Boys Swimming Captain Daniel Seong ’25 began his swimming career during a YMCA summer camp at the age of seven, overcoming his fear of water. He ultimately fell in love with the sport after partaking in the YMCA Championships when he was ten. At Andover, besides his impressive strides in creating a strong team dynamic amongst Boys Swimming, he holds the school and pool record for the 100-Yard Breaststroke at 55.35 seconds.
As Captain, Seong maintains an open and friendly character, answering any questions and readily accepting feedback, crafting strong connections with his fellow teammates.
“My philosophy for captaining is to build close relationships with everyone on the team. I don’t want to make this mantle of being Captain make people feel intimidated by me or anything and feel scared. I want to be a captain who could be anyone’s friend, even if I’ve swam with them since Junior year, or whether they’re joining the team for the first time as a Junior this year. Someone that people can feel comfortable talking to and look for advice, not some intimidating Senior figure that they should try to avoid and be scared of,” said Seong.
Seong also sets a high standard for the team, refining the smallest details and hoping to maximize the potential of a talented program.
“For communicating, on the same line of thought, I’m really open with everyone and genuine and receptive if anyone wants to talk about anything. But I also do try to keep some things in order because I think this year, from what Coach [David] Fox said, it is the strongest team in our school history. So, we just want to keep up that legacy of the team and that requires people to keep focused on the little things, to make sure that we can do our best at the championship meet. So, I try to emphasize those small things, even though it can be hard throughout the season,” said Seong.
Haoyu Zhang ’27 appreciates Seong’s commitment to meaningful relationships with all members of the program, new or returning. Specifically, Zhang noted Seong’s efforts in helping new members of the team feel at ease and welcomed.
“The captain is selected by everyone on the team. Daniel has a very good relationship with everyone and all the returning members. He knows them all very well, and he’s been trying to get to know the new students as well. I remember earlier in the term, there was a new swimmer, his name was Ian [Kim ’28], and we were just at open swim, which was before the season started. Daniel introduced me to Ian, and I could instantly tell he was trying to make Ian feel comfortable, introducing him to the other team members and showing him around. So, I think that’s one of the things that he does really well,” said Zhang.
Although swimming is physically demanding, Seong embraces the challenge and sees it as a break in his day. He also enjoys the company of his friends in the pool, who help keep him motivated.
Seong said, “Swimming’s really hard, and honestly, it makes my life pretty hard at times. But no matter how hard it is, it gives me some peace in my day that I have. I can just leave everything that stresses me out behind me and just have fun and work hard with some of my closest friends at the school. That’s what makes it worth it. No matter if we do some killer aerobics set, I’ll always have some people with whom I can always do it. So, I would say the people make it a lot easier and a lot more fun. And the people are why I’ve honestly done it for so long and will continue to do it in college.”
Sean Niu ’25 noted how Seong’s work ethic and commitment inspire the entire team to do the same.
Niu said, “I’d say he leads the team by example. He’s really fast, which motivates the rest of the team to be fast as well. He always shows up early for practice, which also encourages the team to show up early.”
Two seasons ago, Boys Swimming eliminated the distinction of Junior Varsity and Varsity divisions to create one collective team. Seong believes this combination was a great idea, allowing him to create far more connections and strengthen the team culture as Captain.
Seong said, “I honestly feel the culture has been really good, combining all the teams into one. I’ve been able to get to know a lot more new people and meet a lot of new people. I just think it’s nice to have more people to interact with and learn from, and it has definitely been influential in creating a more bonded team culture.”
Seong will continue his academic and athletic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Editor’s Note: Daniel Seong is a Layout Editor for The Phillipian.
