As the Boys Varsity Swimming team gears up for the postseason, Hixon Pool is a chaos of chlorine, water, and swimmers.
With its largest roster in years, the team is comprised of 21 students. The team also contains more younger students compared to previous seasons.
The majority of the squad is made up of Preps and Lower Mids, many of whom are new to the team. In particular, new swimmers James Yae ’23 and Ryan Tse ’23, have already posted the fastest times on the team this season in the 100 breast and 200 IM, respectively.
This is not only encouraging for the future success of the team, but provides a refreshing energy to the team’s dynamic. Boys Varsity Swimming Head Coach Keith Moon commented, “I’m not sure if I’m doing things that are in any way particularly revolutionary, but I really like the atmosphere and the excitement that the young swimmers bring.”
A recent string of wins against Kent – a team to which it lost to last year – and NMH, have guaranteed the team at least a .500 record this season.
Along with the thrill of winning, however, the team stresses personal improvement above all else. In the pool, the swimmers have worked to become healthier and stronger since returning from Winter Break.
Moon, who has coached the team for 31 years, said that swimmers are working to achieve their ultimate goals “of swimming faster than they’ve ever swum before in their lives.”
The team now heads into the postseason and will compete first in the Founder’s League Championship away at Miss Porter’s, looking to best its standing of third from last year’s event.
The team is not only looking for trophies there, but after a two-year hiatus, it is also hosting the New England Championships at Hixon Pool. Individually, the team is looking to defend its titles from the previous year.
Co-captains Leo Poggi ’20 and William Wildish ’21, are reigning Founder’s League champions in the 200 and 500 freestyles and 50 and 100 freestyles, respectively. Jeffrey Lim ’21 is also the Founder’s League champion for the 100 butterfly.
Furthermore, the team is tipped to perform well in both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, which have produced consistently fast results throughout the season. Poggi said, “Everyone has come in and worked hard each day to improve, and people are already seeing some of that pay off. Our best moments are yet to come.”
The team will compete in the Founder’s League Championship on February 29, followed by the New England Championship in Hixon Pool during Spring Break.