The WJ Boys Swim and Dive team had a bit of a slow start to the season. In their first match they fell to Churchill 68 to 103.
Since that loss, the team has been nothing but great. With consecutive wins against Blair, Wootton, BCC, Whitman and Poolesville, the boys had a lot of momentum going into the division one championship.
In the division championship, the Wildcats did not disappoint. It became a two-team race with WJ edging their rival Churchill 428 to 418. Wotton came in third with 290, while Blair, Whitman and BCC finished off the scoring.
After the impressive victory at counties, the team had its best showing of the year at metros, finishing fourth only behind private schools. There the boys 4 x 100 freestyle relay team, which consisted of Barry Mangold, Garret Powell, Ryan Whitescarver and Jean-Mark Nugent, shattered the county record by three seconds. Other notable swimmers were Fletcher Tollefson, Brian Daza, Christopher Root, and Arthur Arcaz.
“[I’m] Looking forward to some excellent performances in the next few weeks,” said coach James Grimes. “[I’m] happy the season is progressing the way it is.”
The next meet is state championships, which are on Feb. 25.
“The goal for the rest of the season is winning states,” said junior Barry Mangold. “Our boys placed better than any other public school at metros so the expectation is to win states and to look good doing it.”