Swim and dive ends in a splash as Division One champs

The+swim+and+dive+team+huddles+up%2C+getting+ready+for+the+Divisionals+Meet+where+they+became+Division+One+Champs.

Photo courtesy Wootton Swim and Dive Instagram

The swim and dive team huddles up, getting ready for the Divisionals Meet where they became Division One Champs.

Swim and Dive ends their regular season with a big splash after an impressive 5-0 record for the boys’ team and 3-2 for the girls’. Athletes with qualifying times can attend Metros, Regionals and States.

The boys had an undefeated season, going 5-0 and beating their record last year of 4-1. The growth the team has seen hasn’t been unrewarded as wins against Whitman, WJ, Churchill, Blair, and BCC were critical in making the, “boys team a powerhouse in the county,” senior captain Aidan Wang said.

After being 0-5 last season, the girls’ team has made a huge comeback, going 3-2 with wins against Whitman, Churchill and Blair. This regular season they made significant improvements with an 107-78 point win against Churchill Bulldogs and a 109-76 point win over the Blair Blazers. Strong freshman additions, “were critical to helping us get us to 3-2 this year,” senior captain Ashley Woo said.

This season led to a momentous day when the team was crowned Division One Champs. This title is well-earned as they all, “put in the effort and [to finish] the season undefeated is no easy feat,” Wang said.

The Divisionals meet on Feb. 4 was one to remember. Not only did the team celebrate their victory as Division One Champs, but another team record was broken by Purdue commit Campbell Scofield in the 500 Free with a time of 4:56.75. A group effort by Ashton Sun, Young Cho, Jackson Rankin, and Wang with a team record for the 200 Medley Relay of a time of 1:35.02.

The team also broke several team records this season. Senior and Princeton commit Aidan Wang broke his own four dives team record with a score of 267.25 at a scrimmage against Poolesville. Little over a month later Wang started the new year off by breaking his own record of the four dives team record again with a score of 278.15 points. Once again he shattered another one of his own records with a six dives score of 349.80. Wang didn’t stop there: he continued on to break the 11 dives record that had been standing for 10 years, “our Dive Captain, Aidan Wang, has been breaking records since freshman year to a point where I’ve lost count,” Max Choi said.

The seniors have risen from Second Division all the way to Division One Champs in their four years on the team. Upcoming meets for the swim team include Metros, Regionals, and States. To qualify for Metros, athletes need to meet time standards; for Regionals they have to be the top two in an event on their team; and for States they need to be the top 24 at the Regionals meet in an event. The team is feeling confident heading into these invitational meets. The races will be close since they are competing against the fastest swimmers in Maryland but, “we have a number of swimmers and divers who have a great shot at becoming state champions in their events this year,” Woo said.

The team spirit has also been high. “I was lucky to inherit a strong culture when I arrived at Wootton and it has been great to see our students continue to support each other and make lifelong friendships,” Fisher said.