Stands packed and air filled with tension, Dennis Jow ’07 stayed calm and captured the 100 Butterfly in the highly anticipated dual meet against rival Exeter. Not only did Andover take first in the event, it secured second and third as well. The team maintained its dominating presence throughout the meet to earn the 102-84 win. Phil Meyer ’08 commented on the team’s domination, “Everyone rose to the occasion and had stellar performances. The meet ended up being easier than we expected.” Only three days earlier, Andover rolled over Williston North Hampton 101-70. The team crushed Williston last Saturday, sending its opposition home without a win in any race. Under-matched, Andover used the meet as a day of relaxation and practice. Setting a tone that would continue for the entire meet, Conor McAuliffe ’10, Andrew Faulkner ’07 and Julian Azaret ’08 controlled the pool from start to finish, easily sweeping the 200 Freestyle. Curtis Hon ’10 captured the 200 IM in 2:05.97, four seconds ahead of teammate Larry Zhou ’09, who took second. In one of the only close races of the day, Vincent Jow ’09 won the 50 Freestyle in 24.06. In his familiar conquering fashion, Corey Psoinos ’07 took the diving event with 265.10 points, almost 100 points ahead of his second place competitor. Breaking under the five-minute barrier for the first time as an Andover swimmer, Brendon Deveney ’09 won the 500 Freestyle. He finished over a pool length ahead of his fastest Williston opponent. Deveney then took first in the 100 Backstroke a few events later. After the heroic battle last season in which Andover triumphed 94-92 over Exeter, the team was eager for a repeat performance. The team of Steven Lee-Kramer ’09, Curtis Hon ’10, Brendon Sullivan ’07 and Ryan Ferguson ’07 won the 200 Medley Relay to give Andover an early lead. Bob Divers ’07 and Deveney then finished one-two in the 200 Freestyle. Going into the diving event, Andover held an astonishing 37-25 lead. Surprised over the team’s large advantage, coaches, swimmers and fans geared up for some stacked Exeter races in the second half of the meet. They never came. Last year, after beating Exeter in the dual meet, Andover fell to its rival at Interschols. The team is determined for a different outcome this year. Andover can now devote its focus to the meet it has been building up to all season: Interschols at Deerfield next Saturday.
