Students dive into the pool, beginning the race.
This past Saturday, Boys and Girls Swimming & Diving held their final home meet of the season, the annual Seniors Meet, and commemorated all the seniors on the team. Andover showed numerous impressive swims, winning on both the boys and girls teams and culminating a successful regular season as both teams prepared for Easterns.
Brian Lee ’25 noted his teammates’ heartfelt love through their posters and added that it was a great way to complete his tenure on the swimming team at Andover.
“I feel good to close off my last home game as a Senior despite only being Andover for two years now. I felt very loved by my teammates, and I was very touched to see all the messages that the team had written on the posters for us, so that was what made it extra special and made me extra motivated,” said Lee.
The meet began with the 200-Meter Medley Relay, 200-Meter Freestyle, 200-Meter Individual Medley, and 50-Meter Freestyle, of which Andover swimmers won every single one. However, Captain Daniel Seong ’25 was arguably the standout of the meet. In the morning, Seong worked with Olympian and All-School Meeting (ASM) speaker Andrew Wilson ’12, an Olympic Gold Medalist of the 4×100-Meter Medley in the 2020 Summer Olympics, on his breaststroke technique, translating into his afternoon swim.
“Daniel Seong, in his 100-Meter Breaststroke, came out first. He was going up against some very tough opponents and dealt with the pressure well. He came out victorious and showed great sportsmanship by shaking the guy’s hand next to his lane, so I thought that was a very respectable moment,” said Lee.
Following the ASM on Friday, Wilson also led a practice for Boys and Girls Swimming & Diving. That was followed by the breaststroke clinic Saturday morning, which Eric Nie ’26 mentioned was extremely helpful.
“It was super exciting during and after ASM on Friday, where Wilson led a practice for us, which was pretty cool. On Saturday as well, he had an early morning breaststroke clinic. So, even though I’m not a breaststroker, his technique tips and drills were super useful for the meet,” said Nie.
This meet concluded the regular season for the boys and girls teams, with the following week of practice dedicated to preparing for Easterns. One of the challenges many swimmers have faced so far has been staying disciplined in their daily lives.
“I could have gotten more sleep the night before. I felt like my endurance was lacking at the back of my race, and that might have been because I didn’t get enough rest. But as far as the team goes, we closed the meet off very well. Just eating well, getting sleep, the little things, and paying attention to the details would be important,” said Lee.
Cale Barker ’28 hopes the team can continue cheering louder, especially for the smaller meets. However, he added that the atmosphere and team’s cheers will become more enthusiastic and electric at larger meets.
“Cheering for each other more is a place we can grow. Look out for New Englands and Easterns. We cheer a lot during those meets, especially the relays, but we don’t cheer as much during our dual or smaller meets,” said Barker.
The team is beginning to turn their attention to Easterns, hoping to repeat their victory from last year. Nie mentioned the mix of emotions as the end of the season approaches.
“That was the last dual [meet] of the season, so we are now preparing for Easterns and New Englands. I guess a part of me is relieved because we don’t have many practices left. We’re tapering off, and we don’t have many hard practices left, but I am also a bit nervous and excited because of Easterns. It’s a big meet, so we are going there for three or four days. So it’s a pretty fun experience,” said Nie.
Swimming & Diving will begin to compete at Easterns on February 14.
