For a select few Schreiber students, the start of the winter season marked the start of having to wake up at five in the morning and head into the freezing pool. Swim season is underway for the boys, with the girls season running during the fall section of school sports. For the boys, this year comes with high aspirations to make a run into the playoffs. More importantly, the team looks to be led by important seniors, including Chris Dilillo, who committed to the University of Scranton just a few weeks ago. It will be important for them to stick together as a team to face the adversity that comes throughout the year. But, in the end, they hope that all of the 5 a.m. practices will pay off with a successful season.

One of the most important aspects of any team is the chemistry among its players. Being friends out of the pool is one of the most important factors for the team to stay together and see success in the pool.  

”Although swimming is an individual sport, team chemistry is very important,” said junior Peter Epp.  “It’s everyone’s job to motivate each other for each race and to cheer teammates on during competition.”  

That type of chemistry is exactly what any competitive team needs to have the motivation and will to go out and compete every day.

For the boys, the season began with a bang. Going into the year, they met a tough competitor in Oceanside for the first meet of the season. Yet, the boys were able to take down the Sailors and win by a score of 103-78, taking home a big victory in the 200 meter medley relay.  Meanwhile, the divers also a great meet. On top of that, the team was also able to defeat the Manhasset Chiefs, starting off to a hot 2-0. This was just what the team needed to kickstart what is looking to be a great year.

After their 2-0 start, the boys continued to dominate against Jericho just a few days later. During the meet on Jan. 2 (Is this the correct date? If not, please change it before placing the article on the page), the team was led by the relay tandem of freshman William Chu, sophomores Jonah Goodman and Erik Tang, and Epp. The boys were able to come in first in the 200 Medley Relay, and the team also saw dominating wins from George Andreadis in the Diving events and Epp in the 100 meter Butterfly. In addition, Dilillo was able to come in second place in the 50 meter freestyle. With that performance, the team was able to defeat the Jericho team B with a score of 99-82, and moved to 3-0.

Although the team has early practices, Goodman believes that the players as a whole are able to keep their goals in mind and work hard. So far, this determination has proven itself and paid off for the team. 

“Even though practices are before school we are focused and determined to do the best job that we can. We all work hard during our practices and it translates very well during the meets,” said Goodman. 

Since then, however, the team has slowed down a bit. Still, the hot start gave the boys a great foundation and shows their capabilities when they are able to click on all cylinders. Moreover, Epp states that he has seen individual improvements in the pool as well.

“I focused on my strength and conditions outside of the water. This has helped me become faster and more powerful during my races,” said Epp.

After the 3-0 start, the team slowed down a bit after two losses to Garden City and Syosset just a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, those losses came at a tough time, with one being on senior night against Syosset. Still, the team does not look like it has been flustered. During that week, Goodman stepped up and put on a great performances in the 100 meter backstroke and 200 meter freestyle races. The squad now sits at 3-3, a score that has been enough to keep them in great competition for a playoff spot. If they are able to go back to what was working in the early stretch of the season, they should be able to get back to a great point.

“Our hopes is to record best times in all of our races and achieve our full potential as a team,” said Goodman.  “We have a lot of great talent and it’s because of the effort we put in each and every day.”

For the time being, it will be important for the boys to continue working hard during practices and keep their postseason aspirations in mind. At the moment, they may have hit a rough patch. However, they will be able to get back to their winning roots soon enough if they go back to the drawing board and are able to remember what was working so well for them in the early stretch of the season. Now, the goals turn to improving for the rest of the season.

“The main team goal throughout the season was to swim faster than you were the previous time. These goals were achieved through hard practice and a lot of both self and team motivation,” said Epp.

While the boys swimming and diving team did have an excellent start, they have slowed down in the past weeks. Despite this, the team understands the importance of team chemistry and has built a great base to be able to dominate in the upcoming weeks. If they can stick to what was working in the first three meets, the success will be sure to come sooner than later. For the squad, it will be important to find those ways to dominate, stick to what works, and, soon enough, make their playoff run.