Boys Swimming Dives into Quarterfinals
The team managed to make the most of a season that featured interruptions due to Covid precautions. Photo: Continental Studios
By SAMUEL GURVICH and ERIC SLAVIN
The Boys Swim Team came back strong, reaching the quarterfinals this year. But on February 19, they hit some rough waters, falling to Bronx Science 50-45 to end their season.
“I am so proud of the guys on the team,” said Mr. Leonard de Virgilio, the coach. “Even though we had our challenges, they still managed to pull through. A lot of guys improved greatly on their times.”
“We fought hard,” senior Jared Ma said. “We tried the best we could, but they were simply the better team. I enjoyed my three years on the team.”
Captain Daniel Vaizman will also be graduating this year. “I’m honestly sad to be leaving because it has been such a fun few years with the team,” he said. “I know they’ll be in good hands next year, but I am pretty sad to be leaving because the team is basically my second family.”
The team started the year a man down, with sophomore swimmer Kyrylo Solovey out with a broken arm. Still, they managed to come out victorious in their first meet of the season with a 56-36 win over the Fort Hamilton Tigers.
Junior Max Sidorenko said, “[The injury] was a surprise; I didn’t expect it at all. He’s a big help to us and I hope he gets better soon.”
The team took down Curtis High School in the first round of the playoffs. Photo: Mr. Leonard DeVirgilio
Throughout the season, the team had several practices and three meets canceled due to Covid restrictions, upsetting plans to grab the second seed in Brooklyn. Usually, the season features ten meets, but this year there were only seven. The team ended the regular season 3-4, finishing third behind Brooklyn Tech and James Madison.
“I feel like we didn't have enough time with the boys this season to build that bond we had freshman year,” junior Philipp Rivkind said. “We performed our best, though.”
One big disappointment was missing out on the Bedford Cup, swimmers said. The yearly matchup between rivals Midwood and Madison is a highlight for the team. Whichever of the two teams wins the point margin from their two meets gets the cup. Vaizman said, “In my freshman year, we got it, and the energy is unreal when you’re holding that thing.”
The season had its bright spots. Nicholai Krylyuk, a junior, said it was “electrifying” seeing teammates Eric Slavin (one of your correspondents), Edward Baranov, Ma, and Rivkind qualify for the NYSPHSAA state championship in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:40.67 against the John Jay Jaguars on Jan 21.
In the playoffs, the Hornets first faced Curtis High School on Feb 2, prevailing 49-41.
Freshman swimmer Deniz Gurcan said, “This was my first PSAL playoff meet, and I loved it. The energy was amazing.”
One of the superstars of this season was Rivkind, who some called the “backbone” of the team. Rivkind’s 500 yard freestyle time was the best in the city.
“I'm proud of my performance this season,” said Rivkind, who will represent Midwood in the 500 yard freestyle at the New York State High School Swimming Championship, an opportunity that rarely goes to juniors.
In 2019-2020, the team made the semifinals, where they were knocked out by Stuyvesant.