Gonzaga swimmers like junior Xavier Pugliese and sophomores Sean Spata, Madison Hardimon and Sean Sullivan (above) have Coach Dave Norton excited about the the future of his program. (Photo by Delia Sullivan)
Built around a strong senior class, Gonzaga last season was among the top programs in the area, but at the WMPSSDLs and Metros the Eagles could not catch rival Georgetown Prep, which took both titles.
This year, despite losing seven key seniors, Gonzaga Coach Dave Norton said his younger swimmers are going into the season unafraid of the preconceptions, and eager to see what they can accomplish with a deeper, well-rounded team.
“As a coach it’s nicer to have the kids have that depth and not have all the superstars because it really emphasizes the team,” Norton said. “If we win a meet it’s going to come down to did someone get fifth instead of sixth.”
The results have been strong early, with the Eagles going 4-1 in dual competition and picking up an impressive win at the WMPSSDL Relay Carnival on Dec. 12.
“I still think we have a ton of depth and, despite the fact that we are young, I think we are spread very wide, and in the next year and next two years, it’s going to explode,” Norton said. “It’s going to be awesome. I think we’re going to be very competitive this year and make some surprises.”
Gonzaga has been led by a number of swimmers who have surprised Norton with their improvements early this season.
Senior Willie Leach is among the team leaders, but swimmers like junior Xavier Pugliese and sophomores Sean Spata, Madison Hardimon and Sean Sullivan, whose older brother Pat Sullivan was an All-Met swimmer last year for Gonzaga, have shown vast development this year and have Norton excited about the possibilities not just for this season, but also the future of the program.
“Everybody’s goal this year is to see how far we can go this year, knowing it’s only going to get better in the next two,” Norton said. “But I think they’re excited, even if we don’t win champs, just seeing how far we can go knowing we have all this room to grow for the next couple years.”
Madison boys ride depth to fast start
Madison’s boys’ swim team last year was among the best stories at the Virginia AAA state championship, using a smaller, talented team to finish second in the meet, led by All-Met Swimmer of the Year Sean Fletcher (Michigan), who set a national high school record during the meet.
This year, while the Warhawks lack the star power that Fletcher brought to the program, the team has more depth and has used its power-in-numbers to roll to a 3-0 start in dual season. The hot start matches that of the two-time district champion Madison girls, who also have started the year undefeated.
“We have a lot of depth this year for the guys, a lot of freshman who have come in who are adding the kind of depth that we didn’t have last year,” Coach Andrew Foos said. “We were very top heavy last year, this year we have a couple guys that will compete for first place at districts, but more that will make it to the final heat.”
Those that have stepped into key roles include a handful of freshmen, led by Evan Owens, Eric Kim and Andy McGuire. And with key wins over Langley and Fairfax already to their credit, Madison’s boys, led by senior Adam Pennington, have their eyes set on the district title that eluded them last year.
“The guys in particular are thrilled they’re real excited,” Foos said. “They want to be successful, we had a success year last year and we want to build on that.”
Oakton boys hope to usurp champs
For the past decade, the Robinson boys’ swim team has been the powerhouse in Virginia, winning seven consecutive state championships. And last year, the team took the state title despite falling in the Northern Region championships to rival Oakton.
This season, however, the Cougars hope to capitalize not just on their regional win last season, but also on their strong early results this year, capped by their defeat of Robinson, 192-123, in a dual on Friday.
On the boys’ side the Cougars were led by All-Met senior Brad Phillips (UVA), who won titles in the 200- and 500-freestyle with times of 1:46.70 and 4:57.23, respectively. Freshman Philip Hu won the 100 fly with a time of 53.55 and the 100 backstroke in 53.30, and K.J. Park took the 100 breast (58.95) and 200 IM (2:01.10).
The result was one that gives some momentum to an Oakton team that has shown it can top the reigning champions in both duals and championship meets. But Phillips said the one result cannot override the goals for the rest of the year.
“That gives us confidence but you have to remember it’s a dual meet,” Phillips said. “We’re going to be seeing a whole lot of new competition come regionals and states that we won’t have dual meets with. [Also], Robinson was missing one of their top swimmers, and one swimmer doesn’t equal 70 points but that makes it closer. We have to stay on top of our game and stay focused.”
Tags: AAA Northern Region, Concorde District, Northern Region, Oakton High School, Philip Hu, Virginia High School Swimming
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