By Darina Huang ’23
Student Writer, Bearcat Sports Media

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, Girls and Boys Varsity Swimming and Diving faced Canterbury at home, both winning decisively. The girls beat Canterbury 86-60 and the boys won 93-72. This result gives them confidence coming off of Saturday’s losses at Loomis, especially with the boys falling by only one point to the Pelicans. Boys Head Coach Mr. Moon said, “I was really pleased with today’s meet. We had a scorcher of a loss on Saturday, 92-91, at Loomis, so it was nice to come back to our own pool and have such a successful day.”

The day began with the 200-yard medley relays, with girls A and B relays finishing first and second in a close race, showcasing the depth of the team.

In the distance events, Madeline Siris ’24 and Abby Renger ’23 took first and second place respectively in the girls 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle. The top three swimmers in the boys 200-yard freestyle were close throughout, but Canterbury finished on top followed by Cristobal Elizondo Junco de la Vega ’23 and Giancarlo Mendoza ’23 respectively. Eric Preisig ’23 won the boys 500-yard freestyle by over 45 seconds.

The boys 50-yard freestyle was especially exciting, as co-captains Ryan Tse ’23, Alex Tolis ’23, and James Yae ’23 finished in first, second, and third place respectively, beating all three Canterbury swimmers.
In the diving portion of the meet, Canterbury took first place for both the girls and boys, but fans supported Clemmie Morlock ’26 and Nolan Jennings ’24, who both placed second respectively.

In the girls 200-yard freestyle relay, the three Hotchkiss teams took the top three spots, with Quisha Lee ’24 making up distance in the final lap to finish right behind the second place Hotchkiss relay. The Bearcats’ other strong showing in the second half of the meet included Sydney Berger ’25 and Alex Repikov ’23 winning the 100-yard butterfly, Amelie Zhang ’23 and Yae winning the 100-yard backstroke, Sophie Perkel ’24 and Daniel Li ’24 winning the 100-yard breaststroke, and both 400-yard freestyle relay teams placing first and second. The crowd cheered for newcomer Phillip Lee ’26’s strong finish in the 100-yard butterfly. 

Co-captain Renger said, “I was happy with the team’s supportiveness today. Everyone had fun, and it was a great opportunity for people to step outside of their comfort zone and swim events they don’t normally swim. We’re working towards our individual goals for the rest of the season and looking forward to Founders at home!”