This article was written by Andrew Kolondra, Jr., class of 2018.
After a long break from practices due to Hurricane Irma, the Heritage Aquatic Team is back at the second swim meet of the year (though it should’ve been the fifth), which took place at AHS after school Wed., Sept. 20. Nova Southeastern University School and Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School competed with the Patriot swimmers, who will host two more home meets throughout the rest of the season.
The Patriot boys and girls both came out on top Wed. afternoon, with the boys beating USchool 102 – 62 and Chaminade 124 – 37, and girls taking down USchool 93 – 81 and Chaminade 126 – 30, based on dual meet scores.
For a list of how our swimmers placed individually, scroll to the bottom of this article.
Swimmers practice once or twice a day, for two-hour periods, almost every day of the week. Sophomore Daniel Escobar, who practices outside of school on a club team, swam in four events Wed.
“My performance was okay, considering I missed some practices. I dropped time in my 100 split for the 400 freestyle relay, as well as for the medley,” Escobar said. “One of my weaknesses right now is my endurance, so I’ll be working on more distance-heavy sets to regain the endurance I had before and drop my times to make it to states.”
“We had some great races and efforts,” said Heritage head coach Nobutaka Tan. “In spite of the shorter season, the team is together and having fun.” He hopes to see them work more on teamwork in the future, supporting each other to accomplish more. “I feel great about being part of a team that works together well between the swimmers and the coaches,” he said.
Junior Julie Mason, who practices outside of school on a club team like Escobar, swam in four events on Wed. as well.
“I didn’t do very well which is mainly because I miss so much practice for band and other activities,” Mason said. “Although I did not improve my times and I often doubt myself, one of my strengths is being motivated to try my hardest, [so] I will make the best of my situation and never give up.”
Swim meets are often one of the sports events with lower attendance levels on campus, but in the words of Escobar, “Swimming is a really fun sport to watch, and if you ever get the chance to go to one of our home meets, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed!”
Follow @ipatriotpost on Instagram to stay updated on sports events like the next home swim meet.
meet results hs univ-ch-ah
