After the men’s and women’s swimming teams finished in second and third place respectively in the regular season DC6 conference standings, both teams were excited for the conference meet.
However, due to the snowfall in mid-January, the swimming team’s conference meet was canceled. For athletes who did not qualify for the regional meets, the cancelled meet meant their season was over.
The cancellation was especially disappointing because the Tigers had an exceptional season up to that point.
During the preseason, it was clear that the Tigers would have a strong team. Several returning swimmers and a group of talented freshmen joined the roster.
The men’s team dominated in their first meet of the season, defeating both Jordan High School and Riverside High School on December 6. Freshman Jacob Clark was the standout performer, placing first in both the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle events.
Clark, along with fellow freshman David Gellin, led the men’s team in points for the season. Clark specializes in freestyle and individual medley events, while Gellin focuses on freestyle and backstroke. Both swimmers qualified for the regional and state meets.
Junior Ethan Liang, a teammate of Clark and Gellin, praised the freshman duo. “[Clark and Gellin] are both extremely talented individuals,” Liang said. “They both made individual events at states, and I’m really proud of them.”
The women’s team also earned first place against Jordan and Riverside, with standout performances in the freestyle events from senior Jordan Biggerstaff and sophomore Helen Gallo. Biggerstaff placed first in the 500-yard freestyle and second in the 200-yard freestyle, while Gallo finished second in the 100-yard freestyle and fourth in the 200-yard freestyle.
Senior Luca Pirone, a freestyle specialist, was the women’s team’s top points scorer. Pirone committed to swim at the Division I level at Lafayette College earlier this year.
Both the men’s and women’s teams continued to perform well throughout the season. On December 18, both teams placed second to Jordan High School in the teams’ second meet, and, on January 9, the third meet of the season, the women’s team placed first while the men finished second.
Despite the men’s second-place finish, a highlight of the meet was Gellin qualifying for regionals by swimming a 4:52.45 in the 500-yard freestyle event.
At the final regular-season meet, the Tigers faced their rivals East Chapel Hill. East’s men’s team defeated the Tigers, but the women’s team emerged victorious. Pirone led the charge, finishing first in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events.
The diving team also had a successful season, although it was also cut short by the snow.
Coach Greggor Zoltners expressed his satisfaction with the diving team. “I am pleased that we have a lot of participation in diving, and we have some divers at regionals,” Zoltners said.
Freshman Mia Delgado was a standout on the diving team and the only diver to advance to the regional meet.
“High school diving is such an unbeatable experience,” Delgado said. “I feel so lucky to have gotten to practice and compete this year.”
Delgado placed third at the regional meet and described it as an unforgettable experience.
“Regionals in particular were so amazing,” she said. “It allowed me not only to show off the dives I’ve been working on, but also to reconnect with other divers and cheer each other on.”
Fellow diver Kai Lovejoy echoed Delgado’s sentiments about the team environment.
“Diving was super chill. It’s pretty low pressure and has a wonderful group of people,” Lovejoy said.
The week of the conference meet, a wintry mix of snow and rain hit Chapel Hill, icing the roads and canceling school. The inclement weather resulted in the cancellation of the conference meet on January 23.
The cancellation was a disappointment for swimmers and coaches alike.
“The cancellation was extremely disappointing for me,” Zoltners said. “This meet is the final meet of the season for most of our swimmers, and for many of our seniors.”
Swimmers also expressed their frustration.
“[My teammates] were extremely frustrated,” Liang said. “I talked with many of my teammates, and some of them were really sad that they couldn’t make it.”
One consolation was that the state meet, scheduled for early February, proceeded as planned, giving the swimmers who qualified another opportunity to compete.
On February 6, the 4A state swimming and diving meet took place. The men placed 24th, and the women placed 34th. Jacob Clark, Denali Cutbush-Taylor, David Gellin, Ethan Liang, Kevin Luo, Jason Tao, Tony Wang, and Mia Delgado all qualified for the meet based on their performances during the regular season.
Clark had a strong day, scoring points in the 200-yard individual medley, as well as the 100- and 500-yard freestyle events. Gellin competed in the 200-yard freestyle and 50-yard backstroke, while Cutbush-Taylor swam the 100-yard freestyle. The remaining swimmers participated in the 400-yard freestyle relay or attended as alternates.
