WHS boys’ swim team looking for winning season

On Jan. 6, the WHS boys' swim and dive team defeated rival Granby Memorial in their first home meet, 97-85. Photos by Kathryn Elliott.

“This season, our team’s greatest strength is our enthusiasm, the strength of our underclassmen and the leadership of our seniors,” said Windsor High School boys’ swim coach Chris Todd. Hitting the mid-season break with a record of 3-1, 31 Warrior swim and dive teammates are determined to improve upon last season’s 5-8 finish. The coach believes in his team’s abilities to do so.

On Jan. 6, the Warriors took on Granby Memorial for their first home meet of the season, and in a down-to-the-wire finish, WHS came away with a 97-85 win.

“Our goal is to have all individual swimmers and divers improve their times/scores, to continue to build the swimming culture at WHS, and to grow more competitive in our conference,” Todd said. “Although the success of a season is never measured in wins and losses, a winning season has eluded WHS boys’ swimming and diving since 1998, and the program has been building over the past three years to bring the drought to an end.”

Senior tri-captains Freddy Krauss, Rayce Bianchi, Yuri Dominguez anchor the team. “I think it is important for us [captains] to keep the team motivated,” Krauss said. A distance contributor, Krauss’s personal goal for 2012 is to qualify for states.

Joining the team his sophomore year, Bianchi’s goal is to shave time off his races. “As a team, I’d obviously like to see us end with a winning record,” he said.

Rounding out the trio, Dominguez, a core relay member, is hoping for a strong season and individual improvement in the IM.

“Our captains, along with senior leaders such as Joey Phelps, Alex Loura and Brian Miele, will help our younger swimmers mature throughout the season,” Todd said. “I foresee a number of non-seniors taking on more of the workload this season, including Jeremy Jacobellis, Liam O’Donnell, Jacob Clark, Andrew St. Amand and one of our freshmen, Alex Cheney.”

“It’s been great so far,” Cheney commented on his first year with the Warriors. “As a team, I’m hoping we end with a winning record. For me, I’d like to qualify for the states in the 200IM.”

For a full schedule, visit www.casciac.org.