Capital Gazette 2023-24 All-County boys swimming: Florida-bound Luke Corey of Crofton named Boys Swimmer of the Year
Luke Corey hadn’t always swam the lane that led him to a Florida scholarship, an Olympic Trial cut with immediate intentions for at least two more, and an arsenal of school records and county gold medals.
He’d pull himself out of the water as much as he’d dive in, all through his childhood. In eighth grade, Corey had a “breakout meet” at his club states. And then, the pandemic arrived. Corey didn’t see the point of training anymore.
So, his mother, Donna, started waking her son up at 4:30 a.m. to swim in open water.
“It was so hard to wake up,” Corey said. “Sometimes, I just didn’t, and I’d sleep in the car through the whole swim. Then, I come back from COVID, we get our first meet and I make my first national cut.
“From there? I thought, we have a chance to do something pretty cool here.”
When winter sports returned to competition the following year, Corey made a fledgling Crofton program his own. Over three years, Corey won every individual race he ever swam, swept individual county championship titles in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle while also garnering 17 school records, including also the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle.
Corey didn’t post his record-setting times against Anne Arundel teams devoid of club swimmers, either. The best opponents sharpened his resolve and hunger. He refused to lose to even Broadneck, which overall went unbeaten against county teams this winter. It didn’t matter that Corey, by club brand a long-distance swimmer, was marked to compete a short event like the 100 free in January against the Bruins and Severna Park.
Steam followed Corey as he scorched to the wall for his final touch in just 47.18 seconds. He went on to snap his own county record in the 200 free (1:41.38).
“He’s set the standard incredibly high,” Crofton coach Christine Bickel said. “He’s a hard worker, dedicated, and everything he’s achieved is because of him — but what he does, he does with ease.”
The dominant endurance swimmer that will brush shoulders with Olympians in mid-June in Indianapolis set his comfortability aside for the sake of what Crofton needed. Since MPSSAA swimming doesn’t include the mile (his current Olympic Trial cut) Corey swam the 500 and the 200, something the three-time county champion is “just OK at.”
Approaching a less-than-two minute event compared to one that can stretch past 30 minutes is, of course, not the same. But Bickel’s constant fast-swim training shaped Corey into the best 200-yard swimmer in Anne Arundel County. Hunger to remain the best at his craft did the rest.
“I was this close to remaining undefeated,” Corey said. “I couldn’t just lose. I let my mind go, except to yell at myself: ‘Go, go, go.’ I don’t got that much speed, but I can hold what I do got for a long time.”
Corey’s talents easily eclipse most of the Anne Arundel swimmers around him. There are many like him dipping into club pools around the county that never swim for their high school. But his friends were at Crofton, including his best, Grant Murphy, a decorated competitor in his own right.
But, Corey admits, he was tempted to skip his final season. He had his college commitment secured and half of his reason for competing as a Cardinal, his friends, graduated.
“But it’s one year left,” he thought. “With an added shot of winning. We might do it this year. Might as well try.”
After capturing his individual events, Corey played an irreplaceable part in leading Crofton to tie for the county championship boys title by anchoring the 400 freestyle relay to a 3:18.55 time — a split second ahead of South River.
But the morning after, amid the lingering bewilderment that his Cardinals were in fact champions, one note remained bitter. Corey wanted Will Roberts’ record in the 500-yard freestyle. The Bruin set the mark seven years ago. Corey sort of knew him; Roberts swam with his older brother.
Corey fell about two seconds short. And yet, by April, the shortcoming rolled off Corey as imperceptibly as pool water.
Bickel always enrolled Corey in the teachings of the fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso: “Be a goldfish.” Keep a short memory. And while Corey, or even the best Olympic swimmers, will never swim as fast as a goldfish, he matched his mentality with it.
“It doesn’t still bother me, because I got his club record,” Corey said with a flashing grin. “So, I’m faster still.”
The standard for Anne Arundel boys swimming walked among his team thinking he wasn’t much of a leader. Corey coaches little kids, and while he knows they’re looking up to him, he just strides to be their friends. “Who cares if they look up to me?”
But little kids or high school-aged, they do. And Bickel saw leadership come from Corey as naturally as a flip-turn.
“I think there’s a real part of him that wants to give back,” Bickel said, “and share this sport with everyone.”
No longer an asset for Crofton, Corey’s goals only skyrocket in difficulty before and when he arrives in Florida.
First, Corey plans to add 800-meter freestyle and 400-meter individual medley Olympic Trial cuts (he’s two seconds shy of both now), at least. He’s fully aware he has no chance of making the Olympic team this time around; he just wants the experience. His intention is to do it four years from now.
Corey then aims to make the Southeastern Conference team as often as he can — a conference typically housing household-name Olympians and otherwise fastest swimmers in America. Next season, too, Corey predicts Florida has a “really good shot” of winning an NCAA men’s championship. His hope is that he swims fast enough to make it there.
“It’d be really cool,” Corey said, “to be a part of that.”
Coach of the Year
Erin Domenech, Severn
Domenech led her Admirals to avenge last season’s shortcoming to St. Mary’s at the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference championships, guiding Severn not only to this season’s title, but also to a perfect 8-0 regular season mark.
Severn blew its competitors out in the championship meet with a score of 398.5, 90.5 points higher than the silver. The Admirals captured two of three relays, the 200 and 400 free, while individually, sophomore Court Barrett captured the 200 free, junior Harlen Erskine grabbed the 50 free and 100 free.
All-County individuals
Court Barrett, Severn, sophomore
The SPRC swimmer helped guide the Admirals to team gold with a 1:51.53 finish at the MIAA B championships, while also setting a new school record in the 100 backstroke (54.21).
Marcus Cembrano, Broadneck, senior
Cembrano opted to swim for his high school over club at the Class 4A/3A East regional championships, taking the 100 breaststroke with a 1:00.95.
Nate Decker, Broadneck, senior
The Naval Academy Aquatic Clubber shaved his own team record in the 100 back this season to 50.69, while also striking gold and a new meet record (47.12) in the 100 free at the county championships.
Jack Deppe, South River, senior
A Lehigh commit, Deppe rallied back from a broken limb to sweep his individual events at the county championships — 100 butterfly (52.20) and 100 breaststroke (58.98).
Caleb Doughty, North County, junior
Doughty represented his Knights well with a first-place finish in the 100 butterfly at the Class 4A/3A East regional championships (56.75).
Harlan Erskine, Severn, junior
An MIAA B All-Conference select, the junior made the sprint categories all his own with a 23.33 first-place in the 50 free and 50.93 first-place in the 100 free at the MIAA B championships.
Rhys Garrahy, Severna Park, sophomore
The SPY swimmer aided his Falcons’ march to team gold with a victory in the 500 free (5:16.17) at the Class 4A/3A East regional championships.
Evan Graham, Key, senior
The MIAA B Conference’s swimmer of the year, the Annapolis Swim Club member picked up two wins at the conference championship in the 500 free (4:46.10) and the 100 back (51.54).
Griffin Harris, South River, senior
An Annapolis Swim Club member, the Seahawk cruised to a 22.41 triumph in the 50 free and took bronze in the 100 free at the county championships.
Nik Klee, Broadneck, junior
After finishing in second at the county championships, Klee avenged himself at the Class 4A/3A East regional championships’ 50 free with a 22.41 as well as a winning 50.73 time in the 100 free.
James Knott, Severna Park, sophomore
A SPY swimmer, Knott guided his Falcons to the team win with a 2:09.91 victory in the 200 IM at the Class 4A/3A East regional championships.
Ike Kondo, Severna Park, senior
The SPRC Stingray propelled to glory in the 200 free at the Class 4A/3A East regional championships with a 1:57.86 time.
Grant Murphy, Crofton, junior
A Virginia commit, the middle-distance swimmer added to his growing stockpile of Crofton records at county championships, breaking his own meet mark in the 100 back (50.51) and winning the 200 IM (1:54.28).
Parker Ward, Severna Park, freshman
The first-year varsity swimmer put in the work by claiming the win in 100 back (1:00.31) , as well as placing second behind his teammate in the 200 free at the Class 4A/3A East regional championships.