LYNN — For most kids, you could say it takes time to find a true passion.
Then again, most kids weren’t Isabella Morillo, a star swimmer at St. Mary’s who has been making waves – literally and figuratively – since she was 6 years old.
“I joined YNS (YMCA of the North Shore Sharks) in Marblehead,” said Morillo, who hails from Lynn. “Since then, I’ve never stopped. I’ve been going every day.”
The Stonehill College-commit did take one break from the sport in seventh grade – and that’s when she missed it most.
“I craved it when I wasn’t doing it. Without swimming, my life didn’t have structure,” said Morillo, who also tried soccer, horseback riding, ice skating, dance, and gymnastics. “Nothing fit like swimming did for me. I know swimming is what I want to do.”
As a sophomore with the Spartans, “when it was my first year making states and sectionals,” Morillo said she started to notice her talent.
“I have the ability to do this – that was my thought-process,” said Morillo, the City of Lynn’s only representative in a state meet this season.
Well, she wasn’t the only one to notice the talent.
“I was like, ‘Wow. I have a swimmer who can do all four strokes,’” said St. Mary’s Coach Michele Brewster. “With Isabella, this is what she does. She knows what she wants and she goes for it.”
Fast forward to Morillo’s senior season, and more than a few boxes have been checked.
Just ask her head coach, who has been helming the program since 2004.
“Swimming is a team sport, but it’s also an individual sport and you’re going out there to prove what you’ve done,” said Brewster, who admires her top swimmer for being such a goal-setter. “Isabella possesses strong technical skills and a keen understanding of swimming mechanics. She’s a reliable competitor who thrives under pressure and consistently delivers strong performances.”
Earlier this month, Morillo made noise in North sectionals, delivering personal-best times and third-place finishes in both the 200 individual medley (2:15.07) and 100 backstroke (1:02.59).
Better yet, both finishes were stronger than where she was seeded.
“I was so thrilled,” said Morillo, who enjoys the same meal (two fried eggs, one piece of toast, an avocado, and a Pillars Yogurt) before every meet.
Also thrilled was Brewster. Despite feeling under the weather that day, she still managed to join the fun.
“They FaceTimed me. I was watching the whole time,” Brewster said.
This past weekend, in the Division 1 state finals held at Boston University, Morillo finished fourth in the 200 IM (2:16.57) and third in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.38) to cap off her high school career in style.
And in a few months, it’ll be on to Stonehill College, where Morillo looks to make an even bigger splash in Easton.
“There, I really want to up it a notch,” she said. “When I get up on that block and I crack my fingers and do my routine, I’m just like, ‘OK, give it all or nothing.’”
