The Wayland High School Swim and Dive team wrapped up their regular season on February 4th, with a successful Dual County League (DCL) Championship performance. The girls finished first in the DCL, while the boys finished fourth.

Both teams also competed at Sectionals last weekend, where the boys team took tenth place, and the girls team had a first place finish.

The start of the season didn’t look as promising for the boys because they lost a number of strong seniors at the end of last year.

“Our chances don’t seem to be quite as good as past years for winning the whole states, but we’ve surprised teams in the past,” said senior captain Ian Stack. By finishing the regular season with a 15-3 record, they did just that.

The regular season

The boys team started out strong, going undefeated for the first five meets. But with a loss to Weston, their streak ended.

However, the boys team was relentless, and won many close meets, such as a win over Hopkinton by one point, and other meets against DCL rivals, Acton- Boxborough and Concord-Carlisle.

Sophomore Doug Curtin said he enjoys the enthusiasm and energy on the pool deck during close meets. “Everyone is going crazy on the side of the pool during the last race, [this lets] you know you’re part of something special,” he said.

Despite losses to Westford and Lincoln- Sudbury, the boys swim and dive team finished the season ranked fourth in the DCL.

After last season, the girls team also lost key seniors, such as Elizabeth Doyon (’10) and Emily Wright (’10).

“Liz was really good, but when we lose really good swimmers we just try to make up for it by working harder and getting underclassmen to get their times down,” said sophomore Pippa Edwards.

Even with the loss of these swimmers, the Warriors had no problem, finishing first in the DCL in the regular season with an undefeated record.

Results from the State Championships

At the State Championship meets the boys team placed 4th, with strong swims by a number of swimmers. Senior Michael Ren won the 100m breaststroke for the third consecutive season. The 200m medley relay team placed third.

The girls placed second just behind Marblehead. Seniors Emily Downs and Michelle Cunningham placed second and third respectively in the 50m freestyle. The 200m freestyle relay team won by 1.29 seconds in an event Wayland holds the meet record for.

Full results from the boys meet.

Full results from the girls meet.