Loyola's varsity swim team crushed the competition at this year’s MIAA “A” Conference Swimming Championships hosted by McDonogh School on Saturday night, claiming their 19th title in 20 years.
The Dons finished the meet with 438.50 points, outscoring the closest competition, McDonogh (281), by more than 150 points. Calvert Hall finished third (158), followed by Mount St. Joseph (150.50) and Gilman (88).
Loyola exuded dominance throughout the entire night, winning nearly every race including the 400 Freestyle Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 200 IM, 100 Butterfly, 100 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke and 50 Freestyle.
Winning the last 18 out of 19 MIAA Championships, the Dons entered the meet with one goal in mind: to redeem the title from last year’s loss to McDonogh.
“We were swimming with a bit of a chip on our shoulder from last year and I think that’s what pushed us even more,” said Varsity Swim Coach Keith Schertle. “The emphasis was not to crush the other teams; the emphasis was to show them that we have a very talented group of guys.”
This talented group of guys now includes eight All-MIAA athletes (Alex Bennett ‘13, Kevin Blum ’13, Tommy Brennan ’13, Nick Breschi ’13, Cole Buese ’15, J.P. Clancy ‘14, Dan Moreno ’14 and Trey Perry ’14).
The JV swim team also won their division with flying colors, outscoring second place Calvert Hall by more than 200 points.
“What Coach Schertle is doing with this program is phenomenal,” said Loyola Blakefield Athletic Director Michael Keeney. “He is not just developing great athletes; he’s developing great role models as well.”
This year’s team slogan —“Tradition Never Graduates”— added a great deal of motivation and support for the students throughout the season.
“We have a lot of swim alumni who come back and are interested to see how the current group is performing. Some alumni even write letters of encouragement that we put on the locker room walls throughout the year,” said Schertle. “It creates a sense of family and pride for the students.”
With this very successful season coming to a close, the Dons prepare for one last competition. The team will head to LaSalle University for the Eastern Swimming and Diving Championships on Feb. 22 and 23.