Swimming Turns Tide in CCC and Makes School History Along The Way

By: Dylan Jennings

Writer

Buhach Colony High School has had some winning teams this
season. Womens Volleyball and Mens Tennis are two teams that
made history and have gone farther than any team in Buhach history.
Swimming has also joined the ranks with these teams and have placed
themselves as one of the better swim teams in the schools history.
They worked hard all season and it showed as they became co-
champions in the Central California Conference (CCC) as they tied with
Merced. Lets take a look at why theyre one of the best swim teams
the school has ever had.
One goal that this team had during the beginning of the season
was they wanted to beat Merced High School. Merced hasnt lost a
league meet or a dual meet in nine years. While Buhach lost to Merced
during the regular season, Buhach accomplished their goal and got
their revenge by being the first team to beat them in that span of time
at the CCC Championship meet. Coach Justin Tanzillo said about the
competitiveness of the meet, It came down to the last race. With
Merced checked off the bucket list, Buhach continued to do even more great things in the CCC
Championship meet. In the meet, swimming went on to break eight school records. This
consisted of four relay records and four individual records being broken. The swimmers that
ended up breaking these records were Seniors Gwynne McBride and Garrett Groth as well as
Juniors Luke Bird and Pamela Solono. Groth now holds the school record for the 100 fly (2:08.55), McBride holds the school records for both the 200 IM
(2:16.95) and the 100 Breaststroke (1:10.38), Bird holds the school records for both the 200 IM (2:08.55) and the 100 breaststroke (1:05.43), and Solono
holds the school record for the 50 freestyle (25.38). Four relay teams, two mens and two womens, also broke school records. The mens relay team
consisting of Zachary Fookes, Bird, Groth, and Aaron Helfgott now holds the school record for the 200 Medley. Another mens relay team consisting of
Helfgott, Will Seifert, Fookes, and Bird now holds the school record for the 400 free relay. The womens relay teams also hold records in the same
events. Emma Seifert, Gwynne McBride, Erin McBride, and Solono hold the records for both the 200 Medley and the 400 Free relay events.
One huge reason for the teams success is the unity that this team displayed during the season. Coach AJ Abril said about the team, What weve
been preaching and what weve been talking about is unity and it finally clicked for them. Groth also added, During one of the last races during the
CCCs the entire BC swim team was behind the lanes cheering on our team. We are one solid team who helps each other succeed, and we constantly
push one another to be the best we can be. I wouldnt want to trade any member of my team for anyone else. Not only does it come down to unity, but
this was one of the hardest working teams the school has ever had. Bird said about the biggest thing he can take from this season, Well I think it shows
that when the whole team works hard, you can accomplish a lot and thats exactly what we did. Hard work is common among the best teams and this
team definitely showed it. Another reason that the team competed very well was that they took part in a strategy called a taper. For those of you who
dont know what a taper is, it basically is the team works rigorously hard for two and a half months of the season. After those two and a half months, then
the team begins to swim less or taper off the yards that they swim and begin to give their body more rest. Tanzillo said, The whole concept behind it is
that your body gets used to working a certain amount of distance or a certain amount of yards. So what happens is your body is in a certain amount of
shape and then near the end of the season we start to taper off the yards so youre using less energy and your muscles are resting so when you get to
go and race your muscles arent as tired anymore.
This team definitely turned the tides this season. They upset the team that was projected to win it all. They broke multiple school records. They
came together to fight towards a CCC title. They succeeded in their efforts and are bringing a title to Buhach. However, it doesnt just end there. With all
of their accomplishments, they qualified to compete in Sections. Buhach has 27 swimmers who will compete in sections this year. Abril said that he cant
remember the last time they had so many swimmers moving on to compete. Buhach swimming has made the parents, coaches, students, and ultimately
school proud. They have accomplished so much and they deserve being in the upper echelon of swim teams at Buhach Colony High School. Ultimately,
they deserve the title.