LYNN — Swimmers are not pursued by coaches to dive into the pool once they start high school.
In a lot of cases, coaches get candidates for their teams who have no experience with competitive swimming. Such was the case this year with Lynn Tech and Brad Tilley.
“A lot of you were brand new to swimming,” said Tilley, the veteran swim coach at the school, at the team’s annual breakup dinner at the Tigers’ Den. “So if you look at it that you only won one meet, that’s not how you have to see it. All of you won by improving your times and your performances as the season went along.”
The Tigers were going solo this season with their banquet, as did all the Lynn public school teams, because it was agreed prior to the season that the teams would separate. English had its banquet Sunday night, and Classical’s was last week.
Tilley was also proud that the Tigers, once again, won an MIAA academic team achievement award.
“I’m big on academics,” said Tilly, a former teacher at the school. “So this is a big accomplishment.”
Award winners at this years dinner were: Liam Donovan, the citywide award named for John G. Cahill, who was an assistant to Peter Sawin, considered the father of Lynn swimming; David Barrios, student athlete; Dustin Bloom, most valuable player; Oliver Brooks, most improved; Sheily Garcia and Nathan Whitcomb, coaches awards; Luis Hernandez, diving coach’s award; Divanny Ortega, Peter A. Sawin unsung hero award; Jessica Maurice, unsung hero; Jacob Lejune, swim boosters award; Romelo Lucas, Tiger award; Hernandez and Ortega, Commonwealth Conference all-stars; Victoria Hong and Allyssa Shaw, Blue & White Awards.
Captains for next season are Donovan, Bloom, Garcia, Whitcomb and Lejune.
