by Austin Perkins ’26
As the KO boys swim and dive program enters a key part of the season, the team will continue to look to its seniors, including senior Co-captain Samit Virmani.
Virmani has been in the pool since he was only 3 and has been a key contributor for the Wyverns since his freshman season.
“I fell in love with swimming when I got in the pool for the first time to take swimming lessons when I was younger,” Virmani said. “My passion has been my biggest influence to keep me going, especially when it gets hard. My family has always supported this process and urged me to keep going during the college process.”
Virmani describes the mindset change that helped him reach new levels as a leader and a swimmer as profound. This process involved removing individual accolades and buying into the team and the goals that the swimmers had set for themselves.
The team aspect is a pillar of the KOSD program, one that has been passed down for years. This message was one that Virmani clearly understood and took to heart. “The captaincy really means a lot to me because I want to leave the same impact the captains I had left for me,” Virmani said. “I want to make the younger swimmers feel loved, feel welcome, and push them to be better swimmers and, more importantly, better people.”
Virmani is a strong competitor in both the 200 IM and 500 freestyle events, where he put forth his effort over the past couple of seasons, and looks to set some records in a few of the remaining meets. “I am really excited for our meets at Canterbury and Kent because in recent years I have been really close to setting a couple of records that are hard to reach, and it would really mean a lot to me to do so,” Virmani said.
There is a lot to look forward to for both Virmani and the program as the championship season is just around the corner. “My favorite moments of the season are the ones spent the night before the New England Championships, when everybody is packed into one hotel room, bonding and getting ready for the challenge ahead,” he said. “Annually, we all get gifts for each other and put on our own little Secret Santa with all members of the team. Moments like these bring all of us together and bond us both outside and inside the pool.”
Virmani will continue his swim career at Colby College next fall, and we wish him and the rest of the KOSD program continued success as the season progresses.
