Talia Jorgensen is her own biggest critic. And when the Cony sophomore gets into a swimming pool, she demands perfection.
Her coach, John Millett, would be the first to tell you.
“As soon as that cap goes on and those goggles go down, Talia is all business, ready to get the job done with reliable and focused effort no matter what level of competition is present,” Millett said. “You get a consistent ‘A’ game.”
With that dogged determination, Jorgensen took first place in the 100-yard freestyle at the Class A girls swimming and diving championships, second in the 50 free, and was a member of the 200 freestyle relay that finished second as well. Jorgensen was instrumental in helping Cony win its first Class A swim title in program history.
For her efforts, Jorgensen is the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel Girls Swimmer of the Year. Jorgensen’s teammates, Anne Guadalupi and Cecilia Guadalupi, were also considered.
Jorgensen made a name for herself as a freshman last season, capturing 100 free and 200 individual medley titles at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A championships, and showed her versatility by taking second place in the 500 free at the Class A meet.
This season, Jorgensen wanted to change events up.
“I think, for this year, (my goal) was just trying to improve and focus on the sprinting side,” Jorgensen said. “Just having a faster sprint time because I did a lot of distance last year.”
Another challenge was having a standout season among a loaded roster of swimmers. Both Guadalupi sisters would go on to win individual titles at the Class A meet, with Anne winning the 500 free title and Cecilia taking the 200 individual medley and 100 back championships. Fellow teammate Gabby Low nearly captured the title in the 100 butterfly.
But as a collective unit, the Rams were nearly unstoppable, upending perennial favorite Brunswick early in the regular season, and finally seeing their potential realized in the form of a state championship at the end of the year.
“I think going into the season, we kind of knew as a team that we had the chance to do something special,” Jorgensen said. “We just had to take it one meet at a time. I guess we feel pretty honored to be the first (Cony swim team to capture a state championship).”
Jorgensen was right in the thick of that success. She captured the 100 free title with a time of 54.71, 1.26 seconds better than runnerup finisher Jane Greenberg of Scarborough. In the 50 free, she finished second with a time of 25.01, trailing only Cheverus senior Abby Longstaff, who won with a time of 24.47.
“Going into the state meet, I kind of knew where I had to be,” Jorgensen said. “Millett really pushed where we had to be so we could score enough (team) points. I just kind of knew what my job was and I just went out and swam.”
Cony will no doubt be the favorites to repeat next season. Though Anne Guadalupi and relay member Molly Silsby are graduating, Jorgensen will lead a young, talented squad that will also feature Cecilia Guadalupi, Low, Haley Gagne and Talia’s sister, Tara Jorgensen.
“I think it’s pretty exciting,” Talia Jorgensen said. “We’ll gain a lot of depth next year, there’s a few eighth-graders who are pretty good. They’ll come up and help the team a lot.”
And Talia Jorgensen will be leading the charge, with cap on, goggles lowered and all business approach that helps win titles and make history.
Dave Dyer — 621-5640
ddyer@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @Dave_Dyer
Send questions/comments to the editors.
