Swim team finishes season strong
Gloucester and Swampscott swimmers compete in a freestyle event.
February 3, 2022
GHS Swim finished the season strong on Wednesday, with a win against Swampscott. The final score of the meet was 93-90, meaning the Fishermen have a collective score of 4-3, with wins against Salem, Beverly, Peabody, and Swampscott, and losses against Masconomet, Marblehead, and Danvers, making this season one of the best in GHS Swim history.
For graduating seniors, this was the last meet ever, making the win all the more meaningful. The team has seen significant growth since the current seniors were freshmen, and a sense of pride has been instilled in the swimmers and divers.
“My freshman year we won a single meet against Salem,” senior diver Ais Cook said. “This year we have a winning record, and that legacy is really cool to see.”
First places in individual races and relays were won by Charlie Groleau in the 100-yard butterfly, Captain Caroline Mckay in the 500-yard freestyle, Joey Porcello, Liam Mulry, Charlie Groleau, and Caroline Mckay in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and Tyler Weed in the 100-yard breaststroke. Ari Priest came in first place in the diving portion of the meet, and Ais Cook came in third.
“It wasn’t just the work of one person,” junior Charlie Groleau said. “It was the effort of the entire team that won us the meet, and each person did their absolute best. Without everybody working as hard as they could, we wouldn’t have won.”
The team faced tough opponents this year, but despite the cutthroat competition, their pride and sense of community stayed strong and won the majority of meets for the team.
“I’ve seen these younger swimmers grow and develop their skills this past season,” senior Haley Weed said. ‘It’s wonderful to see the sense of comradery that I hope the team continues to cultivate.”
The team will compete against all other teams in the league in NECs which will be held on Sunday, 2/6/22, at the Beverly YMCA, and those who qualify will move onto sectionals. Meets are co-ed, but NECs and sectionals are separated by gender. Despite this, the swimmers all go to NECs together to support their teammates.
