As the Westfield boys swimming team took their places on their diving blocks to begin their final event, the Blue Devils and Scotch Plains-Fanwood crowds erupted, filled with countless supporters and alumni. The score was unbelievably tight: 79.5 to 76.5, Westfield leading. The last event of the meet could make the score go either way. Despite Westfield’s complete and total effort, they ultimately fell to SPF 83.5 to 86.5, their first loss to SPF in 15 years.
The annual alumni meet against SPF was expected to be highly competitive coming in. “There were a lot of close races, and it was expected coming in,” said head coach Jeff Knight. “We gave away some points in spots that we were expecting to get better finishes, so it’s fuel for us as we move forward in the season. It’s important that we learn from it.”
After a relatively easy start to the season, Westfield hadn’t been tested too much this year. To add to the overall intensity, SPF is one of Westfield’s biggest rivals and this annual alumni meet had former swimmers from both Westfield and SPF come to cheer on their respective teams. Senior co-captain Logan Welsh said, “It was our biggest rivalry match. The fact that it was an alumni meet definitely added pressure.”
Throughout the entirety of the meet, the score was unbelievably close. In the 500 Free, both teams were tied at 55 points, and in the other races, the gap was at most 6 points, with Westfield always having the lead on SPF.
Senior co-captain Dylan Lagrimas noted how tough it is to go into any meet with a long winning streak. “A lot of the younger guys, myself included, have never experienced a loss in a meet before, so we went in here expecting a different outcome,” he said. “It’s never fun losing, but we just have to take this and move forward.”
Despite the final score, Westfield knows that they should take pride in many things. Welsh said, “In all races, we fought to the end. Instead of being in the mindset of ‘he’s the B swimmer, I’m the C, so I’m going to lose,’ we pushed and made sure we fought in every race.”
Knight made sure to highlight outstanding performances that made a notable difference in the overall meet. Sophomores Max Matera, Alex Cherenkov and Spencer Grauch all showcased excellent effort in their races. Junior Max Laskow had a personal best in the sprint relay.
Regardless of whether Westfield won or lost, the alumni who came to support were proud of their past team’s efforts. Alum Hudson Wilcomes said, “It felt like a nice reunion. We got to see the younger guys and cheer them on.” Alum Logan Swenson agreed: “The SPF meet right before Christmas is a great tradition for us, so it was awesome to come back and watch the younger guys swim this year.”
Coming off a disappointing loss, the Blue Devils take a break until they look to redeem themselves against Oratory on January 6 at 4 p.m. Welsh said, “This result wasn’t something we wanted and we don’t want it to happen again.”
