It was an exciting weekend in Texas as both the Hopkins men’s and women’s swim teams competed in the NCAA Championships for Swimming and Diving. Both teams did extremely well, with the men’s team finishing in fourth place and the women coming in fifth overall.
Finishing with a total of 316 points, the fourth-place win for the men is Hopkins’ best since 2008. Overall, the men grabbed two championships, collected five medals, and broke six school records.
Sophomore Dylan Davis did exceptionally well, winning gold in the 100 Back. The race was a nail biter, as Davis came from behind on the last lap, winning by just one-hundredth of a second.
“It was a great experience. I think our success this year was really a culmination of all the hard work we put in over the course of the season,” Davis said. “Everything came together at the right time and we were able to have a great finish and send our seniors out on a high note.”
The Blue Jays also claimed gold in the 800 Free Relay. Juniors Anthony Lordi and Will Kimball and seniors Dylan Coggin and Nick Schmidt were in the lead from start to finish, finishing with an NCAA record time of 6:29.27.
“Friday night was one of the most memorable experiences of my life,” Lordi said, commenting on the win. “Watching Dylan Davis win the 100 back and then capping off an already great night by sweeping the men's and women's 800 free relays was more than I could have imagined.”
“The first day of practice in September, Coach Kennedy challenged us to break the national record in the 800 free relay,” Lordi said. “We all thought it was a pretty unrealistic and lofty goal but he kept us believing and pushed us to something that we never thought possible.”
“The meet was incredible" Kimball said. “Finishing in the top 4 was one of our primary goals of the season.”
“Winning that relay and breaking the NCAA record was the result of many months of training, and we're proud that we could add to the successful tradition of Hopkins Swimming,” Kimball said.
Tyler Woods, also a senior, helped the team including Lordi, Kimball, and Schmidt win second place in the 400 Free Relay.
“Everything came together for us at all the right times,” Woods said. “We wanted people to know that Hopkins is a force to be reckoned with in the pool, and I think that message rang far and true this past weekend.”
The women’s team did equally as well, totaling a program record of 290 points and finishing fifth-place overall. This matches the Blue Jays best finish in their program history, and is the best finish since 2002. Overall, the women won one NCAA title, collected eight medals, and broke 11 school records.
Sophomore Ana Bogdanovski took home two individual medals, coming in third in both the 100 free and the 200 free.
“It was an experience I'll never forget. It's not so often that a group of people can come together like we did this week,” Bogdanovski said. “Everyone was upbeat and positive, and we kept each other on our game.”
Junior Taylor Kitayama finished third for the 100 Back and the 100 Fly, wining two individual bronze medals.
“Swimming at NCAAs this past week was a great ending to an amazing season,” Kitayama said. “When you combine the right preparation, the excitement of the meet, and the support of our team, that's when all the pieces fall into place.”
The women also thrilled the crowd in the 800 Free Relay, which was the final event for the women. In a come-from-behind win, the Blue Jays were in third place when Bogdanovski went for the final leg. She was able to push her team to win the gold, and the women claimed their first-ever NCAA relay title.
When asked about the championship, freshman Sean McGrath said, “Watching the relays and other individual events you could see how much we wanted it as a team, determination doesn't even begin to cover it!”
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