As Christian Alberga ’17 anchored the last leg of the 200-Yard Medley Relay to clinch first place, Andover Boys Swimming & Diving swept Hopkins in the event with the top three finishes. The winning relay team, comprised of Co-Captain Darren Ty ’16, Co-Captain Marcello Rossi ’16, Jack Warden ’19 and Alberga, won with a time of 1:38.92 minutes, widening Andover’s lead in its 102-63 victory last Saturday. The team’s in-league record stands at 6-0, making it undefeated in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (Nepsac); out of the league, the team carries a 6-1 record.
Hudgins ’19, Jack Warden ’19 and Harvey Zheng ’19 and Jacob captured the top three places in the 200-Yard Individual Medley, with times of 2:05.22, 2:05.46 and 2:08.36 minutes, respectively. Warden and Hudgins swam to season-best times in the event.
In the 50-Yard Freestyle, Alberga, Ty and Rossi swept the event with first-, second- and third-place finishes, respectively. In his leg of the race, Alberga swam a Personal Record of 21.58 seconds, which makes him the fourth-fastest performer for the event in Andover history. Rossi also swam a personal best.
Alberga said, “The meet went really well. Many guys went faster than expected, as this is normally the slowest point in the season. I am very proud of myself for doing two best times in the 50 and 100 Frees. Even I was surprised with my performance ,and I am now very confident going towards New Englands, where I am hoping for many personal and team wins, with a few records.”
In the 100-Yard Butterfly, Ty clinched another first-place finish for Andover with a time of 53.58 seconds. In the 100-Yard Freestyle, Alberga, Jonathan Xue ’17 and Michael Najem ’16 placed first, second and third, respectively. Alberga posted another Personal Record with a time of 47.35 seconds, making him the eighth-fastest performer for the event in Andover history. Xue finished in 52.05 seconds, his best this season, and Najem earned a Personal Record with a time of 52.86 seconds.
“At this point in the season… we feel well-poised to finish out the season strong with a meet against [Phillips Exeter Academy] and push onto our ultimate goal: winning New Englands,” said Najem.
After the diving break, in which no members of Andover’s team competed, Rossi, Zheng and Warden competed in the 500-Yard Freestyle, taking first, third and fourth places, respectively. With a time of 4:51.44 minutes, Rossi cruised to a first-place finish by a six-second margin. Zheng, with a time of 5:13.78 minutes, performed a season best, and Warden came in fourth place with a time of 5:23.12 minutes.
Rossi said, “Swimming hard after a three-hour bus ride isn’t an easy feat, and I’m proud that the team stayed motivated and raced to their best potential.”
Ty, Nick Faulkner ’16, Rossi and Alberga teamed up to clinch a first-place victory in the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay with a time of 1:31.61 minutes, finishing over Hopkins by a three-second margin.
Sweeping an event with first-, second- and third- place finishes, Nate Smith ’18, Dan Tran ’17 and Najem built on the team’s momentum to increase the lead over Hopkins in the 100-Yard Backstroke. Andover swept another event in the 100-Yard Breaststroke, with Jacob Hudgins ’19, Xue and Rick Ono ’19 taking first, second and third places. Hudgins set a Personal Record with a time of 1:01.77 minutes, while Ono finished with a time of 1:07.46 minutes, his best this season for the event.
In an email to The Phillipian, Head Coach David Fox wrote, “With one week until Exeter and three until New Englands – which, based on dual-meet performances, looks like it will be pure chaos – the Big Blue will hunker down for another few weeks of great training with the expectation of performing its best at Deerfield the first weekend in March.”
Andover looks to continue its winning streak when it faces Exeter on Saturday in its final meet of the season.
