Navy women’s swimming and diving coach John Morrison chuckled when asked how Sydney Harrington was able to make such a dramatic improvement in her signature event during a year ripped apart by a pandemic.
Harrington slashed almost a second off her career-best time in the 200-yard butterfly, ultimately earning her the ninth seed at the NCAA Championships.
Harrington left the Naval Academy for spring break last March and did not return until August. That cost the Fairfax, Virginia, resident valuable training time in the Lejeune Hall pool.
This spring, during the most important part of the swimming season, Navy athletics entered a pause that wound up lasting 21 days.