The boys swim team won a tight meet against Parkway West on Tuesday by a score of 95 to 90.
Although the rivalry between both schools added to the competitive spirit, this year’s meet was significant due to what was at stake.
Dating back to 2006, the Colts had won 50 consecutive dual meets against Suburban South Conference opponents. With the streak on the line against a strong team in West, who had beaten opponents that the Colts had already lost to earlier in the season, winning was the primary goal for the team.
“This meet was the most important dual meet of the year…there was a lot of pressure on every single member to do their absolute best,” senior captain Ben McIntyre said.
The Colts jumped out to an early lead after placing first and third in the 200 Yard Medley Relay and found themselves six points ahead going into the diving event. It was then that the team was put to the test.
This year’s swim and dive team consists of only swimmers. Without divers, the Colts begin each dual meet losing by 13 points. However, thanks to sophomore and former diver Clayton O’Hanlon, who was willing to dive at Tuesday’s meet, the team was able to keep the meet close.
“Clayton completely saved us by diving and earning us points that we would have lost,” McIntyre said.
Thanks to his efforts, the team was trailing by a margin of five points when swimming resumed. Junior Natsu Gavin finished second behind senior captain Nick Orf in the 500 Yard Freestyle, putting the team ahead by one point.
“I went into the [race] thinking, ‘Okay, I’m going to beat the guy next to me and score in third place.’ But when I dove in and saw that I was close to the swimmer for second, I put in that extra effort near the end to beat him knowing it would really help out my team,” Gavin said.
Central found itself losing by one point heading into the final event, but after finishing first and third in the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, the team clinched the victory and kept the streak alive.
“Winning the meet was not only a huge morale boost for the team, but it showed us why we swim so hard at practice. It was a reward for all the work and effort we put forth,” Gavin said.
The Colts are now 3-2 in dual meets this season. The team will swim in the COMO Invitational this Saturday at the Mizzou Aquatics Center.
