Rambler to Watch: Mallory Remick

In high school basketball, football, baseball, or soccer, when one player's brilliance can improve the play of the entire team. Even in an individual sport, like track and field, solo success perpetuates team success. The aforementioned rarely call for an athlete to sacrifice any personal accolades for good of the team.

But high school swimming is different.

Team success in the state swim meet often requires individuals to sacrifice personal accolades for the good of the team. And Loyola head girls’ swimming coach, Mike Hengelmann, would be hard-pressed to find someone who embodies that more than .

“She’s willing to do whatever event will score the most for the team because that’s the kind of person she is,” Hengelmann told Patch.

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In the state meet, a coach can run an athlete in four events: by running the swimmer in either two individual events and two relays, or all three relays and one individual event. The kicker is that relays score double in the state meet.

Remick, a senior this fall, is one of Illinois' top-flight swimmers and could have placed in several individuals events this past season. Instead she conceded her own personal glory for the betterment of the team, racing in all three relays en route to a second-place finish in the state meet.

“It’s kind of too early to determine what she’s going to be doing at the end of the [this] year. It’s kind of going to be whatever is best for the team," Hengelmann said.

But that's not because Hengelmann doubts his team will be in the same position come this year's state meet.

Instead, it comes down to  Remick's versatility. She's proficient at all strokes and distances—a rarity in high school swimming, where most swimmers sticking to sprints, or distance.

Since Remick provides Hengelmann with so many options, it’s difficult for him to predict what his lineup might look like at the end of the season.

That versatility combined with her excellent academic record has drawn interest from a number of Division I schools that boast quality swim programs as well as stellar academic reputations.

“She falls into the middle, which is kind of nice but it is rare to be proficient at every stroke and every distance,” Hengelmann said. “That’s a testament to her hard work. She doesn’t take sets off, she doesn’t take practices off. She goes 110 percent no matter what.”

Remick, who was characterized as a coach’s dream by Hengelmann, was also elected by her teammates as a captain this year.

“I’m honored because how we do it is we vote and it’s a team vote,” Remick said. “The three girls and I honored that the girls chose me. I see my role as a leader. I want to lead my team by example and be there for the girls. At Loyola, we’re all really close.”

And the Ramblers should stay that way this year with most of their second-place team coming back.

Though perennial power , Loyola and Remick aren’t conceding anything yet. They like their chances and are thinking about a state title already.

“There are so many competitive teams and it can really be anyone’s meet,” Remick said. “It all depends on who swims what. It’s a goal of ours, definitely, and with the team we have coming in, we are definitely striving for that. But there are so many good teams and so many talented teams that it’s really up for grabs.”

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