WATERVILLE, Maine — The only thing about the Camden Hills girls swim team’s recent dynastic run that would be considered figuratively all wet is, well, the coach, because he literally keeps getting thrown into the pool by his hard-working, incredibly-talented, highly-successful student-athletes.
Obviously, Windjammer coach Mark McCluskey is doing something correct and his dominating high school swimmers are being rewarded with more hardware for the school trophy case and the seemingly annual satisfaction of being able to toss their fearless leader into the pool.
That happened again Saturday afternoon at the state Class B swimming and diving championships at the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center on the Colby College campus as the Windjammers, who won state Class A titles in 2022 and 2023, before finishing second in Class B in 2024, now have won back-to-back Class B titles.
That is an impressive four state championships in five years. And a nice start to a pool dynasty.
And the Windjammers accomplished that Saturday in dominating, and in one case, state record-setting fashion.
Camden Hills outpointed runner-up Cape Elizabeth 455 to 296.5 as the Windjammers won all three relays — one in state-record fashion — and four individual titles, including two from Rowan Stewart, a senior, who was named the swimmer of the meet (she was involved in four state titles).
Under the tutelage of former Windjammer swimmer McCluskey, the Windjammer girls have built a splashy, classy, consistently-strong pool presence.
Previously, the Windjammers won state Class B titles in 2025 and 1981 (as Camden-Rockport), and in Class A in 2022 and 2023. They were state runners-up in Class B in 2024.
As for his post state title-winning pool tossing experiences, McCluskey joked: “All I’ll say is sometimes I wonder if the main motivation behind their success is that they get to throw me in the pool if they win.”
McCluskey said the team’s 200 medley relay “set the tone right out of the gate” with a first-place, state record-setting performance to get the Windjammers rolling. He told the girls they had a shot to set the new state mark and they did that by nearly a second.
“On the bus [coming here] I told the team to not worry about your times,” the coach said. “Focus on having fun racing. What I mean by that is don’t goof around, but lock in and just enjoy the competition. And they did that today.”
McCluskey said he had swimmers who did not experience times they hoped, “but they were so good about bouncing back. A lot of kids would have tapped out and said, ‘It is a bad meet for me.’ But they knew they needed to put on in the next event for the team. It is really, really cool how we have turned this swim team, that is mostly an independent sport, [and] we have done a really great job here, my captains, my seniors, everyone, of turning it into a team environment and focusing on points and placement.”
Two midcoast high school swim programs competed at the state meet, including the Belfast Lions of Waldo County and Camden Hills Windjammers of Knox County.
For the girls, Camden Hills finished first and Belfast ninth, while for the boys the Lions were sixth and Windjammers eighth.
The local boys and girls water athletes more than held their own, winning state titles and finishing among the top few in many events.
Swimmers had to reach qualifying standards during the season to earn the opportunity to compete at the state meet.
Although the high school swimmers competed over the traditional 25 yards per length, Colby has the state’s only Olympic-size, 50-meter pool.
Camden Hills team members for 2025-26 are Madeline Bennett, Esme Black, Adella Brainerd, Georgia Brainerd, Eli Bregman, Mackenzie Dillon, Finn Dodge, Kaitlyn Dostie, Benji Ellis, Dexter Hedstrom, Soleil Jacques, Havana Kriste, Marina Landrith, Flynn Layton, Cora Leavitt, Henni Lee, Calder Meil, Py Nakjaroen, Vivienne Perry, Evan Senders, Jessica Stanton, Rowan Stewart, Graham Stoughton, Madison Surbey, Baxter Thackeray, Eva Vickerman, Allie VanRyn, Avery Weeks, Sonny Werby, Sophia Wickenden, Acacia Widmer, Ami Wolovitz, Marguerite Worner, Pearl Yetman and Willa Yetman.
Belfast team members for 2025-26 are Alex Young, Carter Raymond, Clark Dumas, Connor Wood, Daniel Lazarev, Gavin Bednoez, Ian Beal, Ian Lucas, Landon Coombs, Levi Marriner, Lucien Densmore, Miles Sagaas, Minh Ha, Nick Hicock, Owen Mailloux, Owen Tomalty, Sam Potter, Shane Carson, Theo Bluhm, Abby Frazee, Aspen Miller, Charlotte Martinelli, Ella Chase, Emelia Moitoso, Grace Hayes, Ibis Bird, Jaylynn Sheafe, Jordan Bowles, Kate Lancaster, Lily Martinelli, Lucy Birocco, May Van Carpels, Olivia Robbins, Opal Woodbury, OraLee Woodbury, Phoenix Pace, Rose White, Sarah Allen and Saydee Grendell.
Saturday’s state girls team scores were: Camden Hills 455, Cape Elizabeth 296.5, Mount Desert Island 292, Greely of Cumberland 197, Yarmouth 143, Northern Penobscot 133, Morse of Bath 122, Ellsworth-Sumner of East Machias-George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill 108, Belfast 98, Lincoln Academy of Newcastle 90, Freeport 58, Waterville-Winslow 52.5, Westbrook 39, North Yarmouth Academy 33, Waynflete of Portland and Hyde School of Bath 22, John Bapst of Bangor-Hermon 21, Wiscasset-Boothbay Region 11, Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield and Oceanside of Rockland 4.
The Mariners had independent athlete, Iris Quint, qualify and compete in the meet.
Saturday’s state boys team scores were: Morse 352, Greely 326, Ellsworth 296, Cape Elizabeth 225, Mount Desert Island 220, Belfast 180, Northern Penobscot 129, Camden Hills 107.5, Waterville-Winslow 106, Yarmouth 67, Freeport 57.5, Waynflete 37, Erskine Academy of South China 29, Lincoln Academy 28 and Maine Central Institute 16.
The Belfast boys won state Class B crowns in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Leading the Windjammers girls on Saturday was the 200 MR team of Stewart, Adella Brainerd, Layton and Worner, who finished first in 1:46.83, which set the state and meet records.
The 200 free relay of Weeks, Adella Brainerd, Nakjaroen and Worner also finished first in 1:41.8, while the 400 FR of Stewart, Kriste, Georgia Brainerd and Layton also placed first in 3:42.15.
Stewart also won the 200 freestyle (1:57.81) and 200 backstroke (57.36). Layton finished first in the 500 free in 5:18.31 and Adella Brainerd first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.85.
For Belfast, Opal Woodbury finished second in diving as one of the Lions top state performances.
Windjammer seniors Dillon, Adella Brainerd, Stewart and Dostie said it was nice to nail down back-to-back state titles to validate hard work and dedication to the sport they love.
Dillon said: “It is really amazing. We worked hard all season. So this is really great.”
Adella Brainerd said: “All the hard work is starting to pay off and it is a great way to end the season.”
Stewart competed in her first pool campaign for the Windjammers this winter. “This is so exciting. This is my first high school season so it was a great environment to be in. It has been a great season and I am so happy to have been part of this team.”
The other girls said Stewart was their number one “recruit” for this season.
Dostie said: “It feels super great helping this team through states … It felt great to be here and cheer them on. It is a super accomplishment.”
Dillon said the Windjammers continue to succeed at a high level because of “teamwork. We all support each other.”
Adella Brainerd added: “We have very good depth. Everyone is a really good swimmer.”
Stewart said “it is a great team environment and we all get along great. We also have a great coach who encourages us to do our best … He hypes us up all the time.
Dostie said the swimmers are “super dedicated at practice. We work super hard and the team environment is amazing. We all just love each other so much.”
McCluskey said Saturday’s meet was an “unbelievable day” and of his four recent state team titles “this was by far the most dominant. And I think it is really fun that we come back every year and set the bar a little higher.”
