As we enter the winter season and finish off outdoor sports, we take a step inside our Lowell facilities and dive into the pool as we start our Lowell boys swim season. The boys swim team had a very exciting and accomplished season last year, with many young and talented swimmers who are up and coming, and others who have already reached great goals. They aim to jump into the season as a team progressing and pushing through to become faster, and succeed in what they are working for, getting into sectionals as a very strong team.
The boys swim team is coached by Kelly Blank, who is also a teacher at Lowell High School. Coach Blank is very involved and always trying to get more students at Lowell High School to join or possibly consider being a swimmer. I asked her the question, “What things do you look forward to this year, and how can you reflect on last year?” She responded positively about the team, saying, “The new swimmers have improved a lot in the last few weeks and continue to be more competitive. The seniors and returning swimmers will have a lot to prove in our sectional and conference. My goal for the new swimmers is for them to be competitive and become confident in their abilities. My goal for the returning swimmers is to have a few conference champs and have a lot of representation for finals at sectionals. The team will be led by senior Santi Pimentel.” Coach Blank also brings up the other leaders in each grade level, saying, “Seniors, Ashton Colson, Frank Zagone, and Gavin Fredrick will all have a major role in supporting the team… Juniors Pawel Baron and Stefan Angelkoski will be challenged to step up their game… Sophomore class is led by Evan DeBolt, Landon Kozlowski, and the Woodworth twins, Luke and Landon… Freshman swimmers Everett Crim and Kaiden Andriese are new to the sport but are improving their skills every practice… Freshman Easton Mikulich has stepped up to dive and swim for the boys team.” With so many new and returning swimmers, the team is only growing stronger each year, and Coach Blank has the utmost confidence in this team.
Senior swimmer Santiago Pimentel was one of many who had a great season last year, reaching goals others wish to accomplish. Santiago had achievements like conference champion for the 100 and 200 freestyle and finishing top 8 in sectionals for all four of his events. Throughout the season, he was a true leader and dedicated to succeeding, earning him MVP(Most Valuable Player) for the 24-25 swim season.
Before going into the 25-26 season, Santiago Pimentel had some great things to say. Informing us, “This team has people whom I’ve grown closer to throughout my four years. The potential that this team has is amazing, and with the hard work and dedication, I am looking forward to what we can do this season!” As someone who has been on the team for years, he has seen the ups and downs, but as a Senior and leader for Lowell swim, he hopes to see the team strive in what they love and not only accomplish what they did last year but even reach goals that they fell short of last year.
The future is very bright for this team, as Lowell is home to many young athletes who have a promising future as Red Devil swimmers. Even opening the opportunity to young swimmers who want to join the Lowell Dolphins Swim Club, which can help build them up and prepare them for High School, where they can start as top competitors.
So, are you ready to dive into the Lowell boys swim season and see all that this amazing program has to offer?
