The boys swimming and diving team picked up their first NEPSAC title in 10 years and their 15th overall to add to the storied history of the program. The meet opened up on Wednesday with the diving competition as Connor Cavanagh ’20 and Luke Grabowski ’25 got the team off to a terrific start with Connor winning his first NEPSAC Title and Luke placing a strong 4th place.
When the swimming competition began on Friday night, the Wildcats were already sporting a lead over their competition as a result of the divers, and the swimmers took over in record-breaking fashion to start the night.
The 200 Medley Relay team of Jason Albanese ’20, Sam Haddad ’20, Jack Haddad ’22, and Shogo Kamei ’20 set a NEPSAC record and new school record with a time of 1:37.85, shattering a record that has stood since 1970. The previous record of 1:39.50, was a national record when Gerald Wallace ’71, Larry Bushey ’70, Bruce Meleski ’70, and Andrew Brown ’70 set the mark. “Williston teams have looked at that record for years as a symbol of past excellence and a goal to strive towards,” said Head Coach David Koritkoski.
The 200 Freestyle saw Jack Coscia ’23 pick up All-NEPSAC honors with a third-place finish, and Henry Wiemeyer ’22 was close behind in 4th place. Coscia added to the score with an All-NEPSAC performance, finishing second in the 500 freestyle while becoming just the ninth person in program history to break the fabled 5-minute mark in the event.
In perhaps the swim of the meet, Sam Haddad set the place on fire with a new school and NEPSAC record in the 200 IM with a time of 1:52.35, bettering the second-place finisher by an unbelievable 14 seconds. Sam added another NEPSAC Title in the 100 Butterfly and, as a result, took home the Babcock Award as the Outstanding Performer of the meet.
Shogo Kamei had a night to remember as well, as he won his first NEPSAC Title in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 59.73, becoming only the second swimmer from Williston to ever break 1-minute in the event. Kamei also added all-NEPSAC honors with a strong 3rd place finish in the 50 freestyle.
Jack Haddad electrified the team with incredible relay swims in the Medley Relay and 200 Freestyle Relay while earning All-NEPSAC honors with a second-place finish in the 100 Breaststroke. Jack was joined by Rayyan Al Romaih ’21, Henry Wiemeyer, and Shogo Kamei in the 200 Freestyle Relay when they set a NEPSAC Record winning the event with the second fastest time in school history.
At the end of the meet, the boys from Williston took home the title with 428 points, outdistancing last year’s champion Westminster who finished second with 357 points.
The girls swimming and diving team finished in second place at the NEPSAC Championships this weekend for the second year in a row, and it marks the 7th straight year the girls have finished in the top two at the event.
Ava Larkin ’22 set the tone for the team-winning NEPSAC Titles in the 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle, with her 50-freestyle time of 24.84 just narrowly missing the school record. Molly Kinstle ’21 added some hardware of her own, winning a NEPSAC Title in the 100 Butterfly and finishing second in the 200 Freestyle with an All-NEPSAC time of 1:57.86.
The girls divers delivered another strong performance on Wednesday night with all four girls putting themselves in position to score important points for the team. Senior Casey Feins finished in 8th place, followed closely behind by Abigail Touhey ’22 and Chloe Prouty ’20 in 10th and 11th place respectively.
Of special note were the strong relay performances by the Wildcats on Saturday. The Medley Relay team of Ella Mattocks ’22, Ava Larkin, Molly Kinstle, and Sabrina Serricchio ’20 placed second in the event and the 200 Freestyle Relay team of Molly Kinstle, Julia Borden ’22, Sabrina Serricchio, and Ava Larkin took home a silver medal of their own as well. Both teams earned All-NEPSAC honors with their performances and scored much-needed points for the team. In the end, the girls finished behind champion Miss Porter’s but gritty performances kept them ahead of third-place Dana Hall by 30 points.
Congratulations, swimmers and divers!