By CHARLES GAGNE
PEABODY — Sunday night was senior night for the successful Wakefield/Lynnfield cooperative swim team, which was looking to improve its record to a flawless 4 and 0.
Prior to the meet against Ipswich at the Peabody YMCA, all of the seniors were introduced by head coach Jeff Boyd, as they walked toward the crowd past some balloons with both school colors. Next, their gifts were presented by some of the juniors on the team. Posters and banners decorated the walls and the swimmers were able to enjoy snacks brought by the parents. It was a wonderful ceremony, as every senior, who has put so much time and dedication into this program, was able to experience the support and gratitude of their teammates, coaches and families. Wakefield seniors include Robert Brown, Christopher Meadows and team captains, Evan Chan and Cooper Davis.
When asked for the impact the seniors have had on the team this year, coach Boyd stated, “Our seniors are the heart and soul of our team. They provide the type of leadership you would expect of a championship program. Everyone looks up to them and their work ethic and attitude are contagious among their teammates.”
The team started out the meet strong, as they managed to sweep the first event, the 200-yard medley relay. In first place were Christopher Meadows, Cooper Davis, Marc Gagne and Lynnfield swimmer, Ashkrit Mahajan. Wakefield’s Hudson Little was on the second-place team and Luke Shea and Gus Sanni were on the third-place team.
Moving onto the 200-yard freestyle race, the team continued its hot start with another sweep, as Henry Brown took first, Robert Brown second, and Hudson Little third.
Next came the 200-yard individual medley in which Chan was able to shine, finishing in first place and beating all other competition by over 10 seconds.
Then, in the shortest and perhaps the most exciting event, the 50-yard freestyle, freshman star, James Cook, earned first place along with a spot in the upcoming sectionals meet.
Wakefield/Lynnfield pulled off yet another sweep in the 100-yard butterfly, featuring Chan and H. Brown in the top two spots.
The sweeping continued, as Cook and Gagne placed first and second in the 100-yard freestyle. Then Cooper Davis earned first in the 500-yard freestyle, closely followed by Lynnfield’s Ashkrit Mahajan and Wakefield’s Luke Shea.
Wakefield swimmers continued their utter domination in the freestyle relays, as the impressive team that has been doing it all year – Chan, Cook, and the Brown brothers – got it done once again, earning first place in both events.
In the 100-yard backstroke, Wakefield yet again earned first place with an impressive performance from Robert Brown.
The team was able to finish off the meet with one more sweep in the 100-breaststroke, as Wakefield swimmers Gus Sanni and Hudson Little earned 2nd place and 3rd place behind Lynnfield’s Ashkrit Mahajan.
The team truly showed its strength, finishing first in every event and outscoring Ipswich 74-39.
It is apparent that this team is hungry for greatness and the swimmers will now be working harder than ever to prepare for the some of the tough meets they have coming up.
Wakefield/Lynnfield topped Triton on Wednesday night to secure the Cape Ann League title for the second season in a row. A full story will appear at a later date.