By Thea Ryan – Staff Reporter

Mary Lonergan is a senior captain of the Jonathan Law High School girls swim team which is currently 8-2 on the year. Advocate Staff Reporter Thea Ryan interviewed Mary Lonergan about her swimming career.

Thea Ryan: How would you say the team doing so far?

Mary Lonergan: The team right now is having one of the best seasons law swim has ever had. We’re currently 8-2 and we have finally beat teams we never have beaten before, such as the Sacred Heart meet and the Woodland meet. We did face two hard losses and it was hard for the team to keep their heads up but it made us stronger and work harder for the next upcoming meets.

TR: Individually, how are you doing this season?

ML: Personally, I’m having one of my best seasons out of the four years. All my times have drastically dropped and each meet and practice I try to push myself harder to beat my time.

TR: How do you motivate your teammates for success?

ML: I motivate my teammates for success by always saying something before the meet. If it’s a close meet, I always tell the team that it’s the 3rd, 4th, and 5th places that win and the person who will win is the one who wants it most. I also always tell the girls “great swim” and always cheer them on doing their race.

TR: What have you learned from being captain?

ML: From being a captain the past two years I learned that you set the tone for the team and you must work together as a team. If you walk in with a negative attitude, the team will pick up on it and will also carry a negative attitude. If you’re in a good mood, the other girls will be in a good mood.

TR: What is your favorite memory of Law swim?

ML: My favorite memory from Law swim is hard to pick. The past four years have been filled with a lot of splashes and laughs in the pool. But one of my favorite memories was an SCC practice when Coach Rosner told us we were able to make synchronize swim routines and her. Mr. Simon and Kyle Lang used the divers’ cards to judge us. Another one of my favorite memories is the Foran and Law meets.