four seniors did phenomenal." 

Murtagh and her sister Caroline Murtagh as well as Shannon Fitzsimmons and Morgan Starkweather were the four seniors to swim the 400. They finished sixth (3:48.66). 

"I told them all they had to do was finish and we would win," Fitzgerald said. "So they understood no false starts, no doing anything crazy. And these four girls have been my go-to kids all year."

MURTAGH'S DAY

Alison Murtagh's win in the 500 freestyle came after a fourth-place finish in the event last year.

"Being a team player, she would have done anything I asked," Fitzgerald said. "But that is her premier event. I wanted her to have the opportunity as a senior to win it."

Murtagh is a triplet. Her triplet sister Caroline finished fifth in the 500 (5:24.53). Their other triplet sister Meaghan was in the stands watching. Meaghan isn't a swimmer. She does horseback riding and crew.

SLINEY WINS DIVING

Haverhill junior Michaela Sliney won the 1-meter diving (545.25) after finishing second at last year's state meet.

"I can't stop smiling," Sliney said.

Sliney ran to the stands to see her mother after winning.

"She's just a really big influence in my life and I'm always pushing to be better so I can make her proud," Sliney said.

Sliney had planned to swim the 100 breaststroke as well. But she had to scratch to finish the diving event.

"I've been diving since I was 7 and it's just something I have just loved for so long," she said.