Boys Swim Co-Captain Raphael Sibuet ’24 has been a passionate swimmer for over ten years. His dedication has led him to become a two time Division I New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Champion in the 200-Yard Freestyle and 500-Yard Freestyle. He ranked first in Massachusetts in his 2022-2023 season and ranks ninth nationally in the United Arab Emirates.
Sibuet highlighted that discipline is important as a swimmer, where the outcome depends on self-accountability.
Sibuet said, “With the swimming program at Andover, I like to make sure that we hold everyone accountable. Swimming is one of the sports that you only get out as much as you put in. So whether we’re training hard or recovering and doing easy work, I always like to let people know that every detail matters.”
As an athlete, Sibuet is goal-oriented. He shows up to each practice putting effort to get the best possible training to prepare for his events.
Sibuet said, “I really like to make sure that I leave practice knowing that I gave everything that I had and that I know that my future self won’t be disappointed with the results because I knew that I put everything, that I left everything, in the pool every practice [and gave] it 100%. I’m really motivated by my goals. That’s what keeps me pushing through the tough practices.”
Andover Boys Swim is a bigger team on campus, with 46 total members, which can make it more challenging for the captains to develop interpersonal connections. Sibuet works to address the team and motivate each member individually, noted his teammate Luke Francis ’25.
“At the end of every practice he’ll give some sort of small speech just to bring everyone together and talk as a team. But other than that, he’s really good at just leading by example such as showing up to practice focused. And he puts in a lot of good work everyday and for people on the team, it’s really good to see that,” said Francis.
Sibuet always encourages his teammates and brings up team morale. He has gained his teammates’ trust as a leader, through setting an example and inspiring them to pursue their goals. David Porto ’26 discussed Sibuet’s reliability and success as a leader.
Porto said, “He’s a very good swimmer, which inspires a lot of people to put their best foot forward in practices and races. People can trust him and he’s a very reliable person… As a swimmer, Raphael is very dedicated and very focused. He is not playing around, not messing around… This really reflects in race performances. He has won a lot of big meets and even competed in some international competitions.”
Beyond Andover, Sibuet aspires to pursue the sport at a collegiate and international level.
“In terms of the future for swimming, I definitely want to pursue Division I swimming. Also, in the summer, I have a French Olympic trial. One of my goals in swimming is to eventually represent my country internationally and hopefully be on a podium,” said Sibuet.
