” As the team stands, we are one of the best in the metroplex.” – Michael Hasenfratz ’25
Those are the words of sophomore Michael Hasenfratz, who is one of the many athletes pleased with the team’s performance in the past month. The Rangers competed in three meets over the course of November, winning the two head-to-head meets, and placing fourth in the TISCA meet, one of the biggest meets on the schedule. This was a very successful month for the team, and the swimmers themselves are very pleased with the team and the results. Fellow sophomore Ale Acosta agreed with Michael saying
“The standards on this team are incredibly high, both the varsity and JV teams are extremely competitive.” – Ale Acosta ’25
These words confirm that spirits are high and times are low heading into winter break. The team’s first meet in November was a head-to-head competition against Highland Park. A full recap of the month is below.
Highland Park Meet
On November 1st, the Jesuit Swimming and Diving team went on the road to Highland Park and secured their fourth win of the season with a 99-84 win over Highland Park. Junior William Savarese won two individual events, winning the 200 free and 100 breast. Savarese was also part of the 400-free relay team which also included freshmen Sebastian Suwanda, Luke Lary, and sophomore Flyn Hughes. This team defeated the Scots by over seven seconds with a time of 3:20.93. The Rangers secured two more individual victories, with Flyn Hughes winning the 100 butterfly, and Thatch Balady winning the one-meter dive.
Also propelling the Rangers to victory were the numerous second and third-place finishes that scored critical points for the team. Junior Alexander McSorely finished second in the 50-meter and 100-meter free. Sebastian Suwanda added a third-place finish in the 500 free. Juniors Quinton Moats and Theodore Scherer added third-place finishes in the 100 and 50 free respectively.
Additionally, the relay teams added second-place finishes with the team of Lary, Savarese, Hughes, and Guinta placing second. They were followed by the team of junior Jacob Follett, Scherer, sophomore Michael Hasenfratz, and freshman Sam Kennington. Junior Alexander McSorley, Scherer, Suwanda, and Giunta finished second in the 200-free relay. Hasenfratz, Follett, Moats, and Kennington teamed up for third place in the event.
North Zone TISCA
Saturday, November 19th, The Jesuit Rangers competed in the North Zone TISCA meet, where they placed fourth. This year marked the third straight year that Jesuit finished inside the top five. Junior William Savarese won two individual events including the 100 fly, a race in which he set a new school record of 49.92. Savarese also won the 100 breast, notching two of Jesuit’s three victories in the meet. Senior Leonardo Pelaez won the 200 I.M., and finished second in the 500 free.
Also bolstering the team were a pair of excellent relay finishes. The 200-free relay team made up of Savarese, Suwanda, Guinta, and Pelaez finished second. Savarese, Suwanda, and Pelaez were joined by Luke Lary and finished third in the 400-free relay. Also placing for the Rangers were Suwanda who placed tenth in the 200 free, and junior Thatch Balady placed eleventh in the one-meter dive.
This meet is always one of the most competitive, most intense meets of the season. The meet has extremely high standards as far as times to participate. Head coach Doug Moyse commented on the TISCA event saying
“This meet was a terrific preview of our Region Championships.” – Head Coach Doug Moyse
Coach Moyse also said that he was very pleased with the times at TISCA, with swimmers like William Savarese and Leo Pelaez coming up big when the team needed them. The Rangers finished fourth and hope to move up at the Region meet in February.
Greenhill Meet
On Tuesday, November 29th, the Rangers won convincingly over Greenhill in their first home meet. The team won by a total of 113 points, with a final score of 149-36. Leading the way once again was junior William Savarese, who won the 200 I.M. and the 100 fly. Flyn Hughes and Jaden Guinta finished second and third in the 100 fly, resulting in a 1-2-3 sweep for the Rangers. Also winning individual events were Sebastian Suwanda, Thatch Balady, and Jaden Guinta.
Additionally, the relays also went to the Rangers as the 200 medley team of Leonardo Palaez, Savarese, Guinta, and Hughes won the event with a season-best time of 1:42:59. Jesuit’s relay sweep was completed with victories in the 200 free and 400 free relays. Jesuit’s 200 free relay, consisting of Suwanda, Lary, Alexander McSorely, and Giunta, hit the wall in 1:37.33 to best Greenhill by a second. Finishing off the win were the A, B, and C relay teams who finished 1-2-3 in the 400 free relay. The A team included Savarese, Suwanda, Lary, Pelaez. The B team had Jack Schwetz, Michael Hasenfratz, Sam Kennington, Quinton Moats. And the C team included Liam Weaver, Luke Wiley, Jackson Addison-Jordan, and Oliver Miller.
Conclusion
All things considered, the month of November was very successful for the Rangers, who won two meets and finished fourth in the TISCA, one of the biggest meets on the schedule. Moreover, this was a very good month for the swimmers themselves. The month of November was an excellent one for the team and a continuation of a phenomenal season. The team will be back in action on January tenth against Frisco Wakeland at the Gull.
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more swimming/diving news!