Fall Swimming Sectional Championships: Haverhill, Newton North Arrive Atop the Podium

There was a changing of the guard in the 2025 Fall Swimming and Diving Sectional Championships.

Haverhill High School earned the first sectional championship in program history, just hours after Newton North stood atop the podium for the first time in more than a decade to cap the 2025 sectional championship meets Sunday, November 2 at MIT.

North Sectional

Haverhill started things off with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay and set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. The Hillies had only one other individual winner - Julia Plassman in the diving - but their 291 points were well clear of the rest of the 18-school girls field.

The foursome of senior Molly Jordan and freshmen Mari Tucker, Georgia Abrams and Alexandra Story put the Hillies in front with their 200 medley win in a time of 1 minute, 52.20 seconds.

Story also placed third in the 200-yard freestyle (1:58.56) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:10.43), and Jordan added thirds in the 200-yard individual medley (2:20.61) and 100-yard backstroke (1:02.19).

The diving was key for the Hillies. Plassman, a sophomore, scored 412.60 to take home gold, and junior teammates Olivia Powell (366.85) and Emily Lenihan (362.75) added third and fourth, respectively.

Abrams was second in the 50 free (25.13), and also led off the Hillies’ runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle relay (1:42.44), followed by senior Sophia DeFrank, Jordan and Story.
Chelmsford High School was second overall (238) and Andover High School third (235). Nora Williamson had the lone Chelmsford win in the 50 freestyle (25.02), while Andover was sparked by double wins from Vivian Moulson in the 200 free (1:50.82) and 500 free (4:56.77), and Emilia Hukkanen in the 200 IM (2:13.19) and 100 butterfly (59.43). Mackenzie Gibbons of Academy of Notre Dame also doubled up in the 100 free (53.36) and 100 backstroke (58.62).

North results     

South Sectional

Newton North dominated the 12-team field with its 412 points and captured the program’s first sectional title since 2014.

Again it was a 200-yard medley relay win that set the tone as seniors Nevie Lee, Evin Otero, Jillian Schneider and Victoria Sigmundstad Callahan finished in 3 minutes, 43.26 seconds for the Tigers, who swept the relay events.

Junior Barbara Liao was a double winner in the 50 free (25.05) and 100 breaststroke (1:07.04), and Sigmundstad Callahan added a win in the 100 free (53.82) and a second in the 200 free (1:57.91).

Sigmundstad Callahan led off the winning 200 free relay for the Tigers (1:39.82), followed by junior Meg Urdaneta, Schneider and Liao. Newton North closed the meet by winning the 400 free relay (3:43.26) with Lee, Otero, Schneider and Sigmundstad Callahan.
Schneider also was second in the 500 free (5:20.64) and third in the 200 free (2:00.35), while Urdaneta was second in the 100 free (55.39) and third in the 50 free (25.81).

Brookline High School (309) took second place as a team, followed by Wellesley High School (254), which had its run of seven consecutive sectional championships snapped.

Two other swimmers had first- and second-place finishes. Weymouth High School’s Sam Noble won the 200 IM (2:11.1) and was second in the 100 breaststroke, and Milton High School’s Allison Boynton captured the 100 backstroke (58.58) and was second in the 100 butterfly.

South results