By Caroline Sturgeon ’20
The middle school swim season finished on Nov. 5. The boys’ team finished in second place to Viewpoint, and the girls’ team finished first, making this their third consecutive year as Delphic League Champions.
“We were hopeful that both boys and girls would come out on top because of the depth of our teams, so it was disappointing to come away with second on the boys’ side. We were elated for the girls’ repeat though! The whole team worked so hard, so it’s definitely a little bittersweet,” assistant coach and English teacher Sidney Kohls said.
The boys spent the season training hard and although they did not reach the outcome they had hoped for, they finished ahead of Buckley in the finals.
“I’m fine with both outcomes. I knew once we swam against Viewpoint that we would have an uphill battle on the boys’ side, and they just proved to have a little more depth than us, but we competed as hard as we could,” coach and seventh grade dean Dr. Carroll said.
Olivia Baer ‘21 and Ellie Baron ‘21 helped to bring in the win on the girls side while swimmers Austin Lee ’21 and Ronald Dalmacio ’22 helped to secure the boys second place finish. There were also many swimmers who came to the team with little to no experience and improved greatly.
Lee and Baer were also awarded the all-around champion award in the Delphic league. Lee as well has Dalmacio set several Delphic league records.
“Swimming club outside of school helps a lot, but I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the team, the coaches, and the parents. They were all very supportive of me,” Lee said.
Although the boys did not finish first like the team had hoped, the season still provided experience for the team and opportunities for individual improvement.
“Swimmers had to race their way into shape this season. In the past we have had a few more practice days to really isolate and work on components of a race. This year kids had to learn as they were racing, which can also be effective,” Carroll said.
The coaches said they are satisfied with the season’s outcome but hope to make some improvement for next year.
