As winter sports end, the KO varsity swimming and diving team is reflecting on their eventful season.
The Wyverns have had a great season and love to see each other succeed. “This season has been exciting and challenging,” junior Daniel Grigorian said. “From the very beginning, we put in a lot of hard work at practice, and it’s been amazing to see how much everyone has improved.”
One of the team’s biggest wins this season was against Canterbury School, which came down to the wire, ultimately resulting in a 87-38 win. “It really showed how much effort we’ve all put in and how close we are as a team,” Grigorian said. “Even when we were behind, we were committed to victory and our commitment was rewarded in the end.”
Outside of the pool, the team gets along very well and loves each other’s company. “My favorite moments would be the team dinners and the time together,” senior Captain Eudel Ma said. “I love being around my teammates and they push me to do my best.”
The Wyverns have had an eventful season with lots of ups and downs but they are ready and optimistic for New England Championships. “We’ve collected a decent amount of victories and are ready to compete at champs,” said Grigorian. Head Coach Kata Baker agreed that the team put their best foot forward this season. “Each individual member of the team has shown a lot of growth this season,” Coach Baker said, “and that has led to increased confidence and success.”
But that success doesn’t come without diligence in the pool, Ma shared. “With the season winding down, we are tapering in practice,” Ma said, “meaning we swim less laps but we swim them really fast to practice for championships coming up. The team and I are really excited for the championships and I think we are going to compete well with all the other schools.”
Though having a smaller roster this year, the girls have fought hard and have been successful thus far. “The team has exceeded my expectations,” Coach Baker said. “We have a small team and the number of players matters a lot in swimming. It’s challenging when we face a school with many more swimmers than we have, but our swimmers are very talented and are confident in their abilities.”
The girls team has had three new swimmers join the team, a large number compared to most years. Freshman; Ella Raphael, Anya Dausey, and Jordan Veseskis have all been wonderful additions to the team. Raphael has specialized in sprint freestyle events, dropping time at almost every meet. Dauesey took well to the longer distances, such as the 500 yard freestyle (20 laps) which is quite impressive for a freshman. Veseskis, having the most prior experience of swimming among the new freshmen, has shown her talent this season. During practice she swam alongside her two senior captains, Miya Scranton and Makenzie Gallagher. Vesekis has a very bright future ahead of her, and will only continue to improve thanks to her hard work and dedication.
The Wyverns had quite a few impressive performances at their Founders League Championships. The boys team even placed fourth overall! The girls 200 medley relay had a strong swim placing 12th, thanks to swimmers Vesekis swimming backstroke, Scranton swimming Breaststroke, Gallagher swimming butterfly, and junior Ava Bonsignore swimming Freestyle. A swim that deserves large recognition was swum by sophomore Ben Naujoks. Naujoks frequently swims the 500 yard freestyle, working hard all season to drop time. Naujoks started the season swimming the 500 at a 8.03.44 minutes, he then swam a 6.19.88 at Founders, having a 40-second drop!!
A special shout out to junior Jackson Poullin who recently placed second at Founders diving! Jackson took a year off of diving, but ultimately decided to come back and finish his journey with the sport. A well made decision, and it is clear his hard work paid off. Poullin also swims for the team, which is very impressive both diving and swimming!
The Wyverns have their NEPSAC championships this weekend and are hoping to do well. Everyone should wish them luck and show them support!
