ATLANTA, GEORGIA – While the Olympics thrust swimming into the national spotlight for the first time in four years, one local swim team delivered a Olympic-sized effort of its own recently.
The Westfield Wave had one of its best showings at last month’s nationals for the first time in the program’s rich history. Westfield failed to capture a single point, but made some significant waves of improvement.
“Nobody for Westfield has ever scored points at the national championships, but we were really, really close,” said 32-year head coach Jamie Bloom. Bloom also serves as the “Y” program director for aquatics.
A dozen swimmers from the Westfield “Y,” ages 14-18, participated in the five-day YMCA Long Horse National Championship competition held at Georgia Tech University.
While Emma Whitney, of Williamstown stole the show for the girls in the 50 backstroke and 50 free, Bloom said male swimmers Niko Fantakis and Brendan Day were the backbone for the boys.
Day had a strong showing in the 50 freestyle and Fantakis was solid overall, according to Bloom.
Fantakis (Connecticut College) and Day (Hartwick College) will compete at the next level this winter for Division 3 schools. Both athletes made their mark on the Westfield High swim team.
“They both will make immediate impacts,” Bloom said of the two swimmers.
John Dolan, Matt Labombard, and Jim Stinehart, who also led Westfield High’s swim team routinely, competed for the Wave.
McKenzie Gendron, Jordan Jacobson, Erin Lewis, Lauren Longley, Hope Walsh, Maeve Wilber, and Whitney made up the girls’ group, who also benefited from some of Westfield’s golden touch. Or it could be said that the high school team flourishes thanks to the feeder program at the “Y”.
“We had some personal bests, some team records,” Bloom said. “They’ve been swimming and winning a lot. The girls have the opportunity to be undefeated again and win Western Mass. again. And the boys are now determined, and getting deeper, and deeper, and deeper (in depth of numbers and talent).”
As far as the Wave is concerned, three decades into the head coach’s tenure the program still appears to be, well, Bloom-ing.
“We’re right on the edge of having somebody score at nationals,” coach Bloom said. “For us, that will be a very exciting day for us.”
The Westfield Wave’s 2012-13 season will begin September 4, with its first competition slated for mid-October.
