FACES OF MAC

Celebration of Champions Edition

To hear Jeanine Cavagnaro (pictured above, left) tell it, the one absent aspect from this year’s Celebration of Champions was the ability to share such a special night with her club family. “The only thing I missed was sitting around the table in the Ballroom, enjoying a great meal, and dressed up with my teammates,” she says. Hopefully taking home the Joe Loprinzi Inspirational Award made up for the lack of in-person revelry! After 28 years of competing with MAC Synchro, now often referred to as Artistic Swimming, Cavagnaro was honored for her unbridled enthusiasm and commitment to the sport she loves.

“It is a special honor to win this award as I was nominated by my peers and coaches,” she says. “To know they view me as an inspirational athlete humbles me and fills me with pride. “Being a premier athletic club, MAC supports excellence in all sports, and artistic swimming is no exception. I have been fortunate to have had outstanding coaches and fantastic teammates. Additionally, MAC has supported my pursuit of athletics through the developmental and championship funding mechanism, when appropriate, which has been terrific.” Such funding helps propel competitors to approved tournaments and other opportunities with the financial assistance of the club when they meet program-specific requirements, like finishing in first or second place. Cavagnaro has taken home more than 50 medals at such national and international meets. That’s helped Cavagnaro develop at a high level, but she’s not the only one who’s come a long way in her nearly three decades with the program. “When I started in synchronized swimming in 1992, the team was known as the MerMacs. This group of women were so inspiring!,” she recalls. “As with all sports, it is those who have gone before us that pave the way for future generations. Having Lucie Svrcinova, a former Olympian, as our coach always motivates me to be my best.” Cavagnaro’s passion for her chosen pursuit doesn’t hurt either. “Artistic swimming is the perfect balance of athletics, grace and teamwork, all in the water. It exemplifies the ‘4 Ds’ of Joe Loprinzi: dedication, determination, desire and discipline. But most of all, I love swimming to music with my synchro family!”

Kevin Keil

If at first you don’t succeed – just keep going back to the Celebration of Champions until you do! It certainly seems to have worked for swimming star Kevin Keil, the recipient of this year’s Mel Fox Amateur Athlete of the Year Award. His 20 club Swim Team records don’t hurt, either. “Winning this award means a lot to me, especially since I did not win it last year. This kind of cements my legacy and accomplishments into MAC’s great history,” he says. “I enjoyed the great community that was represented at the celebration. Even though it was online this year and I was over 2,000 miles away, I still felt like I was right there with everyone else who was on the Zoom call.” Keil says the club played a huge role in his achievement of so much at such a young age. “MAC helped me reach my goals by providing not only pool space, but a great coaching staff, who are more than just coaches to me. Without them, I would have quit swimming a long time ago, but because of their optimism and guidance, I learned to love the sport. “Every single one of my coaches is and was at the club day-in and day-out. Whether it’s 5 a.m. or 5 p.m., they are there, ready to yell, cheer and clap for whoever, whenever.” He has similar words of praise for a support team closer to home: “My mom and dad are my biggest role models. They are always there through my ups and downs and know what to say when something needs to be said. They push me to be my best by never pushing me too hard, and always cheer for me as loud as they can at my meets.” Keil’s next goal is to become a finalist at the Olympic trials in June. After that, he hopes to make the NCAA Championship meet in 2022 or 2023. Whatever happens, his love of the sport is solidified. Or perhaps liquified would be more appropriate? “Swimming is always there for me. It could be the best or worst day of my life, but I always know that I’m going to have to get into the pool, work my butt off, and forget about everything else,” he says. “That’s what I love about swimming: the silence and the individualism of going down and back hundreds or even thousands of times. The feeling after you finish a long, hard set is blissful, and though your body may hurt like hell, well, at least it’s over!”