As Walpole kicks off their season in the pool it will be no easy feat as they try to recapture their Bay State Herget Crown. Last season the team suffered a disappointing record and suffered their first losses in four years and placed 12th at the State Meet: an all around disappointing season for Walpole. They admitted these losses after seven of the teams most experienced and talented swimmer graduated off the team. However, this year with ten new swimmers and more experienced athletes the team is hoping to re-take the Herget and Baystate tittles.
Walpole High School Head Coach Cheryl Cavanaugh said “I hope that the team has a much better record than last year.” Cavanaugh feels that the team can accomplish this goal if all the swimmers work hard and make every practice count. To win Cavanaugh also says “the swimmers need to grow together as a team and have a lot of camaraderie, and this will go a long way with strengthening the program.
Along with Cavanaugh’s high hopes, this years Captains are also feeling confident. Senior Captain Doug Stewart hopes that this year the, “team will hopefully win the Bay State and Herget titles and I hope that many swimmers on the team will qualify for states and sectionals this year”.
However, if the team hope to re-take the Herget and improve their record from last year then they will need swimmers to step up to take the place of gradated seniors who were vital to last years team. The team will need some new distance swimmers due to losing Krissy Jankowski who was the best long distance swimmer Walpole had last season.
Additionlly, the team will have to practice extra hard this year if they hope to defeat their toughest rival, Framingham, who will have an enormous and talented team this season. They will also have to look out for Needham, who always has a strong program. One spot on the team that is looking bright for the Rebels is the divers. All the divers are returning from last year, and this year should be even better after the experience they gained. They should also be even better with the help of sophomore Sam Chauvin returning from a back injury. The Rebel divers did extremely well last year especially at States with sophomore Hannah Phelan, placing 2nd. If the team wants to improve then the divers will have to keep up their hard work for this year, to help the team get those crucial points. However, senior Captain Lexie Riggott says “the team has a lot of inexperience, so this season may be a challenge. I hope that they overcome this weakness by connecting as a team, which will make us stronger”.
Even though the team is suffering from a lack of experience many of the teams returning swimmers are looking stronger than ever. Sophomore Julie Hinton spent most of the summer training and improving her strokes, and her times are now even faster than last year. Juniors Katie Smith and Joe Burke, two of the teams fastest sprinters, have also improved a lot and are looking very strong. Senior Lexie Riggott and sophomore Paul Farro both lead the team in the distance events, and this year hopefully will help win those races. Two other swimmers showing potential are sophomore Emily Luong, who is one of the teams strongest swimmers in the backstroke races, and sophomore Julia Muller who is major contributor to the team in many events. Coach Cavanugh says “that another bright spot on the team, is our relays, that are looking very strong this year”
The Rebels start their Season on Friday against Boston Latin at 4 o’clock. This should be a tough meet for the team because of the teams size. Boston Latin has over 60 swimmers on the team. While Walpole only has 30.
