Head to head, the swimmers of the 200 Medley Relay team surge forward as fast as they can, attempting to beat out their competition. For most, years of training have led to moments like these, intense moments of both unrest and nervousness. With the rest of his team counting on him, Nolan Daniels ’15, the last to swim, jumps in, his team nearly tied with the competition. As he hits the finish line at the end of the race, he looks up to see that they have won the silver.
Congratulations to the Jesuit swim team that placed first in the Ranger Relays on October 5th in the Colony. Participants included seniors Michael Barale and Hector Rivera, juniors Nolan Daniels and Parker Capron, sophmores Sam Betanzos, Kevin Reale, and Aidan Quinn, and freshman Jack Ayres. The swim team also consists of the 200 Medley Relay team of Brendan Feehery ’16, Sam Betanzos ’16, Matthew Bedard ’14, and Nolan Daniels ’15 who placed second, the 200 Butterfly Relay team of Jack Ayres ’16, Hector Rivera ’14, Kevin Reale ’16, and Michael Barale ’14 who finished 3rd, the 400 I.M. Relay team of Brendan Feehery ’16, Aedan Quinn ’16, Bedard and Michael Barale who finished 3rd, and the 200 Breaststroke Relay team of Reale, Rivera, Betanzos and Parker Capron ’15 who finished 3rd. Also, the team combined with Ursuline to conclude the meet by winning the Championship Shootout and the overall title.
Head swim coach, BJ Antes, was thrilled with the team’s success, commenting that although “[they] thought [they] had a shot to win it this year,” it was still a tough and close victory. However, the team has put forth “a great effort” so far this year. In order to improve and stay at this peak condition, the team plans on improving “daily.”
According to swimmer Nolan Daniels ’15, although getting second place takes a lot of effort, they really “want to push the limits and come out
on top every time.” The team trains every day from August to February from 6 to 7:45 A.M. and lifts twice a week in order to achieve this. In fact, many of the swimmers also swim for club teams, in order to improve even more, demonstrating their intense dedication to the sport.
Senior Matthew Bedard mentioned that in order “to win a relay, you need 4 guys who swim 14-15 hours a week each.” Certainly, their training hasn’t gone unrewarded. With this level of success, their training appears to be paying off immensely. In fact, Parker Capron ’15 stated that this looks like it’s going to be “arguably the best year,” and that according to the coaches, “this is one of the best teams in a long time.” The team “has a chance at breaking some school records.”
Hopefully, the Jesuit Rangers swim team can continue on this path of excellence. Surely, with all of their hard work and effort, they should expect even more huge payoffs. The team is looking forward to prove themselves this year at the tournament in Austin. So go out there and support your Rangers!
