By Allison Goldsmith
I&M Sports Editor
Following second-place finishes in the Bay Colony Conference last season, the boys and girls swimming and diving teams returned to the pool last week ready to fight for their league titles and qualify as many participants as possible in the sectional and state meets at the end of the season.
On the boys’ side, 18 swimmers fill out the roster with seven seniors leading the way.
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Photo by Nicole Harnishfeger
Senior co-captain Meaghan Lynch, front; and (from left) freshman Merrill McCluskey and senior co-captain Haley Cabre, in the second lane, during the girls’ swimming and diving team’s practice last Thursday. |
“We have a solid core which hopefully is enough to carry us. We definitely need more numbers if we want to be able to fill out an entire line-up for a dual meet,” head coach Jim Pignato said.
The girls team, meanwhile, has the numbers, but not the experience. There are nine new swimmers on the roster in addition to 11 returning to the pool.
“We are spending the first week getting used to the system rather than going right into it and getting the yardage in,” Pignato said.
Boys swimming and diving
Leading swimmer Beau Garufi returns to the pool for his senior season after a junior year in which he broke three individual school records. His strengths lie in the individual medley and breaststroke events, but look for the senior co-captain to contribute across the event list depending on the meet.
“He has developed as a much more well-rounded swimmer, so I think we will see him everywhere,” Pignato said. “We will probably use him more as a match-up swimmer, matching him against the other teams’ stronger swimmers.”
Garufi will be aiming to lower his school-record times in the 100-yard breaststroke to under one minute and the 200-yard individual medley to under two minutes this season, while gunning to break Luther Blount’s 1999 500-yard freestyle mark, currently at 5:23.09.
“He is the backbone of how we are setting up our lineups. He has developed into a senior leader of the team, so we are looking to him for guidance and experience,” Pignato said.
Also among the senior class, co-captain Trevor Lockley, who competed with success as a distance swimmer in the 500-yard freestyle as well as a solid backstroke option for the Whalers, returns this season.
Senior co-captain Sam Toole and junior Henry Toole have led the squad in the freestyle sprint events in previous seasons, but look for the two to expand into different strokes to help fill events. Sam has been developing in the butterfly and breaststroke events, while Henry has focused on the backstroke and individual medley, Pignato said.
“Those three guys, they all bring experience to the team. They know what it takes to compete at a high level,” Pignato said.
Also look for returning sophomore Sean Fitzgibbon to contribute in the freestyle sprint events.
“He has a lot of potential. He is strong and fast for someone that really hasn’t been in the pool that much,” Pignato said.
The key this season will be the addition of three potential divers and the points they would potentially bring in the dual-meet format. Will Lendway, Chris Clark and Ocean Kane have each been working with new diving coach Rich D’Auteuil to establish a list of dives in preparation for the upcoming schedule.
“If we can get them to a point where they can compete, it will add a whole new dynamic to our boys program, something we haven’t seen since the Nick Valero days,” Pignato said of the former diver who finished among the state’s best divers before graduating in 2006.
Bay Colony Conference newcomer Sandwich will pose the biggest threat to Nantucket’s attempt to win the title this year.
“I would love to see a championship out of this team. I think it is a very reasonable goal,” Pignato said.
The larger goal is to get more swimmers qualified for the South Sectional meet in February.
Girls swimming and diving
The departure of last winter’s senior class will be felt this season, as the 20-swimmer roster will compete through a rebuilding season this year.
“We lost a very talented, well-invested senior group of girls, not just with the swimmers but their families,” Pignato said. “We have a ton of numbers on the girls side, but a lot of new faces.”
The Whalers are also dealing with the loss of two sophomore swimmers for medical reasons. Carly Jensen, who had a strong freshmen season last year; and Theresa Head, who became one of the fastest sprinters on the team by the end of the season, are both sidelined indefinitely.
Nantucket welcomes the return of senior co-captain Meaghan Lynch, who was abroad last season, but as a sophomore excelled in the breaststroke events and developed into a solid distance swimmer, qualifying for the sectionals in the 500-yard freestyle in the final dual meet of the season.
“We are really looking to her as a senior leader and to be able to continue where she left off,” Pignato said.
Also expected to contribute this season will be junior Jesse Lang, who came on in the breaststroke events last season as well as senior co-captain Haley Cabre, who was primarily a butterfly and individual medley swimmer last year.
“With so many new kids on the team, we are starting everyone off with basic freestyle. We have a lot of 50 and 100 freestylers right now. We need to develop more people with secondary strokes because you can only put three girls in the 50 freestyle,” Pignato said.
All four incoming freshmen have swimming experience as Elsie Gaw, Robin Gottlieb, Merrill McCluskey and Elizabeth Reed each spent time swimming with the Dolphins youth swim team.
“Right now there is a lot of room for improvement, and as we progress through the season we are going to see personal best times happening every meet,” Pignato said.
The girls will be up against another challenging Bay Colony Conference schedule this season, including perennially dominant Barnstable and Nauset.
The boys wrapped up last season 5-2 overall (4-1 in the league), in second place behind Nauset. The girls finished 4-2 overall (4-1 in the league), behind Barnstable.
This winter, the squads will open with the annual Relay Carnival Sunday followed by the Cape Cod Classic diving meet Monday and swimming competition Wednesday. Dual meets are not set to begin until after the new year.
The Whalers have scheduled only two home meets this season, a tri-meet against Bridgewater-Raynham and Taunton Jan. 24; and a dual meet against Barnstable Jan. 31. Sandwich, which only has a boys swim team during the winter season, has officially been accepted into the Bay Colony Conference. The only non-league meet on the schedule this season will be at Sacred Heart Jan. 20.
In addition to the new diving coach, the Whalers welcome two new assistant coaches to the team this season. Former Nantucket swimmers Natalie Hamblin and Micajah Wiley rejoin the squad with the departure of long-time assistant coach Jen DuBois.
2008 Boys and Girls Swimming and Diving Schedule
12/14 Relay Carnival A 1 p.m.
12/15 Cape Cod Classic Diving A 3:30 p.m.
12/17 Cape Cod Classic Swimming A 3:30 p.m.
1/10 Coyle Cassidy A TBD
1/14 Sandwich (boys only) A TBD
1/20 Sacred Heart A 4 p.m.
1/24 B-R/Taunton H Noon
1/31 Barnstable H 1 p.m.
2/3 Nauset A 4 p.m.
2/8 BCC Championships A Noon
2/14 Boys Sectionals at MIT A 4:15 p.m.
2/15 Girls Sectionals at MIT A 4:15 p.m.
2/21 Division II States TBD
2/22 Division II States TBD
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