Season preview: Swim team prepares for season with lower participation but promising newcomers

Photo by courtesy of Margaret Laver

The swim team runs through a set during practice on Feb. 6.

The Falcons began practices on Jan. 31 with the hopes of sending a larger number of swimmers to CCS this year.

Head Coaches: Christian Bonner, Mike Allegretti and Kristen Thomson

Last year’s record: 0-7

Recap: The team finished sixth in the De Anza league and sent 14 swimmers to CCS, with one entering the CCS finals.

Key Matchups: Los Gatos, Monta Vista and Los Altos

Star Athletes: Seniors Zeynep Tokuz, Mark Liu and Channie Hong and freshman Kelsey Zhang

Key losses to graduation: Ethan Chan, Brooke Huynh, Byron Jin, Sherry Lin, James Paine, Ryan Moore, Mahi Ravi and Alex Yang

League: De Anza

Prognosis:

The swim team began practices on Jan. 31 with 50 swimmers on the roster. They are currently focusing on sharpening techniques such as underwater kicks pushing off the wall.

After losing 10 seniors to graduation, the team faces lower numbers and is mainly composed of freshman and senior newcomers — many juniors and sophomores have also opted out this year, according to senior breaststroker Zeynep Tokuz.

“The turnout is definitely interesting,” Tokuz said. “We have fewer members this year on the girls’ team than we’ve had in a while.”

While fewer Falcons may be in the pool overall this year, many newcomers have significant experience and should be competitive.

“It’s going to be the same as last year for the guys’ team,” senior freestyler Mark Liu said. “We have a lot of new talent coming, so I’m not particularly worried about [numbers].”

The first non-league meet was set for Feb. 14 against Prospect, and the team’s first official meet will be March 3 against Gunn. Their main hopes are to continue working toward maximum CCS qualifications and for each swimmer to meet his or her personal goals throughout the season.

“Our goal is for a good amount of people to go to CCS this year because I think we have a strong team,” Tokuz said. “I definitely also want to create some more team bonding events and get to know our teammates better.”