2021-22 Standard-Times Boys Swimmer of the Year: Bishop Stang's Liam Earl
For Liam Earl, this was a long time coming.
Ever since he began swimming at Bishop Stang four years ago, he was determined to break the school record in the 100 backstroke.
“That’s been my event for the last 12 years of swimming,” said the 18-year-old Earl. “This was my last time swimming it so I had to end it on a high note. I put everything I had into the water and I was so happy.”
Earl broke the school’s 13-year-old record of 55.31 set by Josh Cook in 2009 at the 2022 Div. 1 State championship, clocking a 55.26 to place 15th overall.
“I was expecting good times, but not those times,” said Earl, who also swam a personal-best 1:49.31 to place 15th in the 200 freestyle.
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“He’s a tenacious competitor,” said Bishop Stang head coach Dave Ponte. “He always saved his best times for his biggest races.
“It wasn’t easy. He had to earn it. He didn’t break it by much, but he did get it and he did it in the final race in his career which is pretty amazing.”
Ponte knew Earl was in for something special this winter as the strides he made during an unique season a year ago when swimmers weren’t able to compete in person against other swimmers because of COVID.
“After last year I thought it was possible because he still continued to improve,” Ponte said.
Earl took the 2020-21 season as an opportunity to work on his strokes.
“I saw COVID as a time for me to think about not just me, but about my swimming stroke,” said Earl, a Tiverton resident. “When I was younger, my stroke was about getting to the wall faster. Junior year I tried really hard and coach (Ponte) did some things that made me a better swimmer, a stronger swimmer.
“That was my building year. Senior year things got better and it worked. I hope to be an example of just how you put in work and effort, good things come from it.”
Beyond his success in the pool, Earl had a major impact on Stang’s swim team for his leadership during tough times.
“It was really a challenge for a lot of different reasons,” said Ponte. “That pandemic season we switched conferences and we switched facilities so we had a lot to deal with.
“He’s been carrying the team for the last two years. He’s the leader in practice. He’s the one everyone looks up to and has to chase.”
Following in the footsteps of his older brother, Luke, and older sister, Julia, Liam began swimming at age six. He joined the Hurricanes at the New Bedford YMCA the following year and stayed there until he was 14. He then swam for KingFish Swimming based at Roger Williams University, but returned to the YMCA.
“Between 12 and 15, I swam year round and then after that I was getting bored so I would take summers off and be a lifeguard at the beach,” he said.
Although his competitive days are over in the pool, he’ll continue to swim but with a much grander purpose as part of the Navy.
“I’m from a long list of people who served,” said Earl, noting that his father, Robert, was in the Navy and his grandfather, Thomas, served in the Marines. “I’ll be part of the air rescue contract for special forces. My job would be as a rescue swimmer. When there’s an emergency, I’ll get in a helicopter and go out there, jump in the water and rescue them. It’s basically saving lives. That’s how I’m going to swim in the future.”
Ponte isn’t surprised with the path Earl is taking.
“He’s been a great mentor for his teammates and as good as an athlete he is in the pool, he’s as great a person out of the water,” Ponte said. “Aside from what he accomplished with what he did in the pool, he is going to take it to the military level which is pretty. He’s going to be making a difference in the world.”
ALL ABOUT LIAM EARL
WHY HE WAS SELECTED: Earl capped off his high school career with a record-setting performance and a strong showing at both sectionals and states.
KEY STATS: Set a new Bishop Stang record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.26, breaking the previous mark of 55.31 set by Josh Cook in 2009 at the Div. 1 state meet. He also swam a personal-best 1:49.31 in the 200 freestyle. ... At sectionals, Earl placed eighth (1:51.49) in the 200 freestyle and ninth (57.11) in the 100 backstroke.
MVP MOMENT: With Bishop Stang moving up and competing at Div. 1 states for the first time, Earl delivered the best times of his career in both the 100 backstroke and 200 freestyle to finish 15th in both events and score points. “Liam Earl carried the team by himself at the state meet,” said head coach Dave Ponte. “He scored in each of his two races finishing with lifetime best times in both events.”
NEW BEDFORD COACH TIM CURRY: “He’s been swimming forever. He’s a kid who has been swimming for a long time. He put a lot of work in over the years and he did really well.”
NOTES: Earl has been a lifeguard for two years at South Shore Beach in Little Compton. … Earl credits his mother, Tracy, with him swimming for so many years. “My mom is supportive,” he said. “She would drive from Tiverton to the Y in New Bedford for the three of us — just so we could swim. She’d come to every meet and help out. She was great.” Earl got to swim his freshman year at Bishop Stang with his older brother, Luke, before he graduated.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Bishop Stang's Liam Earl is the 2021-22 Boys Swimmer of the Year
