Two senior swimmers from Gorham recently concluded exceptional athletic careers at Cheverus High School. Nina Greenwood, daughter of Susan and Brian Greenwood, and Abby Longstaff, daughter of Dawn Peterson, are both state champions and have also earned scholarships from the Southern Maine Swim Officials Association. They attended Gorham public schools from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Nina is a diver, Abby a swimmer. Although they compete together as a unified team, the swimmers and divers train separately as the Cheverus home pool (Portland YMCA) does not have a diving board.

Kevin Haley is the team’s head coach, with Cheverus in a high school partnership that employs Mike Bartley, who also coaches at Bates. “Unfortunately, being a diver in Maine where there are so few diving boards and no diving clubs, there is limited time to practice compared to many other states,” Nina said. She continued, “During the high school season, I practiced three days a week at the Cape Elizabeth pool, sharing one diving board with nine other high school divers from Cheverus, Cape Elizabeth, and Falmouth.” Greenwood’s off-season training included a few hours a week with Bartley at the Bates pool for several weeks each summer.

Logistical challenges haven’t hampered Greenwood’s results. On February 21, at the Maine State Championships, held at Bowdoin College, she bettered her junior year 2nd place, winning the state diving title with 314.30 points. (Nina set the Cheverus diving record, 374.45, earlier in the season.) Additionally, she was named to the Maine Interscholastic Swim League’s All-State Swimming and Diving Team, and received the distinction of MISL Class A Diver of the Year.

On February 11, Nina received the Randy Comeau Memorial Scholarship from the Southern Maine Swim Officials Association. While several scholarships were awarded, the Comeau Scholarship, in memory of 1980s standout swimmer and record holder Randy Comeau, from South Portland and the University of Maine, is the top prize.

Greenwood has plans outside the pool, and said, “I enjoy traveling, nature, learning other languages and cultures, and most importantly, enriching myself about different perspectives.” She added, “My passion for traveling developed at an early age – the first trip that I made was back to the United States with my parents when they adopted me from China.” She will pursue a degree in international business relations at Wheaton College, where she plans to compete on the swimming and diving team.

Abby Longstaff said, “Competitive swimming has helped me feel a sense of independence and being able to be recognized for my hard work.” She reflected that, “It has also helped me with time management and focus.” Longstaff, who also swims with the Westbrook Seals Club, trains in the pool year-round, two to three hours per day, six days per week. She supplements that with an hour of weight training twice a week. Abby takes a little time off in April and August. As a junior, the Cheverus website noted that Abby, “broke the school 50 freestyle record and was the state champion in three of her four events.”

On February 21, at the state meet, Longstaff defended her titles in the 50 freestyle (24.47) and 100 backstroke (58.02). According to the Portland Press Herald, “The backstroke was the meet’s most competitive race.” Abby touched the wall .16 seconds ahead of Gabby Low (Cony High School). She told the Portland paper, “I was pushing so hard, especially that last 25. I reached back and I was like, ‘Please, please, please! I’m 6 feet tall. Let me use it now.” Longstaff was named to the MISL All-State Swimming and Diving Team.

When she’s not in the pool, Abby likes to ski, go to the beach, and travel. As a recipient of one of the Southern Maine Swim Officials Association scholarships, her commitment to, and articulation of, her activities and goals reflect her purposefulness. Both will come in handy as she pursues biology/pre-med studies at American University, where she plans to swim with the college team.