The Barrington High School swim teams are on a roll.

Last year, the boys and girls teams made it a clean sweep at the state championship meet. The Barrington girls team won its eighth straight state championship, while the boys team, which had finished second at seven straight state meets, finally knocked off Hendricken and captured the title. 

Barrington High School swim coach Sandy Gorham expects both the boys and the girls to contend for state championships again this year. 

“I’m not sure whether we’ll win or not,” Gorham said, “but we should be right there.” 

The longtime BHS coach said he emphasizes individual improvement throughout the season to his swimmers, even though the meets are team competitions. 

“I just want the kids to do their best,” he said, adding that Barrington High School has benefitted from some strong feeder programs, including the Bayside YMCA swim team.

Gorham said he does not want to place too much pressure on the teams to capture more state titles. 

“I don’t want them to feel the additional stress,” he said. “Just swim the best you can and let the chips fall where they may.”

Coach Gorham said the girls team works very hard and benefits from roster depth. 

“The girls team is more depth-orientated,” he said. “In order to win states, we have to win places nine through 16.” 

Gorham said the BHS girls team has numerous swimmers who will play a role in the overall success. He listed a few of the key contributors: Kristen Baker, Zoe Webster, Michelle Xian, Meghan Mungovan, Maude Smith-Montross, Lara Tolley, Ava Webster, Emma Bell, Laurie Garcia and Kate McAdam. 

Coach Gorham offered a different description for the BHS boys team: “They’re more star-orientated,” he said. “They don’t have the depth, but they have kids who can win events.” 

Gorham listed some of the key contributors for the boys swim team: William McClelland, Max LaRoche, Lucas Jauregui, Gavin Lesk, Alex McClelland, Jared Lesk, Keith Hartman, and Ben McClelland.

• Last year’s team records: The BHS girls team went undefeated in the regular season, won the Division I championship, and won its eighth straight state championship. The BHS boys team finished second in the Division I championship and won the state championship.