The Bearstangs, with an average freshman grade, competed in the Boys Swimming and Diving Class A State Meet. They competed between Thursday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 28. As a team, they finished second at State. Individually, they competed at a high level. 

From Breck, eighth-grader Jackson Wright finished second in the 500-yard freestyle, Bennett O’Hallerman finished third in the 100-yard backstroke, and Junior Teddy Frerichs finished second in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle.

From Blake, Minh Truong ‘29 finished 6th in the 100-yard backstroke, and Ben Sznewajs ‘27 finished seventh in the 50-yard freestyle. Other strong performances accompanied these standout performances. 

Youth hallmarked the Bearstangs’ season. Following a large number of seniors graduating last year, many freshmen had to step up. 

200-yard and 500-yard swimmer Aaron Akbar ‘29 said that he made varsity this year because “there was a lot more space, but also because I just developed more this year.” The team’s youth was not well acquainted with one another, but 50-yard and 100-yard swimmer Landon Maul ‘29 said, “We’ve grown pretty close.”  

For Akbar and Maul, the step up to varsity was intense and exciting. For both, this was their first “Hell Week,” an intense week of workouts before Sections, where Maul recalled, “I got support from the rest of the team. And it hurt, but it was bearable.” 

Akbar received an email that solidified his place on the Sections roster. He recalled, “I got to go to practice, and it was just a happy moment. I got to go home and tell my family, and they were happy.” 

The anticipation grew after a very strong Sections performance. During the taper for the State meet, Maul recalled, “We definitely got a lot of fidgeting squirreliness in the practices.” He remembered that on the bus ride to the meet, the idea that “‘we’re going to state’ hit me.”

Traditions that carried throughout the season continued into the State meet. Akbar said, “We put a horse on a stick and tie a bear around it as our mascot for every meet.” They also did a special “Dominate” chant before each meet. Akbar continued, “If we don’t have the best swimmers, it’s not going to matter because we have the culture to build around.” 

During the strong performance,  Akbar thought, “We worked so hard to get there.” Maul reflected, “Being right there for their successes was super exciting.” After, he noted that there is a moment where “sitting in the water staring… squinting at the screen all the way across the pool area.”

After the meet came a celebration. To kick off the celebration, the captains gave a speech and led a “Potato Chips” chant. Maul recalled the bus ride back home as “hyped up music. We were all drinking chocolate milk and eating cake.”