Andover Boys Swimming & Diving wins their 5th Easterns Championship since 2019.
Last weekend, Andover Boys Swimming & Diving clinched their third straight Easterns Championship (Easterns), showcasing depth, teamwork, and excellence. The team totaled 708.5 points, narrowly edging out Mercersburg Academy while steamrolling the rest of the competition. With standout performances from divers David Frahm ’26 and Tedy Berman ’25, along with brilliant races from swimmers Pippin Kantakom ’25, Oliver Stabach ’26, Brian Lee ’25, and Tristan Furlow ’26, Andover displayed a well-rounded and dominant team effort.
Andover traveled to Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania for the biggest meet of the year, with the team focused, energetic, and united in the lead-up to competition.
“We had a very lively vibe on the bus. Everybody was either resting or playing Brawl Stars together. It was truly a bonding moment between everyone. Personally, I was really nervous before the race and couldn’t sleep all night, but Captain Daniel Seong comforted me and gave me motivating advice,” said Simba Xiong ’28.
Easterns also saw several record-breaking performances. Eric Chang ’28 highlighted Kantakom for his new Andover and New England record in the 100-yard breaststroke.
“Kantakom had some really good swims, in the 100 breaststroke, and set a new school and New England record with a time of 53.91. I remember watching that with the team, we were all really hyped and I almost lost my voice. That was just a really good swim from him,” said Chang.
Cale Barker ’28 praised Lee for surpassing his personal record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 48.74, placing third overall and contributing 27 points to Andover’s team score.
“Brian’s one-hundred fly was incredibly fast, 48 seconds, a best time for him and it was just a second off the record. Brian Lee’s butterfly is an art,” said Barker.
Tristan Furlow ’26 had an impressive race in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing in second place with a time of 4:26.12.
“Tristan Furlow did really good in his [500-yard] freestyle and scored a lot of points, second overall. He beat a lot of famous, really good swimmers and pulled in second ahead of everyone by quite a bit,” said Ian Kim ’28.
While Haoyu Zhang ’27 is a strong swimmer, his contributions go beyond the pool. With daily vlogs and an enthusiastic spirit, Zhang played a crucial role in Andover’s success at Easterns.
“Haoyu gets the best teammate award. He is very committed to our team. Even though Haoyu didn’t make finals, he was always there to cheer for our teammates and also record our vlogs. He was very focused and dedicated to our team,” said Xiong.
Theodore Berman ’25 described the unique environment and conditions at Eastern, noting the additional preparation needed for the meet.
“We got there at noon, warmed up for a bit and went through our eleven dives. For Easterns, we need eleven, we need six for normal meets. We got lunch, came back, and then the meet started at five. I came back to warm up beforehand… After the round of three dives, there were some preliminary eliminations. We then went to the finals and performed our last three dives,” said Berman.
David Frahm ’26 placed eleventh with a score of 251.1, and Berman finished nineteenth with a score of 216.2. Berman expressed pride in his and Frahm’s performance, especially considering how Berman and Frahm have collectively swan for just four years.
Andover Boys Swimming & Diving will face off at Phillips Exeter Academy this Saturday, February 22.
