The water was anything but calm as the surface was being broken furiously by senior co-captain Dylan Lagrimas in a neck and neck 100 Fly event which was coming down to the wire. Both the Blue Devil and his New Providence counterpart flip-turned their way into the final 25 yards of the race. Whistles and cheers of teammates on both sides bounced throughout the pungent, chlorine-filled Westfield YMCA, as the competitors fiercely barrelled towards the wall to finish. Without a second to spare, Lagrimas took the race with a time of 54.73 seconds.
Lagrimas’s performance capped off what was an overall dominant meet for the boys swim team as Westfield would topple the Pioneers 100-68 which certainly spells promise as the Blue Devils roll into their Union County Tournament this weekend. Junior Luke Jenner had a notable performance today in the 200 Medley Relay and the 500 Free events, and with the looming shadow of Sunday’s meet Jenner commented on the meaning of the day’s win saying, “I think going into [counties], our biggest meet of the year so far with a win is good, we just have to continue the energy.”
The team certainly wasn’t lacking energy this meet, between senior co-captain Logan Welsh’s glass shattering finger whistling riling up all those on the deck to teammates holding up “67” on lap counters during the 500 free, the Blue Devils were having fun while winning. Sophomore Spencer Grausch was mindful of how the team chemistry played a role in their success saying, “I think what helped was just us having fun.”
Welsh highlighted that the Blue Devils were able to find success even when they were put in unusual circumstances. “We had a lot of people swimming in off events so I think we did a good job pushing ourselves even if it wasn’t our main event,” Welsh said. Welsh also gave credit to the lively spirits of the team even after being put in these unfamiliar roles, showing a strength in versatility that the team has and can be proud of for the back half of their season.
This is a program that will need versatility as the three-time defending state champions attempt to go for their fourth straight title. The roster has changed dramatically from last year, and its ability to continuously produce new talent is a feat very few swimming programs in the state can boast as much as Westfield can.
With stiff competition in the Group 4 tournament on the horizon such as No. 1 ranked Bridgewater-Raritan, the Blue Devils will surely build on their energy accumulated throughout the season in preparing for their state run.
