ROCKINGHAM — Wil Mabe, a senior swimmer, has been named the Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week presented by HWY 55.
The first member of the Raider swim team to earn the recognition this season, Mabe’s performance in last week’s Sandhills Athletic Conference opener saw him notch two personal records in different events.
A three-year member of the team, Mabe returns as the Raiders’ most veteran swimmer. This is also his first career Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week honor.
Athletic Profile
Age: 17
Birthday: July 16, 2004
Year: Senior
Winter Sport: Swimming
Events: 50 and 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard relay
Height & Weight: 5-10, 140 pounds
Years on Varsity: 3 years
NEW RECORDS WITH WIL MABE
The Raiders earned a fourth-place finish in their first meet of the season, collecting 56 points, and were just four points behind third-place Southern Lee High School (60 points).
Mabe represented Richmond and scored points in all three of the team’s events — the individual 50-yard and 100-yard freestyles, and the 200-yard freestyle relay.
In both individual events, Mabe set new PRs and took 6th overall and added 10 points to Richmond’s score. In the 50-yard swim, Mabe took second in his heat and clocked in at 29.64 seconds, 0.40 seconds faster than his previous best time.
Shortly after that race, Mabe won his heat out of four swimmers in the 100-yard freestyle. He completed the two laps in the pool in 1:09.71, which was 1.27 seconds faster than his fastest time as a junior last winter.
Adding to his 20 individual points, Mabe was the leadoff swimmer for the Raiders in the 200-yard relay, which saw the team take fourth place (22 points). He went wall-to-wall in 30.51 seconds, with the team finishing in 2:16.53.
Richmond will return to action this Wednesday for another SAC meet at St. Andrews, starting at 6:15 p.m.
Wil Mabe competes in the individual 100-yard freestyle, one of the two events that he set a new personal record in during last week’s meet. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
RAPID RESPONSES WITH WIL MABE
ROSports: You set two new PRs in two events last week. What worked well for you in the pool to achieve those records? What do you think about as you swim?
Mabe: “I just try to keep my head down and focus on my turns and speed in the straightaways. I look at the guy to the right of me and try to stay a body length ahead of him, or keep the gap as wide as I can.
“I’ve been coming to the pool more regularly in between practices to try and get better. And I’ve been focusing on my distance and endurance.”
ROSports: As a three-year swimmer, how have you taken on a leadership role in helping grow the program and help the other swimmers?
Mabe: “I’m trying to be more encouraging to my teammates and get them to practice more. Whether that’s stretching, getting better with their dives, or being ready to swim, I want all of us to compete well at the meets.
“After our first meet, it’s a good start. But I want to get faster as a relay team and try to beat a few more teams.”
ROSports: What are your plans for after high school and why are you interested in that career field?
Mabe: “I want to go to college and then ideally go into the military as an officer and have a career in that. I’d like to join the Coast Guard or the Navy.
“Everything I do is around the water — swimming is my sport, I was a lifeguard this summer and I want to be a marine biologist. I’d like to attend N.C. State or the University of Alabama.”
The Richmond Observer will publish two more Official Athletes of the Week next week.
