Three BSM boys’ swim members break school records at State
Junior Johnny Freytag wearing his team shirt while counting for a swimmer in the 500 freestyle.
March 22, 2019
At the beginning of the season, senior captain Matthew McGonigle and junior captain Keven Hollahan decided on the boys’ swim team’s goals for the season, but they didn’t put breaking school records on the list, but that’s exactly what happened.
This season three of the BSM boys’ swim team members broke school records at the state tournament: Sam Haddad in the 100 breaststroke, Matt McGonigle in the 500 freestyle, and Liam Noble in the 100 backstroke.
Just an eighth-grader, Haddad beat the 100 breaststroke record with a time of 1:06.41 which beat the previous record by 0.21 of a second. “Sam has been one of the hardest working guys on the team all year, and his record is well deserved,” team captain, McGonigle said.
McGonigle, a senior swimming in his last tournament, took second in 500 freestyle with his new school record time of 4:45.50; as a sophomore, Noble placed 7th in backstroke with his new school record time of 54.59. “It is something that I set my eyes on at the beginning of the season, and for my final swim in the event, I couldn’t be happier,” McGonigle said.
Beyond the three who broke records, three other swimmers–– freshman Ryan Long and juniors Kevin Hollahan and Johhny Freytag––helped to accomplish the captain’s season goal of having as many swimmers qualify for state as possible. The team finished with many new metals added to the collection. “As a team, we worked hard all year, and it was fun to see the hard work pay off,” McGonigle said.
Beyond qualifying for State, the team also had a winning season overall. “The season has been extremely successful, and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the young talent this year and having one of the largest teams BSM has ever had,” McGonigle said.
The BSM boys’ finished 14th out of 30 teams on March 2 at State.