Swim Team Looks to State Championships

Editor's note: This article came from the Weston High School Athletic Department.

The Weston High Girls’ and Boys’ Swimming and Diving program traveled to MIT last weekend to take part in the North Sectional Championships.  On Saturday, the boys took 4^th overall (6 of the top 7 teams were Division I squads), and the girls followed with a 6^th place performance on Sunday.  With 46 personal best performances over the two-day competition, it was quite a weekend for The Tide.

On Saturday, the boys were led by Jack Blyzinskyj.  The lanky sophomore took 2^nd (50 yard freestyle) and 3^rd (100 backstroke) in his individual events.  Blyzinskyj’s 53.14 clocking in the back moves him into 4^th on the all-time Weston list in the event, behind Stuart Butts, Eric Nilsson, and Niles Madison.  Weston had five other athletes score individually – four of them sophomore classmates of Blyzinskyj.  Ryan Burrow (200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke), Ian Delaney (100 free), Jamie Packs (diving), and Tommy Peacher (200 and 100 freestyle) rounded out the quintet of sophomore place-winners.  Junior Tyler Lewtan was Weston’s other individual scorer, in the 100 butterfly.

Weston also fared well in relay competition, with a pair of 4^th place relays, and a 5^th place medley.  Each combine was the highest-placing Division II team in the event.  The Tide’s 200 free relay of Peacher, Lewtan, Burrow, and Delaney, and their 400 free relay of Peacher, Delaney, Blyzinskyj, and Burrow, each took 4^th.  And Weston’s medley relay of Blyzinskyj, Burrow, Lewtan, and freshman Sam Cekala touched in at 5^th.  Other solid performances for Weston were submitted by captain Nick Peacher, seniors Will Brewer and Ryan Szeto, and juniors Tommy Fitzgerald and Kian Nowrouzi.

 “I was very pleased with our guys on Saturday,” said Head Coach Claude Valle after the meet.  “We were the top Division II team in the North Section, and have put ourselves in a good position for the state meet.  With strong performances we should be in the top two next week.”

 A day later, Weston’s GLOWS dove into the MIT pool and continued the streak of hot performances.  The leading lady for Weston proved to be Bianca Tocci.  The junior raced to a new meet record of 52.08 in winning the 100 free for the second consecutive season.  The time was also just .21 off the All-America consideration cut off, and is number two on the all-time Weston list behind Eliza Butts.  Tocci also took 2^nd in the 50 free.

 Weston’s second-highest place-winner was another junior, Stephanie Palocz.  Her shocking 1:03.80 performance in the 100 backstroke landed her in 4^th place in the event.  Classmate Laura Beaudry (200 free), sophomore Camille Casey (diving), and freshman Victoria Bryson (100 free) also placed individually for the GLOWS.  Tri-captains Cheryl Lang (50 and 100 free), Seena Potter (200 individual medley), and Dale Ziobro (diving) rounded out the scoring for Weston.

 Weston’s also relays performed well on Sunday.  The medley team of Tocci, Potter, Palocz, and Lang took 5^th.  The sprint combine of Tocci, Lang, Bryson, and Potter touched in at 3^rd.  And the 400 freestyle relay quartet of Bryson, freshman Anna Neufeld, Beaudry, and Palocz finished 7^th.  The GLOWS also received strong supporting performances from juniors Julia Meehan and Eliza Robson, sophomore Katie Kim, and freshman Hart Rippe.

 “Our girls have come a long, long way this year,” said Valle.  “At the first meet, our three relays went 2:01/1:46/4:07 and today, basically the same three groupings have been 1:54/1:38/3:54.  What they’ve accomplished is just amazing.”

 Both squads will conclude their seasons this coming weekend as they travel to Harvard University for the State Championships.  The boys will compete Saturday at 3pm and the girls will race Sunday at noon.