The long swim season is finally winding down. As the team begins to transition into the postseason, now is a great opportunity to note the team’s achievements so far and to preview how the postseason will shape up.
The team’s record thus far sits at 9-3. The Preppers’ only losses so far have come from Division 1 powerhouses St. Xavier in Cincinnati, St. Charles in Columbus, and Saline in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
On January 10th, the varsity team took on their biggest rival, Hawken, in a double dual meet with Hathaway Brown. Before the meet began, US was projected to win by 10 points, but that was on an assumption that most of the swimmers would swim their best times. US came out swinging, taking 1st place in the first 3 events of the meet: 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle, and 200 Individual Medley. With the whole JV team present as support, the varsity team took the early lead over Hawken and wouldn’t let go. The US swim beat Hawken with a final score of 174-135. Some of the highlights of the meet included a showdown between Ethan Banks and Hawken’s Matt Rakovec in the 200 free. A determined Banks out-touched Rakovec with an impressive lifetime best time of 144.62. Senior tri-captain Scotty Bowman also had an impressive race in the 100 Butterfly where he out-touched Hawken’s Isaac Esposito by .06 seconds. Although US won the dual meet, Hawken will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the postseason.
There are a few meets to note that are upcoming on the team’s schedule. The JV team will conclude their season this Saturday at the Blazer Invitational at Cleveland State University. The Varsity team’s last home meet of the season and Senior Night is Thursday February 2nd. The team, especially the seniors would really appreciate some support at their last meet. Please come out and support the team at 5:00pm. From there the postseason will officially begin. Sectionals will be at Spire in Geneva Ohio on February 11th, Districts will be at Cleveland State on February 17th, and States will be in Canton on February 23rd and 24th.
This year we have many top state contenders to look out for. Senior tri-captain Scotty Bowman will look for a state title in the 100 Backstroke and 100 Butterfly. Sophomores Ethan Banks and Cal Ritzmann have a shot to win in the 500 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke, respectively. Junior Zach Halawa has a chance to win the 100 Freestyle and will help lead the team’s three relays into the top 8 at States.