Ocean City’s Natalie McKenna is a three-sport athlete who is a part of a Red Raiders swim team that captured its first South Jersey championship ever with a 95-75 win over Haddonfield and earned a trip to the state championship meet. She also runs cross country and track. Glory Days Magazine publisher Dave O’Sullivan caught up with the 17-year-old senior from Upper Township during a phone interview the day after the Red Raiders won the South Jersey title. Sully: What was it like winning that South Jersey title, the first one in school history? McKenna: It was amazing. All of our hard work had paid off. It was a great feeling to make history and be the first team that had ever done that. It was a great feeling to do it with all those girls, too. 
Ocean City senior Natalie McKenna cheers on her teammates during the Red Raiders’ playoff victory over rival Mainland earlier this month. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) Sully: Beating Mainland had to be a great win for your team, beating a rival in such a close meet in the playoffs. What was that like? McKenna: It was a lot closer than we were expecting, but it was very exciting to be able to swim against them a second time. The vibe was crazy because they had so many fans and we wanted it so bad. It was very exciting. Sully: Were you expecting Ocean City to have this kind of success this year? What were you thinking back in November? McKenna: We were hoping that we would make it this far and we really pushed ourselves. (We were hoping) to get a state title, and that’s really been the motivation for us. We’ve been pushing ourselves to make it this far. Sully: What do you think makes this team so successful? McKenna: Our club swimmers have really given us a big boost. We have a lot of girls who have been swimming for so many years and put a lot of time into the sport and it’s really been paying off for us. We’re like a family. We spend a lot of time together and we are really close. We hang out on the weekends. Sully: Who came up with the idea for the face-painting? McKenna: We do group dress-ups in school on the days we have meet. On the days we do OC pride or blackouts we usually paint our faces so everyone gets excited, just as excited as we are. Sully: What’s it like when you are swimming every day and having to go out into the cold after you’re done swimming? McKenna: It’s awful, actually. The worst part of my day is getting out of my swimsuit and into normal clothes. I bring a hat every day. Sully: Do you ever get swimmer’s ear? McKenna: I’ve actually never had that, thankfully. Sully: Do you ever get tired of wearing those swim caps? McKenna: Yes, absolutely. They pull on your hair. Sully: What has senior year been like for you? Do you have senioritis yet? McKenna: Absolutely! It stinks because I know I have it, but I can’t do anything to get rid of it. It’s been fun. I’ve really been making the most of every day. In swimming and in cross country we won South Jersey, so my year so far has been fantastic. Sully: What do you think you will miss most about high school once you graduate? McKenna: Probably my friends and the people in sports. Sully: Who would you say is the class clown of the swim team? McKenna: Amber Glenn. She just says the funniest stuff. Sully: What did you think of the guy who showed up in the full body red suit during the meet against Mainland? (Shane Rauner and friends showed up to the meet to support the girls. Rauner was dressed from head-to-toe in a red body suit). McKenna: Oh, my gosh, that was awesome! It was a surprise that (the boys swimmers) were there with their chests painted and he was there in that suit. It got us all pumped up. Sully: What class do you really like, and what class gives you the most trouble? McKenna: Math gives me the most trouble. Calculus does not make sense to me at all. I really enjoy biology. It’s fascinating. Sully: What are you looking to do after graduation? McKenna: I want to go to High Point University in North Carolina and study athletic training. Sully: What song gets you guys going before the swim meets? McKenna: “Higher” by (Just Blaze & Baauer featuring) Jay-Z. We play that on the bus every time. It really gets us pumped. There’s one part where he goes ‘I will not lose’ and then the bass drops and we all go nuts. It’s awesome. Sully: If you could pick any car to arrive to the prom in, which would you pick? McKenna: A white jeep. Sully: Yeah? That’s an odd choice. A white jeep, huh? Interesting. McKenna: I don’t really like fancy, expensive cars. I don’t really get that. Sully: With all this snow and rain we’ve been having, if you could pick once place to go to tomorrow, where would that be? McKenna: South Africa. Because it’s hot, the food is good, and it’s someplace I’ve always wanted to be. Sully: What’s the coolest place to go to in Ocean City during the summer? McKenna: I like the Hula Grill to eat or Waverly Surf Beach to hang out. Sully: What do you hope people remember most about you after you graduate? McKenna: I just hope that I was someone who brightened their day and made them laugh. I was voted class clown, so hopefully I will be remembered for that. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
I got the mic: Natalie McKenna, Ocean City swimming
