Published February 10, 2021
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
PEABODY — The Lynnfield-Wakefield co-op boys’ swim team won the Cape Ann League title after finishing their season with a perfect 5-0 record.
“This is a really special team,” said head coach Jeff Boyd. “We have no superstars, but everyone is dedicated and can swim really well. We are a team in the truest sense. There’s not one person carrying everyone else. They all work their hardest and do their best at every practice and every meet. This is our fourth championship since the team started and it was easily the most dominating team of those four.”
The Pioneer-Warriors, who feature six swimmers from Wakefield High, beat Triton on Jan. 24 to move to 3-0. They beat Manchester-Essex 124-47 on Jan. 31 and finished their season on Feb. 4 with a clutch victory over North Reading-Wilmington.
Wakefield swimmers contributed to seven 1st place finishes against Manchester-Essex.
Freshman Robert Brown was 1st in the 200 freestyle in 2:10.68. He also took 1st in the 100 yard backstroke in 1:08.34.
Sophomore Spencer Little was 1st in the 100 freestyle in 59.34. He also got 3rd in the 50 yard freestyle.
Freshman Evan Chan was 1st in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:21.81. He also took 3rd in the 100 butterfly.
An all-Wakefield team of senior captain Alex Kent, Brown, Chan and Little got 1st in the 200 freestyle relay in a time of 1:48.52. Kent also swam to 1st in the 400 free relay along with Lynnfield’s, Christian Murphy, Adam Ho and Ben Sykes.
Captain Kent took an individual 2nd in the 50 yard freestyle 25.4 and 2nd in the 100 butterfly in 1:10.71.
Freshman Cooper Davis got 2nd in the 500 freestyle in a time of 6:51.33. He later took 3rd in the 100 yard breast-stroke (1:31.36) and swam with Sykes, Shane McQueen and Jack Zalvan to get 2nd in the 200 medley relay. Wakefield’s Chan, Brown and Little swam with Adam Ho to get 1st in that relay.
The Wakefield swimmers were even more dominant in the team’s final meet of the regular season against North Reading-Wilmington.
Although not his last performance since there will be virtual CAL Championships tomorrow night, Kent’s final regular meet was one to remember as the captain took home three 1st place finishes and a 2nd for good measure. Kent was 1st in the 50 yard freestyle (25.84), 1st with Brown, Chan and Little in the 200 freestyle relay (1:48.11), and 1st with Murphy, Ho and Sykes in the 400 free relay (4:18.32). Kent was 2nd in the 100 yard butterfly (1:12.49).
Little was 1st in the 100 freestyle (59.77), 3rd in the 50 free (26.66) and 2nd in the 200 medley relay along with Chan, Ho and Brown (2:03.7).
Chan got 1st in the 100 butterfly in 1:03.37 and 1st in the 200 yard freestyle in 2:07.14.
Davis was 1st in the 500 freestyle (7:03.71) and swam to 3rd with Sykes, McQueen and Zalvan in the 200 medley relay (2:13.35).
Brown got 1st in the 100 backstroke (1:08.06) and 2nd in the 200 yard individual medley (2:27.37).
“This is why I wanted to come back: to lead great kids to great success,” said Boyd who returned to coach the team last season. “I’m amazed it happened in only two years since coming back, but I couldn’t be happier for these kids. We have a culture here predicated on character and character leads to success. I couldn’t be prouder.”
