Lynnfield-Wakefield swimmers finish at 5-1
Published in the January 30, 2020 edition.
PEABODY — The Lynnfield-Wakefield boys’ co-op swim team competed against North Reading/Wilmington in their final meet of the CAL season on Sunday at the Torogian Family YMCA. It was also Senior Night for the Pioneer-Warriors who honored the class of 2020 for their dedication and commitment to the program.
Lynnfield-Wakefield was victorious 91-69.
The boys led from start to finish winning the majority of the points on all but three events as they cruised to their fourth consecutive win.
“The boys continue to swim really well,” said head coach Jeff Boyd. “This was another great team win. They had a real tough week of practice leading up to this meet and that hard work showed itself in every event.”
The 200 Medley relay (Ben Sykes, Wakefield’s Antonio Anastasiades, Adam Ho and Wakefield’s Spencer Little) won in 1:57.37.
Anastasiades won the 200IM (2:37.32).
David Kasdon won diving with a score of 163.875.
Kyle Morias won the 100 butterfly (1:41.99).
“One of the highlights of the season was Kyle Morias winning that 100 butterfly,” said Boyd. “He’s the epitome of what I love in a swimmer. He works hard every day and only wants to get better every time. I was really happy for him tonight – he really deserved that moment.”
Spencer Little won the 100 freestyle (1:01.60).
The 200 Freestyle Relay won (Christian Murphy, Nick Jacobs, Adam Ho, Spencer Little) in 1:54.56.
Ben Sykes won the 100 backstroke (1:11.90).
“Ben Sykes and Spencer Little really turned it up in practice this week,” said Boyd. “I’ve been pushing everyone to race each other in practice and those two really embraced it and the results speak for themselves. It’s great to see the kids who give it their all in practice experience success when it counts. They’re two of the best competitors I’ve ever coached.”
Antonio Anastasiades, the only senior on the boys’ team, won the 100 breaststroke (1:03.03).
The 400 Freestyle Relay (Nick Jacobs, Christian Murphy, Ben Sykes, Antonio Anastasiades) won in 4:12.65.
“The highlight of the night was in that final 400 free relay,” said Boyd. “Antonio was the anchor and our opponent had nearly an entire length of the pool lead when Antonio finally got his turn. In fact, the anchor for North Reading-Wilmington was going into his first turn when Antonio was just jumping off the blocks. You could tell he wasn’t going to let them win because he was undeniably going for it. The crowd noticed what could possibly happen immediately and the place was louder than I’ve ever heard it. Sure enough, Antonio caught the other kid on the final length and won the race.
“I’ve never seen a comeback like that before. I wasn’t sure if he would even bother going for it given the size of the gap. I knew we’d find out immediately once he took his first stroke, and once he did, I knew we were in for something special. I’ve been waiting all year for Antonio to really unleash what he is capable of. He delivered on the last leg of the last event of the regular season. It was one of the coolest moments I’ve ever been a part of in coaching this sport.
“I will admit, I set that relay up for a possible moment like that. I wanted to force a situation where Antonio would showcase what he was truly capable of. It was senior night, the place was packed, and he gave everyone something they’ll probably remember forever. What I don’t want to get lost is the effort of the three boys before him. They kept us within striking distance for Antonio to reel him in. It was a special moment for everyone. I’ve never heard it louder in that pool than when that went down.”
The boys finished the season 5-1 in CAL competition. They will now get ready for the Cape Ann League Meet this Saturday, 9 a.m. at St. John’s Prep.
