The Needham High School boys swimming and diving team made a splash at the Bay State Conference Championship Meet last week, beating their nearest challenger, Brookline, by a margin of 362 to 268 points. The victory capped off a perfect 5-0 record in league dual meets and a second consecutive conference title.
Leading the way for the Rockets were event winners Jason Chiappinelli, who took first in both the 50 freestyle and 500 freestyle, and Andrew Dementiev, who dominated the 100 backstroke. Sophomore standout Vann Hotchkiss made a statement in the diving competition, completing an inward 2.5 somersault on the way to his first place finish. Relays were a strength for the Rockets, with both the 200 medley relay team of Dementiev, Sebi Gallo, Luke Zhang,and Theo Goryanyy and 200 freestyle relay team of Will Robock, Cole Conway, Goryanyy, and Chiappinelli touching the wall first.
With the Bay State Conference Meet win under their belts, the team is now gearing up for the South Sectional Championship in Beverly on February 12. Expectations are high for the 2018 and 2022 Sectional Champions, but the team is bringing their largest squad ever of 12 athletes determined to defend their title.
