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BY LISA MOORE
The Wellesley High boys swim team has started the season with a splash, winning the first four meets of the season. Xaverian, St. John’s, Bishop Feehan and Reading all put up strong showings but were unable to stop the powerful Raiders team.
Since late November, the boys have been hard at work, practicing long hours six days a week, perfecting strokes, building stamina and preparing for the challenging meets ahead.
While most students spend their winter break on vacation, the boys swim team has kept up a rigorous practice schedule and even participated in a multi school swim meet against Wayland High. Missing a few key swimmers the Raiders suffered their first loss as Wayland edged out a win.
Looking ahead, January will bring a new round of tough competition with the Bay State Conference meets. The boys BSC is highly competitive and any win within the conference is important. As the new year begins, the swimmers will refocus their efforts in preparation for the second half of the season.
Spending so much time training together develops strong team unity among the athletes. With help from an active parent group, the team gets together for team dinners before meets, dress alike as a sign of team spirit, and go out to eat together after meets.
During the races, any team member not swimming can be seen on their feet cheering on their teammates in a true display of comradery.
Coach Jennifer Dutton has led the boys’ team for the last 15 years, sharing her knowledge and expertise with the goal that each swimmer improves upon their previous best performances.
This year’s seniors have all been four-year swimmers. Matthew Scherrer, Tommy Maggiacomo, Kyle Wang, Kyle Noel and Leon Yu each bring individual strengths to the team and have been role models for the newer athletes, helping them adjust to the rigors of the sport.
The assistant coach this year is Stephanie Welch, a Wellesley High math teacher who has helped coach the girls swim team for years, while the diving coach is Joe Chirico. Both assistant coaches have been valuable in helping to raise the skill levels of the swimmers and divers.
The team’s next two meets are home at Babson College at 7 p.m. against Milton High on Wednesday January 6 and Brookline High on January 12 and the team looks forward to not only the competition, but also it’s hometown fans showing their support.
