The Summer Paris Olympic Games begin in late July, and there’s a chance the local diocesan sports scene will be represented on the biggest stage.
Or maybe the biggest pool.
Sean Green, a junior swimmer on the Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, varsity team, will compete in a few weeks in this year’s Olympic swimming trials. The big day for the U.S. No. 4-ranked swimmer in his age group is set for June 15 in Indianapolis.
Swimming is a family affair for the Greens. Sean’s father, Keith, a retired FDNY firefighter and Molloy alum, also competed in the Olympic swimming trials during his competitive career. Sean’s aunt Heather Green-Wresch is Keith’s sister as well as Sean’s varsity swimming coach at Molloy.
Green began swimming competitively at around 9 years old. The sport quickly developed into a passion, leading him to make Molloy’s swim team as well as swim for his club team, the Long Island Aquatic Club, throughout the rest of the year.
It has taken extreme dedication from Green to be where he is today. He wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to get an hour of training in before school. He then goes to school all day and trains again in the afternoon before heading home to complete his schoolwork.
This dedication has led Green to break a number of school records. The junior recently won the CHSAA’s Vinny Harkins League MVP Award for his performance at city, state, and federation meets. He’s also a member of the National Junior Swim Team, representing the U.S. in competition.
At the upcoming Olympic trials, Green will compete in four events: the 400-meter individual medley, the 1,500-meter freestyle, the 800-meter freestyle, and the 400-meter freestyle. For each race, two competitors make the final cut to head to Paris — so he has a shot in multiple events.
Green has stayed humble throughout this process. As a 17-year-old, he will be one of the youngest participants at the trials. Yet his competitive nature will drive him to do his very best — no matter who’s swimming next to him.
“I love the feeling of winning and trying to be the best that I can be and seeing good results,” he said. “I’m thankful to all of my coaches. I have a great relationship with all of them. We communicate really well, and I think that’s helped me.”
Of course, when we think of swimming and the Olympics, the name Michael Phelps is bound to come up. As Green- Wresch pointed out, Green swam a faster time than the Olympic champion in the 400-meter individual medley during his age 16 year. Green bested Phelps’ time by 2 seconds, which is an eternity in swimming!
“Sean has such wonderful school spirit,” Green-Wresch said. “He is always helping and cheering his teammates on. I cannot wait to see what great things he will accomplish in the future.”
Even if he does not make the Olympic team, Green, who has already committed to swim at the University of Georgia, still has a chance to compete for Team USA in Australia at the Junior Pan Pacific Games. That roster is also set to be determined at the June trials in Indianapolis.
Green said the support he has received from the Molloy community has been second to none. His teachers have been understanding of his schedule and his classmates have given him plenty of positive encouragement. He’s remained level-headed as he prepares for the biggest competition of his young life.
“It’s always important to try your best and keep working hard, even if you don’t see results right away,” Green said.
With continued dedication over the next few weeks, Green will position himself nicely to make a splash in the Paris pool.
It might be a good time for the Molloy community to brush up on some French.
On y va Sean! (Let’s go Sean!)