Published in the February 25, 2021 edition.
WAKEFIELD — Wakefield High 2020 graduate Antonio Anastasiades was recently named to the Boston Herald’s Eastern Mass All-Decade boys’ swimming team. The All-Decade team members competed between 2011 and 2020.
Anastasiades helped lead the Lynnfield-Wakefield co-op boys’ swim team to new heights during his time with the program.
As a junior in 2019, he captured the 200-yard IM at the North sectional meet, then won the Div. 1 state title in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Anastasiades was named the Cape Ann League Swimmer of the Year as a senior in 2020 when he set multiple school records along with a league record in the 100-yard breaststroke. He won the 200-yard IM in the North sectionals for the second straight season and won another D1 state championship in the 100-yard breaststroke.
“Antonio is a special athlete. He is the most talented and dominant swimmer I have ever coached,” said Lynnfield-Wakefield boys’ swim head coach Jeff Boyd. “He and I have a special relationship. I had him in class as a sixth grader in Wakefield and we’ve developed a great relationship since. Winning two state championships is really impressive and he’s very deserving of being selected to the All-Decade Team.”
As a senior at states, Anastasiades was seeded second in the breaststroke. Racing after he took 2nd in the 200 IM, Anastasiades dug deep for his last high school race, breaking his own school record with a time of 57.59.
“Antonio cemented his legacy in our program’s history as the best we’ve ever had,” said Boyd after that race. “We’ve had some great ones, including his brother Chris and the great Jeff Cook. But nobody has ever won back-to-back state championships. He’s our G.O.A.T.”
