The 2024-2025 swim season for both the boys and girls teams so far at KO has been solid and memorable. Both rosters consist of swimmers of all ages, and the team has consistently been growing throughout the season.
In regards to the boys team, they are led by various swimmers who are very strong in their respective events. Senior Captain Eudel Ma has been terrific in the pool this season. He is a strong leader, which is why he was named the captain of this year’s boys team. Along with Ma, senior Max Haung is an influential leader and someone who always leads by example.
Along with those two seniors, three juniors have emerged into significant positions this season. “Juniors Samit Virmani, Jackson Poulin, and Daniel Grigorian have been tremendous scorers for us this season,” Head Coach Kata Baker said. “They also are phenomenal leaders for our younger swimmers and help out during practice.” The three juniors are very flexible when it comes to their races and will do anything to help the team out, which exemplifies their resilient leadership. For example, Poulin is typically a diver; however, he has stepped in to be a swimmer this season and has been strong so far.
In terms of scoring, Virmani has made a major impact this season and has helped the team in several ways. Virmani swims the 500-meter freestyle and the 200 IM and also competes in various relays for the Wyverns. He attributes his hard work to his off-season practice. “I swim club and am constantly in the pool,” Virmani said. “I try to work hard in the off-season so that I am ready and in-shape as soon as our school season begins at the beginning of December.”
Back in December, the Wyverns hosted the KITs for swimming, and Virmani noted that this was a fun and vibrant event in which he and his teammates succeeded. However, Virmani believes the team has a lot more work to do and more gas in the tank. “I still believe we are yet to have our best meet,” Virmani said. “This is promising, because we still have time to reach that form for our Founders and New Englands championship meets.”
Although they are separate teams, the boys and girls swim teams work closely, and Virmani noted the constant leadership and hard work he has noticed from girls team senior Co-captains Mackenzie Gallagher and Miya Scranton.
Scranton and Gallagher are four-year members of the team and both serve as leaders for the team this season. Coach Baker has nothing but positive words for the two of them. “Both of our senior captains are amazing,” she said. “They lead by example but also have improved tremendously throughout their time with the swim program, and that’s what I think is most impressive about them.”
Baker also noted junior swimmer Ava Bonsingnore as a leader. She expressed that Bonsignore is constantly working hard and putting effort into practice no matter the day.
Although the girls swim team is a bit undersized compared to some of the other New England prep schools in KO’s competitive league, the Wyverns still show up to each meet looking to get better. Both Scranton and Coach Baker said that the KITs were one of their favorite moments from the season so far. In the KITs, the Wyverns finished in fourth place out of eight teams!
Looking ahead, the Wyverns are beginning a long stretch of weeks with meets on both Wednesday and Saturday. As the season winds down, many of the swimmers have set personal goals for themselves. “I hope that I swim my personal best in our final New Englands meet,” Scranton said. “I hope that I can leave that meet saying I did my best and swam my best.”
As the season begins to heat up, make sure to look out for the boys and girls swim teams and make sure to support our swimmers here at KO!
