Swimmers perform at CCS

A total of 21 swimmers from both the boys’ and the girls’ teams attended CCS at the Santa Clara International Swim Center on May 10 and 11, with swims in seven events and all three relays. Although 11 athletes swam for individual events, only junior Cameron Borch and freshman Bradley Newton finaled, both in the 500-yard freestyle.

“This year, Bradley and I were right next to each other, so it was good competition,” said Borch, who swam the 200-yard freestyle as well. “We would push each other because we were right next to each other in the races.”

Borch and Newton finished in 11th place and 14th place, respectively, and dropped more than five seconds off of their personal best.

Although no other swimmers went to finals, they had a good time at CCS nonetheless. Many of the athletes were pleased with the way the season turned out. Swimming gave them a time to bond and encourage each other, according to senior Stephanie Chen.

“Everyone was fast, and it was really competitive,” said freshman Harrison Yang, who swam the 100-yard breaststroke. “It’s really exciting to watch other people swim.”

Team morale was also at a high point for this meet. Many of the swimmers watched and cheered for their teammates during their races.

“Last year, we didn’t have many swimmers because only a few people qualified, but this year we had a lot more swimmers who went because of the relays,” said sophomore Randy Tsai, who swam in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke. “That made me feel more like we went as a team because there were more people cheering us on.”

Because of the lack of people on the team, having enough people make the cut for CCS has been an issue in the past. This year, however, many more swimmers were able to attend the meet.

“There were a lot more people this year,” said Chen, who swam the 200- and 500-yard freestyles. “All the seats in the stadium were filled, and that meant that there were a lot more swimmers making CCS.”

In addition to the number of people who swam, swimmers also worked hard to get to where they were. Practices included both endurance and sprint training, which helped swimmers reach the mentality they needed to do well.

“We, as a team, worked much harder and were able to push and come together as a team better,” said junior Sasha Samoilov, who swam the 200-yard individual medley and the 50-yard freestyle. 

Most of the swimmers expressed interest in being on the school team next year, and many will continue to swim on their own throughout the year. 

“It was fun since it was a small team,” said Chen, who will be swimming at the University of Rochester next year. “We were all really close.”