Ally Snyder ’28
May 16, 2025
From May 2 to 4, Mercersburg Academy’s boys and girls swim teams hosted a three-day meet—the final high school meet for seniors. While the season for high school swimming usually peaks in winter, Coach Matt Hurst said, “For us, there really is no off-season.” The spring roster was smaller than the winter’s, with some seniors now committed to other PGAs, like track and field. Still, the team spirit remained strong. “I mean, there’s more lane space, which you’re always happy with,” said Caiden Bowers ’25. “But I miss having a bigger team … It was such a good time.”
Even within the tight-knit team, swimmers approach competition in their own ways. Boden Keim ’28 said, “I work better under pressure, because it helps me mentally prepare and go faster.” Yet, Antonina Sech ’26 described a very different mindset: “Before my two hundred backstroke, I was talking to [Hurst], saying, ‘How do you want me to swim this?’ And he goes, ‘Don’t think about it, just swim it’ … and the no pressure of that helped me achieve something that I haven’t in a year.”
“Going into this meet, the team's goals were to improve technique instead of explosiveness,” Hurst explained. “Outside of the high school season, we focus more on the skills of swimming than the skills of racing… the actual skills, like how to swim, buoyancy, those types of things come into play.”
Sech reflected on her mindset going into the meet: “I just competed in Irish Nationals not long ago, so I didn’t really have any expectations.” Despite this, she added, “I actually did very well, and I’m proud of myself for that.”
For some swimmers, the meet was also a way to mark personal growth. Sophie Koroma ’26 noted, “It reminded me how far I’ve come. Even when the races were tough, I felt more confident now than I did just a few months ago.”
The swimmers concluded the meet with an array of accomplishments. Beliz Kaya ‘28 set a personal record in her one hundred fly, and Gabby Cechini ‘28 did well in her first time competing in the two hundred backstroke. Thomas Cechini ‘25 and Raphael Sibuet ‘25 fought a close competition in the one hundred freestyle. As Bowers recounted, “[Sibuet] went out first, and Thomas came back on him and won literally by a hundredth of a second. It was really exciting!”
Meets like this one can be incredibly helpful in preparing for the main season. Keim explained, “This meet helped me understand where I am as a swimmer and allowed me to refocus on the goals I had already set.”
Hurst looked back on the season, saying, “Being able to compete and train together for three terms is a privilege that the swimming program does not take for granted. It can be a long season… I've been extremely fortunate with the coaches we've had this year and their support of not only me but of the athletes and the program.”