Published: October 27, 2009 10:37 pm      

GIRLS SWIMMING: At Ken West, it's a family affair

KENMORE — Any team is like a family. It’s going to be that way when athletes spend countless hours together each week for several months at practices and meets.

But the Kenmore West girls swim team has a little more legitimacy to the whole family claim than most other schools. The reason? Coach Carrie Meetze’s squad boasts a set of three sisters, another set of two sisters, plus a cousin of the same last name, and another sister set.

“It’s kind of weird. Half our team comes in two cars,” said junior Megan Sullivan, whose sister Katherine is an eighth-grader on the varsity.

The girls representing the three families — Sullivan, Rice and Sagasta — range from seventh to 12th grade, and comprise more than half the team.

“I’ve had sisters before, but no more than two sets of two, so having three sisters on one team is definitely a first, plus with having another set of sisters — if these three families happen to go away, it’s more than half my team,” Meetze said.

Needless to say, Meetze won’t be allowing the Sagasta, Rice and Sullivan families to take any vacations anytime soon.

The Blue Devils will be defending their team title at the Niagara Frontier League swimming and diving championships, which run Thursday through Saturday at North Tonawanda High School.

The Section VI meet is two weeks later, and a week after that is the state meet. Most of the girls have already qualified either for sectionals or the state meet.

In addition to the Sullivans, there’s the Rice sisters — senior Kelsey, sophomore Haley and eighth-grader Jenna. Haley has qualified for the state meet, while Kelsey and Jenna both punched their tickets to sectionals.

There’s also the Sagasta sisters — sophomore Lindsey and seventh-grader Julia — plus their cousin, Jacquie, who is a freshman. Lindsey qualified for states and Jacquie, who competed there last year, is hoping to meet the state cut at the NFLs. Julia is eyeing a sectional qualifying time.

So what has it been like coaching so many siblings? Lots of fighting and petty arguments? Actually, it’s been a lot of fun, Meetze said. “With my sisters, we fought all the time. These girls never fight. At least not in practice,” she said. “They’re actually one of the first people to be cheering at the end of the lane.”

In that sense, the older siblings act as pool-side mentors to their younger sisters. “She helps me a lot with my technique and goals,” said Katherine Sullivan, the eighth-grader who swims the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle. Sister Megan also swims the 100 fly, making for some interesting races.

Megan Sullivan is credited with introducing the Rice sisters to the sport. “She made Kelsey want to start and Kelsey made me want to start,” Jenna Rice said. Jenna and Haley Rice were both dancers before their older sister got them into the pool.

“It’s nice being able to cheer for your sisters, and Haley counts for me in the 500,” Kelsey Rice said, adding, “We all pack up our stuff in the morning and go to school together and help each other.”

The Sagastas have a similar relationship, in that Lindsey, the sophomore, and freshman Jacquie both help out seventh-grader Julia with her strokes.

For Lindsey and Julia, swimming is just something else they have in common. “I’ve always shared a room with Julia,” Lindsey said. “Now we share pride and share a common interest in the swim team.”

And about those fights, well, maybe the girls do annoy each other at home every now and then. “We have our sister fights, but we don’t kill each other,” Jenna Rice acknowledged.

Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.