Herricks’ Patan just a sophomore, but on pace for state swim glory

How do you beat Herricks sophomore swimmer Kayra Patan in the 200 individual medley?

Your only hope is to be pretty far ahead halfway through the race. Because if she’s close at 100 yards, you’re toast.

Patan is an extraordinarily good high school breaststroker. And the breaststroke is the third leg of the 200 IM, a race where being a terrific all-around swimmer able to compete at all four disciplines (fly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle) is a must.

The 15-year-old is very good at the other three strokes, but she’s on another level from almost everyone else in the breaststroke.

“Even if she’s behind a little in the fly or the backstroke, we don’t sweat it, because we know she’s about to take over and leave everyone behind,” Herricks coach Danielle Sullivan said. “As long as she’s close after 100, we know she’s going to win the race.”

Patan is the latest in a long line of recent top Herricks swimmers (recent grads Kailey Simons and Katie Yee were both state medalists and now compete at MIT and Cornell, respectively), and her potential seems unlimited.

Swimming on varsity since eighth grade, Patan made the state meet last year in both the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke and swam 1:06.23 to snag seventh place.

This year, she’s looking to win county titles in both on Nov. 8 and 9 and then improve even more at states.

“Qualifying for states last year was huge for my confidence,” Patan said. “I missed it by a few milliseconds as an 8th grader, so it motivated me to work harder.”

As to her dominance in the breaststroke, Patan said “it’s just more fun than the other strokes.”

“You feel yourself moving and gliding in the water; your head and body are coming up out of the water, and it’s very complex, ensuring everything is coordinated,” Patan added. “Around eighth grade, I decided it was going to be the event I focused on.”

Sullivan said Patan’s dedication to improvement and her ability to “see” the race before it happens contributed greatly to her success.

“She visualizes and verbalizes everything,” Sullivan said. “She’ll come to be before the race and be like ‘OK, I’m going to do this, I’m going to take this many strokes, then hit the wall and turn around, and take this many strokes on the way back.’

“And then she’ll do exactly what she said.”

Patan started swimming at age 6, she said, with her parents simply wanting her to be able to be safe in the water. By 9, though, she knew she wanted to take it more seriously, so she joined the Long Island Aquatic Club (LIAC) out of Eisenhower Park in East Meadow.

Patan freely admits swimming is a major part of her life, practicing eight times a week throughout the year and doing gym/weights work three times a week.

“My friends don’t ask me to hang out too much. They know I’m always in the pool,” she said with a chuckle. “But it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make, because of how much I love the sport.”

That dedication will likely pay off with a Division I swimming scholarship in a few years; Patan said her dream school is Yale, and her academic interests include sports science and research.

“I’m in the science research program here and I love it,” Patan said. “I’m interested in studying sport science because it’s my whole life.”

Patan’s early-season times have already qualified her for the state meet in both her individual events, but winning counties and cutting her time further are on the agenda for the next few weeks leading up to states on Nov. 23-24.

“She can still get stronger, and there are small details she can work on, like positioning her legs, and timing with her kicks,” Sullivan said. “But she’s such a hard worker and so dedicated to swimming that I know she’ll just keep getting better.”