Spending her formative years in Australia led Katura Harvey to swimming. According to the Richard Montgomery senior, the sport “is a much bigger deal there.”
So at age 8, when Harvey moved from tropical Brisbane on the east coast of Australia to the east coast of the United States, it was sure to put a crimp in Harvey’s freestyle.
But eventually Harvey settled in the right town to pursue her swimming ambitions. Competing for the Rockville Rays in the summer, Richard Montgomery High in the winter, and the Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club year round, Harvey discovered an enclave of passionate, like-minded swimmers.
In four seasons at RM, her girls team has won two Montgomery County titles and has yet to lose a dual meet. The school has so many eager swimmers, that it has to make cuts.
RM’s success is fueled in part by the Rockville Rays, a community pool, which has won two straight championships in the Montgomery County Swim League’s top division, a considerable feat considering the MCSL includes 89 teams.
The Rays and RMSC provide a steady flow of talent to RM. This year, despite the graduation of six-time county champion Susan Kim (Yale), the Rockets have remained undefeated thanks to an influx of talented freshmen including Cara Chuang, Hannah Vistica, and Ali Benjamin.
“They’ve helped out a lot,” said Harvey. “A lot of our swimmers have a lot of experience even before they get to high school.”
Harvey is the undisputed leader. In each of her three previous seasons, she won the 200 and 500 free titles at the Montgomery County championships.
“She’s our most experienced swimmer and she’s determined to win everything,” said sophomore teammate Anais Menguy. “We all look up to her.”
And the only swimmer Harvey has had to look up to in her high school career is national star Kate Ziegler, who graduated from O’Connell last spring. Four times in the last three years, Harvey finished second to Ziegler in Metros events.
“Nobody was coming close to her,” said Harvey. “Now that she’s out of the way, maybe I can get one.”
Rockets rolling
» Harvey will swim on scholarship at North Carolina.
» RM will get a stiff test Saturday from Walter Johnson, the Montgomery County combined champion the last three years.
» Other leaders for the RM girls are Anais Menguy, Eileen Shi and Sandra Lee.
