Total team effort drives swimming opener

It began just like any other meet.

The swimmers, already decked out in their caps and goggles, gathered around in a circle.

“Usually junior Ed Pagano will start [the cheer] with a normal ‘ooooohhhhh’ and we will all gradually join in,” freshman Andrew Greenhalgh said. “After about every five seconds, we get louder and louder until we are screaming at the top of our lungs. Then Ed will count ‘1, 2, 3’ and we all scream ‘SMOKE 'EM JAYS!’”

The meet on Oct. 26 at Franklin & Marshall (F&M) got under way, as junior Hannah Benn dove in the water for the 200 Medley Relay.

“My head goes almost blank when I'm racing,” Benn said. “I really just focus on going as fast as I can. I could see that I was ahead of some F&M swimmers on the turns, and that always pushes me to finish strong. It was nice seeing my teammates standing by the edge of the pool watching everyone. I don't think there was a race when anyone was sitting down, we were always up supporting each other.”

Freshman Pilar Shimizu followed Benn, swimming the breaststroke leg of the relay.

“To be completely honest, all I told myself before I dove in was, ‘Down and back. Don't mess it up,’” Shimizu said.

The team did not mess it up, as freshman Abby Brown and sophomore Ellen Marcus finished the second half of the relay to give the team a total time of 1:49.83 and a first place finish.

Both the men’s and women’s teams swept the top three spots in the event with seniors David Woodford, Joe Acquaviva, Anthony Lordi and Will Kimball leading the way for the men’s side with a time of 1:35.68.

History then followed with Greenhalgh swimming a 9:32.82 in the 1000 Free, netting first place and the third fastest time in school history for the event in the process.

“I was told of the story on the Hopkins sports website,” Greenhalgh said. “My initial reaction was, ‘That's pretty cool, but I can be better.’”

Freshman Evan Holder was not surprised by his teammate’s performance.

“Andrew is such a hard worker day in and day out and deserves nothing less,” Holder said. “After getting out of the pool, we all congratulated him to get fired up. When one person has a good swim we feed off each other.”

Following the near-record-breaking swim, the women’s team swept the top three spots in the 200 Free led by Marcus’s time of 1:56.91, while the men swept the top four spots led by junior Ryan Cunningham with a time of 1:45.68.

The men again swept the top four spots of the 100 Back with Holder’s 52.82 leading the way this time. Junior Sammi Fox won the event for the girls at 1:00.83.

The Lady Jays then swept the top three spots in the 100 Breast with Shimizu securing first place with a time of 1:08.77. On the other side of the pool, the men also took the top three spots, led by freshman Scott Sterrett at 1:00.10.

Both the men and women won first and second in the 200 Fly with freshmen Muhammad Hudhud leading the men at 1:56.65 and Shirley Chan leading the women at 2:06.94. Head Coach George Kennedy called Chan’s swim “exceptional,” as the freshman managed the seventh fastest time in school history just 0.9 seconds shy of the record.

The winning continued as freshman Kailyn Koh won the 50 Free with a time of 24.62, while Lordi earned first with a time of 21.02.

Marcus then won her second individual event in the 100 Free, leading the pack at 54.20, while Kimball led the men’s side at 47.42.

A pair of Hopkins freshmen led the way in the 200 Back with Kristen Kaiser leading the women at 2:12.29 and Patrick Flynn leading the men at 1:56.02. Again, freshmen dominated the 200 Breast, as Helena Arose led the women at 2:33.62 and Sterrett led the men at 2:10.37.

The men’s side then continued to win, as Greenhalgh took the 500 Free with a time of 4:41.93, followed by Acquaviva’s first place finish in the 100 Fly at 52.91.

At the end of the day, the men found themselves winning the first 12 events, dominating to the tune of 180-77. The women were nearly as dominant, winning eight of the first 11 events to finish with a final score of 161-96. Kennedy, however, was not surprised.

“We spoke briefly after the meet and thought that we swam very well for our first contest,” Kennedy said. “Franklin and Marshall is a good program and they will get faster as the year progresses. Our top 10 women and 10 men are among the best in all of D3, so the results did not surprise me.”

As Hopkins prepares for the annual Thomas Murphy Invitational on Friday, Nov. 1, the swimmers will look to maintain their success.

“To be a successful swimmer here at Hopkins, you have to dedicate yourself to becoming the best athlete that you can be,” Holder said. “There will be some tough days when swimming an 8,000 yard practice is the last thing you want to do. It can be a grind at times, but remember your goals. When championship season comes around, you will be thankful you have logged the hours and effort in the pool, boosting your confidence and setting you apart from the competition.”