The Lynn Tech swimming and diving team is off to a great start this season, currently 2-0-1 under the direction of John Hogan. After drawing its first meet, the Tigers won their next two.
The Tigers entered the season with 30 new swimmers. With only a couple of weeks to practice before the season started, Hogan said most of the practices were used to teach kids new strokes, diving, and starting strategies.
Now in the New Year, Hogan has a resolution for his group of swimmers.
“My main thing [resolution] is to get the kids to love the sport,” Hogan said. “Once they do that, they’re going to improve.”
In addition to helping the kids improve, Hogan is eyeing the Lynn City Championship in addition to repeating as champions in the league meet and the Cape Ann Conference.
Hogan has been a swim coach – in some capacity – for more than 30 years and believes he has a strong group of swimmers this season. Hogan is not a one-man team and he credits his coaching staff who work hard to put the team in the best position possible. Assistant coach Richard Bucko and dive coach Don Mckenney are a big reason for the early success of the Tigers.
One strength the Tigers have this season is their diving team.
“Our diving core is very strong. We have three very good divers (Alberto Gerado, Leana Lewis, and Addisyn Brown) that are going to place in the top three or four at every meet,” Hogan said.
“[Gerado and Lewis] keep going back and forth. One will come in first one week and then the following week the other will,” Hogan said. “They are usually within one point of each other each week.”
Gerado is the captain of the Tigers who also competes in the 50-meter freestyle and is the anchor in two relays.
“The first three meets have come down to the final relay,” Hogan said. You always want to keep some good swimmers and have them rested for the last relay.”
The relay teams have been important for Tech so far this season, with all three meets coming down to the relay to decide the match. In the first meet of the season, the Tigers needed to come in first to salvage a draw against Greater Lowell Tech, finishing the relay in first thanks to the team of Zakariya Bidoudane, Brown, Rashard Newhall, and Chris Rodriquez.
The Tigers prevailed against a co-op team of Nashoba Tech and Lowell Catholic behind a first-place finish in the 400-freestyle relay consisting of Bidoudane, Brown, Colin Donovan, and Rodriquez. The Tigers finished second place in the 200-meter freestyle relay behind Vincent Marino, Dylan Difilippo, [Alberto] Gerado, and Donovan.
Lynn Tech looks to remain unbeaten when it hosts Northeast at home this Friday at 3:30 p.m.
Mark Aboyoun can be reached at [email protected]
