NEPSAC News ®
NEW ENGLAND PREPARATORY SCHOOL ATHLETIC COUNCIL
SUMMER 2019
NEPSAC Swimmers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil SPONSORED BY SCOREBOARD ENTERPRISES
by Bob York
T
his time, the Big Blue got to swim for something bigger than its four straight New England Championships … something bolder than the eight regional titles it has accumulated over the past decade. This time, it got to swim for something more prestigious than its four consecutive undefeated seasons … something nobler than finishing first over 44 opposing teams at the Eastern Championships. This time, the Big Blue got to swim for the Red, White and Blue. Due to its distinguished resume, the Amateur Athletic Union selected Phillips Academy at Andover to represent the United States at the International School Sport Federation’s (ISF) World Schools Swimming Championships in Rio de Janeiro in May. The six Andover swimmers who competed in what marked the USA’s debut in these festivities were Sam Donchi (2020), Lance Freiman (2019), Marcus Lee (2021), Arnold Su (2020), Riku Tanaka (2020) and Jack Warden (2019), and they didn’t disappoint. The
IN THIS ISSUE NEPSAC Swimmers in Rio | President’s Letter | Treasurer’s Report | From the Archives | Girls in Sport Leadership Summit | Aliyah Boston | Wrestling Hall of Fame | NEPSAC Athletes on the National Stage | Project Highlight: Hopkins School www.nepsac.org
Swimmers from Andover, Hopkins and Brunswick at the International School Sport Federation’s World Schools Swimming Championships in Rio de Janeiro in May.
Blue Crew finished fourth among the 18 school teams, just two points shy of a podium finish. Turkey finished atop the leader board, while Taiwan was second and the Czech Republic was third. In total, 16 American high school age swimmers were invited to take part in the competition, which featured participants from 18 countries. In addition to Andover, which was the only U.S. contestant categorized as a school team entry, three other NEPSAC swimmers competed — Marcus Hodgson (2020) and Alex Hazlett (2022) of Brunswick School and Cristin Earley (2021) of Hopkins School — in a select-teams bracket. “Having the opportunity to participate in this tournament was a tremendous opportunity for everyone … swimmers as well as coaches,” said Andover swim coach David Fox of this aquatic showcase that has been convening every other year for more than three decades — but until now, never included a U.S. entry. “The
experience and exposure we received from competing on the world stage was truly unbelievable.” “It was much like the Olympics, in fact the competition took place in the same pool that hosted the diving and water polo events during the 2016 Summer Olympics,” added Fox. “They had opening ceremonies, in which all the competitors marched into the arena, and closing ceremonies as well. Plus, all the kids were given swim caps with the American flag on them and believe me, competing while wearing those really meant a lot to the kids.” Andover made its selection as the USA’s lone “school team” a no-brainer for the AAU officials, with an 8–0 regularseason showing, preceded by a fourth consecutive NEPSAC Championship, and the 2019 Eastern Swimming and Diving Championship.
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