Boys Swimming Preview

By Scotty Tuck

The Boys Swimming Season begins with its first practice on Monday, December 4. The team, which was formally comprised of 22 swimmers and 4 divers, now consists of 29 swimmers and 3 divers. This year’s team is not much different than last year’s, having only lost three seniors, but gaining multiple freshmen and sophomores. The boys also recently gained a new coach in Liz Blau, coach of the Darien YMCA Piranhas.

Sophomore Connor Martin in the 100 meter Butterfly 

A new coach and some young faces could be the recipe for success in BWSD’s upcoming season. The team, lead by senior captains Kevin Grune, Alex Dehmel, Chris Zhang, Connor Henry, and Brendan Ross is looking to be very promising. There is a lot of depth within the team, as well as a large number of newcomers whose presence on the team will be very beneficial. Similar to last year, the now 10th grade class seems to be one of the main sources of the team’s depth and strength, especially with the three sophomore newcomers to the team, whose addition rises the number of sophomores from 8 to 11. Sophomore newcomers Nico Clark and Conway Zhou are two swimmers who will help contribute to the team’s versatility, as Clark will be able to fill positions in both Breastroke and sprint Freestyle events, while Zhou can swim Butterfly, Freestyle, and Individual Medley.

Last year’s season was decent, yet disappointing for BWSD, coming off of a 7-3 season and placing 5th at FCIAC’s, 3rd at Class L’s, and 11th at State Opens. This incoming team is much different however, larger and more diverse, the team has quite a good shot at an undefeated season, as powerhouses such as Greenwich and New Canaan are suffering heavily from the loss of their many talented senior swimmers. The boys also have a high chance of taking first at Class L’s, taking down the previously victorious New Canaan team. Regarding the upcoming season, Senior Captain Chris Zhang was quoted saying, “Last year our team was young, but in the past our boys have been working extremely hard, and this year we have a team that could potentially win States.” The first meet of the season will take place on Saturday, December 16, at Norwalk High School.