| Vandebilt Catholic High School Fighting Terriers Swim Team |
| Congratulations to the Terrier Girl's and Boy's Swim Teams on winning the Class 4A state title in Sulphur on Thursday, November 15th, 2007. That is 4 consecutive titles for the Girls and 6 straight for the Boys. From Staff Reports The Courier SULPHUR -- Vandebilt Catholic scored a combined 908 points to win the boys and girls state titles in Division II-Class 4A on the second day of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association-State Farm State Swim Meet. The Vandebilt girls scored 530 points, to finish in front of Cabrini of New Orleans (210) and St. Michael the Archangel of Baton Rouge (175) on Thursday night at the SPAR Aquatic Center. It was closer in the boys division. The Terriers tallied 378 points to finish ahead of Alexandria (289) and Holy Cross of New Orleans (210). For the boys it was Vandebilt’s sixth title in a row, and for the girls it was their fourth in a row. Two Vandebilt swimmers, Kip Pierce and Curt Theriot, were double winners in the boys division. Pierce won the 200 individual medley (2:06.21) and 100 breaststroke (1: 03.77), while Theriot took top honors in the 100 butterfly (55.62) and the 100 backstroke (54.77). Two more Vandebilt swimmers, Monique Lefort and Amber Pierce, were double winners in the girls division. Lefort won the 100 butterfly (57.16) and the 100 breaststroke (1:08.20), and Pierce won the 50 (25.13) and 100 (55.12) freestyle events. Also on the girls side for Vandebilt, the team won the 200 medley relay, the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. The Vandebilt boys won the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. ___________________________________________ VCHS swimmer headed to Duquesne Kelly McElroy Staff Writer-The Courier November 28, 2007 HOUMA – Even as an 8-year-old, Vandebilt Catholic senior Monique Lefort was highly competitive. She was interested in dancing and swimming. But when a friend joined the Bayou Barracudas, a local swim club, and he became a better swimmer than her, Lefort felt it was time to give up dancing and concentrating strictly on the pool. “I got really, really jealous,” Lefort said. “So I threw dancing right out of the door.” That decision over nine years ago, though it may have seemed minor at the time, has led to a major achievement in Lefort’s life. Lefort, 17, signed a full swimming scholarship to Duquesne University on Monday in the Vandebilt library. The private Division I university located in downtown Pittsburgh has an enrollment of just over 10,000. Lefort said she chose Duquesne, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, over Oakland (Michigan) and Virginia Tech. “Duquesne was one of the first schools to call me,” Lefort said. “I went to the city and fell in love. It gave me a I-need-to-be-here feeling.” Lefort has been swimming at Vandebilt since her eighth grade year and helped the Lady Terriers to four consecutive Division II state titles. “I could always count on her to give her best effort. As she’s grown and matured, she’s proven to be a real team leader,” Vandebilt swimming coach Duane Ring said. “She’s always been behind, and gotten the team behind, each of the individual swimmers as they competed. I am going to miss her terribly. She’s been a great contributor.” Along with her four team titles, Lefort has won seven individual state titles with the Lady Terriers. As a freshman she won the Division II state title in the 100-meter butterfly, and in her sophomore, junior and senior years she won Division II state titles in the 100-meter butterfly and in the 100-meter breaststroke. She had all-American times as a junior in the butterfly and the breaststroke and as a senior in the breaststroke. In January of her junior year (after the swimming season was over) Lefort was diagnosed with severe tennis elbow in her right arm. It was caused from constantly working on her strokes in the water. She said the injury slowed her a bit this season. “I was out for six months (leading up to the summer),” Lefort said. “I got in the water everyday. I kicked for six months. I just couldn’t move my arms.” Lefort has received physical theory for the injury, has taken a cortisone shot and wears a brace. “It’ll go away by itself,” Lefort said. “Or it’s something I’ll just have to deal with.” Lefort said she let the staff at Duquesne know about her elbow. “When I went to Duquesne, I told them that I had this problem,” Lefort said. “I met the physical therapist, and he said he’d take care of it.” Lefort said she has already begun preparing for swimming on the college level. “I’m sure it’ll be a challenge,” Lefort said. “It’s the next step up. I am accepting it. I feel like I’m ready.” |
