VarsIty Spotlight: Dickinson sets mark 41 years in the making
In this provided photo, Watertown High School junior Molly Dickinson is pictured after setting the varsity girls swimming team’s 200-yard freestyle record Sept. 19 in the Cyclones’ host invitational. The record was held by Christine (Scott) Sutton for 41 years.
By JOSH ST. CROIX
WATERTOWN — Molly Dickinson gazed up to the record board on the wall of the Watertown High School pool.
Without crunching the numbers, she noted the 200-yard freestyle was tied as the longest-standing record for the varsity girls swim team. The junior then set her sights on the mark that her fellow Cyclones had been unable to reach for the past 41 years.
On Sept. 19, in her home pool at the Watertown Invitational, Dickinson finished the 200 free in 2 minutes and 1.36 seconds to break the previous school record of 2:01.50 held by Christine (Scott) Sutton since 1985.
Dickinson also qualified for the state championships for the third straight year on the same day, adding to the rapidly growing list of achievements in her decorated five-year varsity career.
“I didn’t do the math,” Dickinson said. “I knew it was one of the oldest records on the board, and that’s kind of what pushed me to go for it, but I didn’t realize until after that it was 41 years.”
She added, “It definitely is exciting, and I think even seeing how old the record is, it’s like, people have probably worked so hard for it in the past, and it was really exciting to finally break something like that.”
Dickinson, the youngest of three skilled siblings, started with the Watertown-YMCA Blue Sharks at age 6 and is working to eventually join her brother and sister in the college swimming ranks.
In the meantime, she is carving out her own place among the family legacy at Watertown.
Now a three-time state qualifier in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, Dickinson initially took aim at the 200 free record last season and came into her junior campaign determined to take another shot at it early.
“For me, that moment was like, all my hard work has paid off,” Dickinson said. “I’ve been working at this record, even since last year, and before that, I never really swam the 200 (free). It was kind of just one of the other events, but I think breaking it this year and especially dropping time early in the season, it was a moment for me that, I’ve worked for this, and the work that I’ve done even outside of varsity swim has shown off and gone into what I did.”
Buzz among her coaches, teammates and other cherished supporters only grew as Dickinson expanded her lead on the field during the 200 free at the Cyclones’ host invitational.
They knew that Dickinson was in a race against history as she approached the final 50-yard sprint to the finish.
Watertown varsity coach Lori Peters — who has been Dickinson’s primary mentor since her first day with the YMCA Blue Sharks — anxiously checked the scoreboard along with the rest of the team and started celebrating once the time was posted.
“We were so thrilled,” Peters said. “We were all waiting. She hit the touchpad and our eyes went to the scoreboard, and we were just waiting to see what the number was. We felt confident because we were watching every split and seeing where she was. I think, for her, it was definitely a sigh of relief like, ‘I did it.’ It was only by .14 (seconds). Records are hard to break, and tenths-of-seconds count. It was just so exciting.”
Christine (Scott) Sutton is also among those in the Cyclones community that have sent their congratulations to Dickinson in the aftermath of the record achievement.
Sutton works in the district as a colleague of Peters and Dickinson’s mother, Mackenzie. Sutton still holds the school record for the 500-yard freestyle (5:20.7), also established in 1985.
Dickinson credited a shift to a more confident mindset built on experience entering her fifth varsity campaign as paramount to achieving the record.
“My mindset tells me that I can work hard for four 50 (-yard sprints) straight, and that I can do things that, in the past, I didn’t think I was as capable of doing,” she said.
Dickinson is now onto her next mission after qualifying for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) championships in the 50- and 100-free events for the third straight year. She placed 28th at the state meet for the 100 free (55.13 seconds) and 38th for the 50 free (0:25.31) last season.
Dickinson met the state qualifying standard for both events during the Watertown Invitational with a career-best time of 54 seconds in the 100 free and a season-best showing of 24.68 seconds in the 50 free.
She is the reigning two-time Frontier League champion in both the 50 and 100 free, and she has won back-to-back Section III Class A championships in the 100 free. Dickinson captured the 50 free sectional title as a freshman, finished second last fall, and has also been a fixture on several title-winning relays throughout her varsity tenure.
Her success has come as no surprise to those who saw her destined to make her own emphatic mark among the family lineage in the sport.
Dickinson’s older brother, Matthew “MJ” Dickinson, is a member of the Le Moyne College men’s swimming team while her older sister, Marra, competes for the Hartwick College women’s swimming team.
“Being the youngest, I always felt like I had to compete with my older siblings, and with them both being swimmers too, especially both swimming in college, they have inspired to me to keep working hard,” Dickinson said. “Even friendly competition between my sister and I. That experience from them, it has helped me to push myself and want to do bigger things.”
Joining her recent record moment, Dickinson cited the first time she qualified for states as a freshman while racing alongside her sister as her favorite memory from her career so far.
That came in the 50 free at the 2024 Frontier League championship meet when Molly took first in 24.59 seconds and Marra placed second in 0:26.41.
“I think that is one of my biggest memories,” Dickinson said. “Her and I hugged across the lane line, and it was just something I had worked for. I think it was nice that it was her and I, and we could push each other in that way, and she dropped time too.”
Dickinson also serves as her class president, is a member of the Superintendent Student Advisory Council and plays volleyball and lacrosse. She also plays club volleyball in addition to club swimming, most recently joining the Liverpool Jets in the pool.
She likes to spend her free time on the slopes as a ski instructor or on the water at her family cottage.
But Dickinson’s current focus is locked in on a strong team finish for the unbeaten Cyclones while cutting time in her events leading into the postseason.
Despite losing six seniors from last season and sporting a roster with only seven upperclassmen among 21 swimmers, Watertown is sporting a perfect 7-0 overall record with four dual meets remaining.
Watertown is scheduled to host the Frontier League championships beginning Oct. 22 leading into the Section III championships and state qualifiers.
The state championships are slated for Nov. 20-21 at Webster Aquatic Center.
“We’re going to keep working hard every single day,” Dickinson said. “We do have team goals and things that we’re working for, and I think all of us can agree that even though it’s getting to the end, we’re going to keep working hard and pushing ourselves.”
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