Boys Swimming Races to Strong Start
Deniz Gurcan ‘25 and Nicholas Tskhadaia ‘25 start off the 400 freestyle relay against Lincoln. Photo: June Lu
By JUNE LU
As the final event of 2023 came to a swift finish on December 20, the Boys Swim Team took home a victory against Fort Hamilton in a 51-50 nail-biter. This intense win gave the boys a big spark of hope, as they followed it up by smashing Abraham Lincoln 55-33 to start 2024 with a 4-2 record.
“As a captain, it’s nice to see how well the new swimmers perform in the water, as well as how older swimmers have improved since the years before,” said senior Edward Baranov.
“Seeing many technique improvements gives me hope for our future meets,” said Captain William Zhang ‘24. “It’s also refreshing to see how well the boys get along with each other, even when they’re under a lot of stress.”
Having to create a new lineup right before a meet, as the team did leading up to the clash with Fort Hamilton, can cause a lot of anxiety for the coach and captains. But the team has rolled with the changes.
“Honestly, I think the chaos adds to the team dynamic. Even though it is hard to round the swimmers up, things get done,” said co-captain Deniz Gurcan ‘25.
The bond between the boys is notable. They all know what events each of them swim, and where to go in the lineup to make sure they get the most points.
The meet against Fort Hamilton got off to a rough start, with Hamilton winning the first relay, putting them in the lead 7-3.
“Our relays were only off by a few seconds,” Gurcan said.
Although a swimming lineup is not usually tampered with at the last minute, in this case, it helped lead the team to a surprising victory.
“This meet really kept everyone at the edge of their seats with how close each and every race was,” said Michael Boguslavsky ‘25. It was “a shock” to see Midwood make a comeback during the last events, he said.
It all came down to the last event, the 400 freestyle relay. Midwood was down 49-42, and the relay swimmers were all pushing their limits. It seemed almost impossible. However, with some players switching positions, Midwood finally took the win by a single point.
“I didn’t think we would win, to be honest, but I am really glad our captains are quick thinkers,” said Boguslavsky.
After ending 2023 with a bang, the victory against Abraham Lincoln on January 5 further fueled the team’s determination to push through the demands of balancing academics and athletics to achieve great things.
“Sometimes it gets difficult to manage club swimming, school work, and PSAL swimming,” said Gurcan. “And even though I feel like sleeping after school, I force myself to get some homework done so that I feel less worried after my club practice.”
“The boys do a great job with listening to instructions and going through with last minute changes,” said Baranov. “It gets messy quickly, but they do well.”
“As a coach, seeing improvement with the boys and their times makes me glad to have joined this team,” said Coach Vladimir Frenkel. “The boys are strong, and I believe they have what it takes to get to the playoffs.”