| Title: | Swimming |
| Year: | 1987 |
Kim Dunn Gormely, 1987, Swimming
Kim Dunn Gormely was the first elite female swimmer in Brewer Swimming and Diving history. She swam and lettered all four years for the Witches. Dunn also played on the tennis team her junior and senior years but swimming was her passion. She would often be found swimming in lanes with the fastest boys on the team. Always humble about her personal achievements in the pool whether it be during the regular season in dual meets, the Penobscot Valley Conference Championships or the Class A State Championships, her success as a swimmer came from hard work and dedication; her work ethic was second to none. In addition to swimming and tennis, she also participated in several other activities including B Club, BADD Week, Trident and Chorus. Dunn was an honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society her junior and senior year.
Dunn was a dominant freestyler throughout her entire high school career making her presence known statewide as a young freshman sprinter with her surprise silver medals in the 100 yd. freestyle at the PVC Championship and in the 50 yd. freestyle at the 1984 Class A State Championship.
During her sophomore season, Dunn proved she was not only a sprint freestyler but could also dominate middle distance freestyle. She placed 1st in the 100 yd. and 200 yd. freestyle at both the PVC and Class A State Meets with career best times in each race. She set a new PVC and school record in the 200 yd. freestyle with a speedy time of 2:02.02 and remained undefeated in the 200 yd. free for the 1984-1985 season.
Building on her prior season, Dunn sank the competition in her specialty races at the PVC Championships her junior year, again winning the 200 and 100 yd. freestyle events; this time setting a new PVC record in the 100 yd. free with a time of :55.95. Capping off her junior season at the 1986 Class A State Championship, she earned a silver medal in the 200 yd. freestyle and defended her title in the 100 yd. freestyle winning the gold medal for the second year in a row.
During Dunn’s final season with the Witches, she established her 3rd consecutive year as PVC Champion with her 1st place victories in the 200 yd. and 100 yd freestyle and set new PVC records in each event. Her high school career peaked with lifetime best performances at the 1987 Class A State Meet winning the 200 yd. freestyle with a time of 1:59.02 (Brewer High School Swimming Record which stood for 23 years until 2010) and winning the 100 yd. freestyle (:54.65) for her third consecutive year. Dunn was also the anchor of Brewer’s 400 yd. Freestyle Relay that placed 1st at the Class A State Meet, swamping their competition by almost 6 seconds. Dunn’s individual and relay contributions to the team helped Brewer win the 1987 Runner-Up Class A State Championship Plaque. For her stellar performance at the state meet, Dunn was named the 1987 Class A Girls’ State Championship Swimmer of the Meet.
Throughout the four years competing for Brewer, Dunn was a 4-time Maine State All-Star team member. She also achieved honors on the top 10 list of the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) in multiple events each of her four years. As a 6-time PVC champion, including setting 4 PVC records and a 5-time State champion, her feat has yet to be duplicated by another Brewer Swimming and Diving female.
To emphasize Kim Dunn’s speed and absolute dominance in the 100 yd. freestyle, in the 32 years since her last race in 1987, her state championship time of :54.65 would place her either 1st or 2nd place twenty-eight times and 3rd place four times at the Class A State Meet. Her legacy continues…as of 2019, she still holds the individual 100 yd. freestyle and 400 yd. freestyle relay school records for Brewer.
Following her stellar high school swimming career, Dunn enrolled at the University of Maine, swimming four years for the Black Bears. At UMaine, she expanded her swim talents by competing in events such as the 200 yd. Individual Medley along with her signature freestyle events. Coach Jeff Wren counted on her lead-off sprint abilities to give his team an edge during relays. He recalls asking her about her best 100 yd. split ever, a :53.80 in the 400 yd. freestyle relay vs. Boston College, a team Maine had not beaten in a dual meet at the time: “Where did that come from?” Her response, “I had to!” It was a must win race and Dunn attacked the swim like all her events throughout her career…to win.
Kim Dunn married her Brewer High classmate Adam Gormely in 1997. They live in Durham, Maine with their three boys, Will, Jacob and Ben. Dunn is a school nurse at the Durham Community School and she enjoys outdoor activities including partridge hunting and fishing when she is not spending time with her family and friends.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INDUCTION AND ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF KIM DUNN GORMELY
Presenter Tim Babcock and Kim Dunn Gormely